Matters related to foreign licenses and foreign driver's licenses (Matters related to foreign licenses and foreign driver's licenses in Japan: 外国免許・国外運転免許証関係)
Want to know about the usage of foreign licenses and foreign driver's licenses in Japan? The international driver's license must be issued by a member country of the Geneva Conventions and conform to the prescribed format. There are conditions for driving in Japan with an international driver's license, and it also involves different entry and exit situations. Come and find out!
Matters Related to Foreign Licenses and Foreign Driver's Licenses (Matters related to foreign licenses and overseas driver's licenses)
The international driver's license that allows legal driving in Japan is issued by member countries of the Geneva Convention of Switzerland and must be in accordance with the format stipulated by the convention. Even if an international driver's license is issued by a member country of the Geneva Convention, if its format is in line with other conventions (such as the Vienna Convention), it is not valid in Japan. To drive in Japan with an international driver's license, the following conditions must be met.
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It must be within one year from the issuance date of the international driver's license and within one year from the date of entering Japan.
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It must comply with the "3 - month rule" in Article 107, Paragraph 2 of Japan's Road Traffic Act. ◇ Re - enter Japan within less than 3 months from the date of departure. When a person holding a Basic Resident Register Card (a foreigner living in Japan for a long - term) departs Japan after obtaining departure confirmation or re - entry permission and re - enters Japan within less than 3 months, the date of re - entry is not the starting date of the driving - permitted period, so they cannot drive in Japan.
- The same treatment applies to those who depart after obtaining a refugee travel certificate.
◇ Re - enter Japan after more than 3 months of departure. When a person holding a Basic Resident Register Card (a foreigner living in Japan for a long - term) departs Japan after obtaining departure confirmation or re - entry permission and re - enters Japan after more than 3 months, the date of re - entry (return) is the starting date of the driving - permitted period.
- The same treatment applies to those who depart after obtaining a refugee travel certificate.
