I have a US license no Japanese license, living in Chiba.
My wife and I are planning on going to Taiwan or Thailand in the middle of October. Am I only able to get one from the AAA in the US? Or can I find a service that allows US licenses to be translated for another country? Does AAA ship??
8 comments
No
You need to get your IDP from the same country that issued your actual license. [AAA will ship your IDP overseas](https://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html#overseas), but it likely won’t arrive before your trip.
If you convert your US license to a Japanese license, you can get then get a Japanese IDP (or, for Taiwan, [a Chinese translation of your Japanese license](https://jaf.or.jp/common/visitor-procedures/taiwan)). If your US license is from Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, or Washington, you don’t need to take the written test or driving test to convert your license, so you might be able to complete the conversion and get your IDP or translation before your trip; otherwise, depending on the time it takes to schedule driving exams in your prefecture, you may be out of luck.
You just have to follow two easy steps:
1. Get a Japanese driver’s license. (Difficulty depends a lot on which US state your license is from.)
2. Get a Japanese IDP from the Japanese police.
Possible long shot is to fedex a completed IDP application (including passport-sized photos, etc.) to a friend / family in the US, have them obtain the IDP in person at a local AAA office on your behalf (it takes like 15 minutes) — then fedex you back the document.
Or just plan not to drive this time.
Many countries require you to have lived/driven in the country of issuance for a total of 30-90 days prior to entering the country. You’ll have to check the laws for the country you are visiting. It seems you don’t have time for any other option. I guess you could just risk it. Maybe bring some bail money just in case you get locked up. Good luck
Have you considered just not driving while on holiday?
AAA back home. You cand EMS the application and photo to your parents and they go in for you, get it quick and send it back. I had done this several times over the years before getting a Japanese license.
If you are living in Japan you should convert to a Japanese license anyway, and then getting an IDP takes 5 minutes in Makuhari for you. Plus you can of course rent a car at any time here.