Renting a car in Japan with a foreign or international license: what residents need

You can rent a car in Japan as a foreigner with a Japanese license, a 1949 Geneva Convention international driving permit (IDP), or a home license with an official Japanese translation (only Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan). You also show your passport. An IDP or translation is valid for 1 year from the day you landed, so residents need a Japanese license after that. Rules are as of October 2026.

Which licenses do rental companies accept?

The National Police Agency (警察庁) lists three documents that allow driving in Japan. Rental companies follow the same list.

For the details, see our guide to the international driving permit in Japan.

What do rental companies check on an IDP?

Nippon Rent-A-Car publishes seven checks. If one fails, it won’t give you a car.

1. The IDP is a Geneva-format booklet, not a copy, digital version or A4 sheet, and not from an unauthorized issuer.
2. The issuing country is a party to the Geneva Convention.
3. It refers to the convention of 19 September 1949.
4. It was issued within the past year.
5. Your name, place and date of birth and address are listed.
6. A stamp or sticker for the class you are reserving (B, C or D) is affixed.
7. The photo shows you.

Even if all seven pass, the rental location may still refuse an IDP it judges inappropriate. Nippon also says it isn’t responsible if police or other authorities invalidate your IDP after you pick up the car. Toyota Rent a Car gives the same warning: a rental may be rejected if your license doesn’t meet the requirements.

Why does a resident have a different problem from a tourist?

The 1-year limit. The National Police Agency says an IDP or translated foreign license is valid for 1 year from the day you land in Japan, or its own validity, whichever is shorter. An IDP is valid for 1 year from its issue date. JAF adds that a translation does not extend the year.

If you are registered as a resident (in the 住民基本台帳, the basic resident register), leaving and returning in under 3 months does not restart the clock. Toyota’s page repeats this rule. After that year, a rental on an IDP or translation is not something you should plan on.

What should I bring to the counter?

The residence card isn’t listed by Toyota or Nippon as a license document. Nippon lists it only as an accepted ID when you pay in cash or with a prepaid card. We could not confirm from the pages we read whether every company accepts it as ID.

How do I get a Japanese translation?

JAF issues translations for licenses from the six places. Applications are online only, and processing takes 2 to 3 business days for those six places (5 to 10 for others). Other accepted translators are the issuing authority, its embassy or consulate, and other bodies designated by the National Public Safety Commission (the Japan Visiting Driver Support Association is one example). A translation doesn’t guarantee a later license conversion.

What about payment, age and insurance?

Nippon Rent-A-Car says:

• Credit cards: premium, full-size wagon, premium wagon, truck, special-equipment and microbus classes require a credit card. For other classes, a credit card (including debit) is generally requested. Cash or prepaid cards need extra verification, and cash may be refused depending on area, time or vehicle type.
• Online payment: prepaid cards and cards without 3D Secure cannot be used, and a passenger’s card is refused.
• Debit cards: a deduction occurs each time the card is authenticated, and refunds can take several months depending on the card company.
• Age: no age restriction for drivers aged 18 and over. Other companies set their own terms.
• Insurance: the basic price includes third-party and rental-car coverage with a ¥50,000 or ¥100,000 deductible by class. The optional CDW (collision damage waiver) costs ¥1,100 to ¥2,200 per day, tax included, and isn’t insurance.

JNTO adds that insurance is required and that most companies rent ETC (electronic toll) cards, with tolls settled on return. These are one company’s terms as of October 2026. For your own car, see our car insurance guide.

What if I’ll be here longer than a year?

Plan for a Japanese license. If you stayed at least 3 months in the country that issued your license after getting it, you can apply for foreign license conversion (外免切替) at the license center in your prefecture. If you can’t, you would sit the Japanese license tests; see our guide to English-language driving schools. Once you hold a Japanese license, rental companies need only that license.

Questions about your own case go to your prefectural license center. For license problems with a rental already booked, contact the rental company before pickup.

More guides: buying a car in Japan, international driving permit and license conversion.