International Drivers License

My Japanese boyfriend wants to know how to get an international drivers license. He's been in America for a few months and drives here, but in a few weeks we're heading back to Japan together. He does not have a drivers license in Japan.

Does anyone know how to apply and get one? We are currently in California.

It is described here:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2022.html

Is it true even though he is Japanese? I'd love more feedback.

"If you have a driver's license from a country which has not concluded an agreement with Japan yet, such as the United States, China or Brazil, you will have to take a written and practical exam in order to obtain a Japanese driver's license. This process typically takes several attempts, even for experienced drivers."

Actually, that was written under "Japanese licenses", not international. So.. is America one of the countries that can apply for a license? Hmm..

You can get an International drivers license if you have a current drivers license.
You can't get one if you don't have a current valid license in some country.

Ask at the Embassy of Japan in US before you come - I think US is part of the Geneva Convention on driving rules, but there are certain requirements, one of which is that the driver's license holder needs to have resided in the country (in his case, US) at least for a certain length of time.

Another thing is: (1) does he just want to be able to drive in Japan during *this* visit - based on US-issued International Driving Permit based on his US driver's license? (for this, he has to ask in the US before he leaves for Japan) or (2) does he want to convert his US driver's license to one that is valid in Japan (more a long-term thing for Japan)? or (3) does he want to get a driver's license in Japan from scratch? (the one that requires "several attempts" in the description earlier applies to this case).

u can get a IDL at any AAA office in the US as long as you have a valid US DL. but i don't think it's any good for a Japanese citizen driving in Japan.

oth if you have a valid US DL and you can prove you have been out of the country one year or more it's very easy to get a Japanes dl--been there -done that

Niko-chan,
If I remember right from your previous posts, you will be coming to Japan for about 3 weeks , so assuming:

1. your bf wants to drive in Japan for this short 3 week period.
2. your bf has a valid US driver's license

Then it is a pretty simple process. The IDP is issued by AAA and can be obtained either in person or through the mail. The application can be found here:

http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpapplc.html?association=undefi...

and instructions here:

http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html

It costs $15 and you'll need 2 passport photos and copies of both sides of his license.

Ask to have the date the IDP will be valid from start the same day as you'll arrive in Japan. The IDP is valid for up to 3 years in countries where they accept it EXCEPT for in Japan. It will only be valid for 1 year from the date you first land in Japan. You can use it on subsequent trips that fall within that year time.

It doesn't matter if he is Japanese, rather the important thing is that he has a US driver's license and doesn't have a Japanese driver's license.

btw,
IDL
oth if you have a valid US DL and you can prove you have been out of the country one year or more it's very easy to get a Japanes dl--been there -done that

I'm not familiar with this person's particular situation, but I disagree with this statement. Regardless how long you have been outside of Japan, a US license does not transfer easily to a Japanese license. The requirements to transfer are that you have had your US license for at least 3 months, pass a written exam, pass a physical exam, and pass a road test. This process can take as short as a day, but average time is more like several months due to a scarcity of road test appointments in some prefectures.

My prefecture is one of those difficult ones where most people fail the test many times and there is a month long wait between appointments. I met one test taker who was taking the road test for the 22nd time (roughly 2 years of attempts) and who did not pass that day either. Granted thats an extreme case, most people in this prefecture take it 3-5 times, but that still comes out to 3-5 months of attempts. Also, people in other prefectures have said they took it 2-3 times and were able to make appointments for the next day. I guess the point is that it is heavily dependent on where you take the test and while theoretically possible to do in a day, it is more likely to take much longer.

Wow, I had no idea Triple A could do that; that's pretty nice.
It's easy too.
He's pretty much going to use it temperarily. He has a motorcycle license already, but wants to be able to drive me around while i'm there.

And you're right about making it valid from the starting date, I didn't even think about our future trips.

Thanks!