Accepted licence routes
- Valid Japanese driving licence — original at pickup.
- International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention, booklet format, issued by an authorised body of the issuing country, plus your passport with a verifiable Japan entry date. Valid one year from issue and at most one year from your qualifying entry.
- Licence from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan, with an authorised Japanese translation (JAF or the country’s embassy/consulate) and your passport.
Anything else goes to staff review and cannot be approved automatically. Card, app or internet-issued “international licences”, permits issued only under the 1968 Vienna Convention, and a mainland China licence or translation alone are not accepted. Residents of Japan who re-entered within three months are reviewed individually.
Driver policy
- Every driver must be declared before pickup; undeclared drivers void the insurance cover.
- Minimum driver age: 21. Maximum driver age: No insurer maximum stated; confirmed in your quotation.
- Minimum full-licence experience: 1 year.
- Maximum additional drivers: 3. Additional-driver fee: free.
- The licence class must cover the assigned vehicle.
- Final eligibility is confirmed after original documents of every driver are inspected at pickup. Invalid or incomplete documents mean the vehicle cannot be handed over; the cancellation schedule applies.
Source: National Police Agency, For Holders of Foreign Driver’s Licenses. Rules last verified 2026-09-04.
Version 0.1-draft-2026-09-05. Where a Japanese text exists, the Japanese text controls; the English text is a convenience translation. Effective on acceptance of your quotation.