Car and driving licence in Japan: exchange without a test, and leave the car at home

Yes, you can drive in Japan with a Dutch licence, and the exchange works without a test: the Netherlands is on Japan's list of countries whose licences are converted without a knowledge or skills check. What it costs: a mandatory JAF translation of ¥ 6,600 and in Tokyo ¥ 4,850 in fees. The pitfall is the international driving permit: it covers you for one year at most, and whoever has not exchanged by then is driving without a valid licence. Bringing the car is possible, but rarely sensible.

How long may you drive on your Dutch papers?

Japan recognises three kinds of licence: a Japanese licence, an international driving permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention, and for six countries (Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan) the national licence with an official Japanese translation. The Netherlands is not one of those six. With only your Dutch licence you may therefore not drive in Japan; you need the international driving permit, which you obtain in the Netherlands before you leave. Under Japanese rules it is valid for one year at most.

How do you exchange, and what does it cost?

The exchange is called gaimen kirikae. You do it at the driving licence centre of the prefecture where you live; in Tokyo via an online appointment. For licences from the 29 countries on the exemption list, including the Netherlands, both the knowledge check and the driving test are waived. What remains: an eye test and the check of your papers.

What	Amount or term
JAF translation of your licence	¥ 6,600 (since 1 July 2026), on average 5 to 10 working days
Application fee, passenger car (Tokyo)	¥ 2,500
Issuing fee (Tokyo)	¥ 2,350
Residence requirement	at least three months in the Netherlands after your licence was issued
Eye test, passenger car	at least 0.7 with both eyes, at least 0.3 per eye
Validity of the new licence	until one month after your third birthday after issue

Three things to arrange in advance. You apply for the JAF translation online only, and only from within Japan; not at the counter and not by post. Proof of the three months is harder than it sounds. Tokyo asks for your passport, old ones too, but whoever travelled through the automated gates has no stamps. The police then accept other documents: a statement from a public institution about your period of residence, an employer's statement of your employment, or for holders of a European licence proof of income from your employer. Request an extract from the BRP with your address history from your municipality before you leave, so you have it to hand. And since the rule change of 1 October 2025, Tokyo asks foreign residents for an extract from the Japanese resident register (jūminhyō), no more than six months old and showing your nationality, status of residence and residence card number. You get it from your municipality, so the exchange comes after your registration as a resident.

Don't wait until month eleven. The translation takes up to two weeks on average, proof of your stay may need extra paperwork, and your international driving permit is valid for one year at most. Whoever drives for work in the first year or needs a rental car on holiday arranges the exchange in the first months.

After the exchange you drive for a first period with a green band on your licence; at a later renewal that colour may change. If you move within Japan, you report your new address to the police.

Can you take your car to Japan?

Formally, yes. A used car may enter Japan as household effects without duties and tax, with a registration certificate showing it has been used. It may then not be sold or given away within two years. Then the Japanese part begins:

• Registration at an office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).
• A parking space certificate (shako shōmei) from the police: whoever has a car in a city, in some villages or in Tokyo's 23 wards must show that they have a parking space for it.
• The periodic inspection, at a certified garage or at the MLIT.
• The compulsory liability insurance (CALI), without which you may not drive on the road.

And then the Dutch side: getting part of the BPM back is only possible if the car is permanently registered in another EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway. For Japan you get no BPM back. On top of that, Japan drives on the left. For most emigrants the sum is simple: sell the car in the Netherlands, deregister it with the RDW, and buy in Japan what suits your new street.

What changes on the road?

Driving on the left, no alcohol behind the wheel (lending your car to someone who has been drinking is an offence too), seat belts for everyone, children under six in a child seat, and no phone in your hand. After an accident or offence you must show your licence. Penalty points count for three years, and enough points means suspension or revocation.

How the household goods and the rest of the move work is in your household goods to Japan.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.5: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Japan or go straight to step 4.5 in the open plan.