If your licence is from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan and you've arrived in Japan without the Japanese translation, you can't legally drive yet, and the rental company won't release the car. The fix is to get the translation now. It usually costs you a few days, not the whole trip.
Will the rental company let me take the car anyway?
No. Staff at Japanese rental counters check the documents before handing over the keys, and without the translation they won't. It doesn't help that you booked months ago or that your international permit is valid elsewhere. This happens more than you'd expect, and it's usually the first people hear of the rule.
Can I just drive on my licence and permit?
You're not permitted to. For licences from these six places, Japan accepts your national licence only together with the official Japanese translation. The international permit doesn't replace it. Driving without the translation means driving without a valid authorisation, which is not something you want to explain to the police or to your insurer after a scrape.
Can I walk into a JAF office in Tokyo and get it there?
Not any more. Since 1 April 2025 the JAF no longer accepts applications at the counter. Everything goes through an online form, in Japanese, paid by credit card, with the finished document sent to an address in Japan. If you're in Japan you can technically use that form yourself. Most visitors find the Japanese-only form and the need for a Japanese delivery address are where it falls apart.
How fast can I get it now?
The JAF quotes two to three business days on average for these six places once the application is in. Japanese weekends and public holidays don't count, and a long weekend can add several days.
If you order right now, this is where you stand:
We commit to the day we submit, because that part is ours. The rest runs through the JAF, so the arrival is a range, not a promise. You drive with JAF's paper original, which we deliver to your hotel or rental counter in Japan from the day after the translation is ready (+€10 / CHF 10 / NT$350).
What should I do with the car booking in the meantime?
Ask the rental company whether they can move the pickup back a few days rather than cancel. Many will, especially outside busy weeks. If you're touring, it's often easier to spend the first days in a city, where you don't need a car, and pick it up once the paper original has arrived.
What do I need when I finally collect the car?
Your original licence, the paper original of the Japanese translation and your passport. The translation is valid for one year from the day you entered Japan, or until your licence expires if that comes first.
How do I avoid this next time?
Get the translation before you book the car. Many rental companies ask for it at reservation. We run a campervan rental in Fukuoka where most guests come from Europe, and a missing translation is the most common reason a booking goes wrong. Ours arrives as a PDF by email, so you have it for the booking before you travel. You then drive with JAF's paper original, which we deliver to your hotel or rental counter in Japan (+€10 / CHF 10 / NT$350).
Apply for the translation now.
Checked against the JAF's official English guidance in September 2026. Karen and Doko Shibagaki, Camjyo Inc., Fukuoka.
