If you could add more detail, it may make a difference. From what country and state is your current license? Also, for how long will you stay?
If you’re in Australia, getting an international license is easy and costs roughly $56, you can get it from RSVCA, or other insurance companies like AIMII.
In terms of getting it, I didn’t get it because my missus drives, and 99% of the time I take public transport since it’s super convenient here, although when I was here on holiday earlier I got it because we went on road trips which were great! So if you plan on doing a cheeky road trip, get it because the country side of Japan is amazing and it’ll be tough to properly see without a car.
I’d get the international driver’s licence at home first as you will be able to drive before getting the Japanese driving licence.
This would allow for you to start driving right away without having to wait for the application to go through in Japan.
Do both.
If you are living in Japan you can’t use the international licence. You need the japanese one.
Quite a bit of incomplete / inaccurate information here.
1. It’s an “International Driving Permit (IDP)”, NOT a license. You need your drivers license too. 2. Yes, you can use an IDP if you are a resident here. It’s good for just under one year from date of arrival. 3. You do not need to get a Japanese drivers license for the first year you live in Japan. 4. You can NOT obtain or renew an IDP after your first arrival in Japan, unless you are out of Japan for 3 months. 5. An IDP is not involved at all with getting a Japanese drivers license.
So, go to whoever issues them in your country no more than a week before your flight. Use it in Japan for all of 2020. If you are staying past January 2021, get a Japanese license somewhere around that time.
Also, make sure your current license is valid until at least January 2021.
where will you be living in japan? owning a car in the city is often a major pain ,the trains often better.
Short answer: get an International Driving Permit first, move to japan, then look at getting a japanese license before the IDP expires (1 year).
8 comments
If you could add more detail, it may make a difference. From what country and state is your current license? Also, for how long will you stay?
If you’re in Australia, getting an international license is easy and costs roughly $56, you can get it from RSVCA, or other insurance companies like AIMII.
In terms of getting it, I didn’t get it because my missus drives, and 99% of the time I take public transport since it’s super convenient here, although when I was here on holiday earlier I got it because we went on road trips which were great! So if you plan on doing a cheeky road trip, get it because the country side of Japan is amazing and it’ll be tough to properly see without a car.
I’d get the international driver’s licence at home first as you will be able to drive before getting the Japanese driving licence.
This would allow for you to start driving right away without having to wait for the application to go through in Japan.
Do both.
If you are living in Japan you can’t use the international licence. You need the japanese one.
Quite a bit of incomplete / inaccurate information here.
1. It’s an “International Driving Permit (IDP)”, NOT a license. You need your drivers license too.
2. Yes, you can use an IDP if you are a resident here. It’s good for just under one year from date of arrival.
3. You do not need to get a Japanese drivers license for the first year you live in Japan.
4. You can NOT obtain or renew an IDP after your first arrival in Japan, unless you are out of Japan for 3 months.
5. An IDP is not involved at all with getting a Japanese drivers license.
So, go to whoever issues them in your country no more than a week before your flight. Use it in Japan for all of 2020. If you are staying past January 2021, get a Japanese license somewhere around that time.
Also, make sure your current license is valid until at least January 2021.
where will you be living in japan? owning a car in the city is often a major pain ,the trains often better.
Short answer: get an International Driving Permit first, move to japan, then look at getting a japanese license before the IDP expires (1 year).