I left Japan for 92 days exactly, but I just realized I never got a new landing permission stamp (3 year working visa).
I was hoping to use my IDP I got while I was abroad, but the rental office pointed this out saying it only would be valid for one year of arrival (passed a few weeks ago).
Is this accurate, I’m in my license course now so it’s not a big deal, but just curious if I should have gotten a new landing permission stamp?
2 comments
Yes and it is often hard to prove to a rental agency the exact date of your landing without the stamp. Especially if you have re-entered multiple times within the IDP validity. For those going through this in the future, definitely ask for the stamp to simplify IDP usage.
If you left for 92 days, you technically could have qualified for a new IDP. But again, the rental agent may apply their own (false) interpretation based on your passport stamps. Unfortunately knowledge of the law doesn’t help you convince the unwilling and they aren’t obligated to rent to you :(.
I went through something similar and was able to get them to honor my IDP, but it took a solid hour+ of discussion and education. Now I’m just using my Japanese license.
My understanding is that residents aren’t legally allowed to drive on IDPs since they’re for tourists. Can’t find any official documentation of that, though.