Hello. I am traveling to country soon where I’ll need to rent a vehicle. My native country driving license is sitting in a drawer in the country where I live – Japan. The driving license I have in my wallet is my Japanese one.
In order to use the Japanese license in the destination country I understand that I require an IDP from my local police station – but I cannot obtain this as I’m overseas already. Q1: Is there any way to obtain this remotely? I’ve been living in Japan for over 5 years so I know the answer is probably no, but still checking in hope.
Q2: Has anyone been successful in using a JP DL overseas without the IDP? I have a photograph of my home country DL and the paper counterpart with me…
TIA. I know I should’ve planned better here, but this is a business trip out of the blue.
4 comments
Whether you can just use your Japanese license without the IDP will depend on the country you’re visiting/driving in. Also if you need to rent a car, there might be an issue with the rental car company. You never said where you will be and where you are now
The short answer is no you cannot get an IDP remotely while abroad.
The long answer is you may be in luck — not every US state requires an IDL to rent a car. I would suggest contacting the rental agency of your choice and ask.
But just having a photograph of the DL is an almost definite deal breaker. They would require a physical card at a minimum.
I’ve used a Japanese license without an IDP to rent a car in PA and NY. This was close to 10 years ago, though. Every time I have rented since then (not in those states) has required the IDP.
It’s possible to have a proxy apply for an IDP if you are already abroad. At least in Kanagawa prefecture.
Reference: https://www.police.pref.kanagawa.jp/mes/mes83139.htm