Question IDP Story...International Driving Permit Story and info hunting...

[Eigo]

Hello everyone.

I have a story and question relating to International Driving Permit rules. It's a little difficult to layout but I'll do my best to get to the beans of things in the most accurate and clear way I can muster.

Back in March of this year, a colleague was offered a new contract here in Japan to begin in April. I understand that he accepted initially however things took a turn for the worse for him when it was discovered his IDP had actually expired and worse, he'd been driving to work after the expiration date. Suddenly news broke that there were family issues back in his home country that demanded him returning to his home country to fix, thereby he could no longer keep his original acceptance of the new contract due to these sudden issues he needed to leave Japan for so as to fix.

So, we all know (or at least a lot of people will) that driving in Japan after your year is up on an IDP also means your insurance becomes invalid plus other horrible things as a consequence...such as being liable, civil and criminal for having driven a vehicle on a now expired IDP and potentially could result in a chat by the police.

So, the part that's a little difficult to explain...this person had already been to Japan, staying for a number of years working legally and as a long-term resident. Apparently he did not have an IDP during this first period and had never had one (so the story goes) and in fact had been getting by just fine using, what I assume, must have been his Japanese license that he got converted in a timeframe that must have been almost immediate upon arriving (due to the nature of his job he'd need a car immediately). He stayed working in Japan for a number of years before returning to his home country for a good amount of time, longer than a year to my knowledge.

Upon returning to Japan again, he did not go immediately to get his home country license converted as he had the first time. This second time, he brought an IDP with him. During this past year of using an IDP, he didn't go to get it converted along with his home country license to a Japanese license. He ticked over on the IDP and it expired.

So I'm getting to a question or two.

Let's say he did have an IDP on his first visit (he says not). He then returned to his home country before again coming back to Japan with what may well have been his second IDP. So question...If someone comes to Japan once and maxes out their first IDP, returns to their home country for a year before coming back to Japan with a second IDP...is that legal? Can we have multiple IDP's if we return to our home country for a year or more...then come back to Japan? Does having a second IDP mean you're beyond the 365 day limit of the first IDP and by law should have gone to the license center to have your home country license converted OR your Japanese license renewed if it's still within dates to do so?

Why didn't he just go get his home country license converted the second time, as he had the first time? (speculation).
How did he manage to never realise he should have gone to the license center this time, resulted in not only becoming expired but driving while expired and without a Japanese license? (speculation).
How many people come to Japan on their first visit, going into a job that needs you to drive (eventually on a Japanese license without an IDP)....but they don't bring an IDP, instead they go straight to the license center to get their home country license converted immediately in year 1 never having been to Japan before? (speculation).

So, dubious character, lazy or irresponsible?

It's my sense that this person knew he was driving on an expired IDP and I also feel there's something amiss with his home country license otherwise that would have been the fix to his issues. To just head to the license center again, get a new Japanese license again and renew his contract with the new contract offer. I feel his sudden bailing out back to his home country is to avoid a knock on the door by the local cops or someone in some position wanting to ask a few questions.

I've looked online for answers and keep hitting the same IDP info so...if someone can have a shot at this, it might help to go a long way to easing a few things at work among his colleagues that are a little divided.

Thank you.

 

[johnnyG]

From what I've read, an IDP is illegal to drive on once you become a resident, which is usually a month or two after someone gets here on some kind of working visa.

So the idea that you can drive on one for the first year, or up to a year--or however you might phrase that--is wrong.

Yes, people who drive on them for a year are dubious characters, lazy, and irresponsible.

That's probably not the kind of reply you were expecting...

 

[Eigo]

From what I've read, an IDP is illegal to drive on once you become a resident, which is usually a month or two after someone gets here on some kind of working visa.

So the idea that you can drive on one for the first year, or up to a year--or however you might phrase that--is wrong.

Yes, people who drive on them for a year are dubious characters, lazy, and irresponsible.

That's probably not the kind of reply you were expecting...

I appreciate such a swift response! I imagined this to take days.

You echo a lot of what I've read online, legal stuff and I've read accounts of people being arrested too with police explaining deeper elements of the law to people regarding driving.

Even this person's home country governmental advice (regarding driving in Japan) requests people to not use an IDP for more than 90 days especially if they're not on a Tourist visa and are in fact working for a year or more.

I can't see how he did not have an IDP during his very first year. I find it very difficult to believe he landed and went straight to the license center without one.

Actually, from what I've just read, you can have a second IDP so long as you applied for a received it longer than 3 months of being back in your home country. You can't dive back to your home country and get a new IDP in less than 3 months apparently then bounce back to Japan with it to duck needing to get a Japanese license...this is illegal. So, he actually was back in his home country for longer than 3 months so it would make the IDP that just expired legal to use upon entering Japan...but why didn't he go get his Japanese license again as he must have during his first period in Japan (it's said he didn't have an IDP during stint 1)?

 

[mdchachi]

I think it's no problem to have multiple IDPs. But as Johnny said they are not legal to drive on even if not expired once you've become a resident.

 

[Eigo]

I think it's no problem to have multiple IDPs. But as Johnny said they are not legal to drive on even if not expired once you've become a resident.

I'm not entirely sure this is correct. If you can source the law on this that'd help clear things up. So what I might do is actually go to a police station and ask this question.

The internet has mixed info, this for example...

 

[mdchachi]

I don't know about the law but according to reddit:

As a new resident of Japan, you can use your IDP for up to 1 year from your entry date, but you must convert to a Japanese license within that 1 year period. You cannot renew or extend the IDP once you are a resident.
If you have been a resident for over 1 year already, you are no longer eligible to use an IDP and must obtain a Japanese license immediately.

That seems to make sense.

 

[Buntaro]

Eigo,

Is your friend presently in Japan? He may need to talk to a Japanese lawyer.

 

[Buntaro]

Years ago, I was able to easily convert my American driver's license into a Japanese driver's license. I merely showed my American license, did some paperwork, and quickly got my Japanese license without any road test or anything. I wonder if this would solve Eigo's friend's problem. (But things may be different now in Japan.)

 

[johnnyG]

convert my American driver's license into a Japanese driver's license

Same here, but that was back in the 80s.

From what I've read, if you have a license from a couple US states that have an agreement with Japan, you can still do that kind of conversion (it might be 3 states?, but the number is small, and none are the biggest, most populous states). Otherwise, you have to go thru the same procedure/testing as everyone. So probably a driving school, etc.

And there are probably some folks on the Japan side of certain schools and contracting organizations, managing new teachers, who--as in the case of teachers being told "you don't have to pay the pension"--are similarly stringing people along with driver's licenses ("really, up to a year and you'll be okay"). This would save them some work shepherding new teachers around to get licenses, and allows those teachers to (conveniently) be placed where having a license is necesssary. After all, the liaison/manager of these teachers is not going to be ticketed if there's a problem! (Gee, I didn't know, sorry...)

 

[Eigo]

Nah this person isn't a US citizen, but he is from a country that drives on the same side of the road as the Japanese and his home country license converts over very easily as it involves nothing much more than the eye test and other basics followed by a long wait for a Japanese license card to be made. Plus...this person knows all about Japan, is very experienced in many things "Japanese" and knew full-well about the license rules. It's all this that prompted me to make this post because his sudden "I must return to my home country as I'm the only one to fix certain problems that have just arisen" didn't pass the sniff test and it seemed that his sudden departure may well have been to avoid a chat with the Japanese police.

He'd been to Japan before but apparently didn't use an IDP so he absolutely must have had a Japanese license almost immediately.
He returned to Japan March 2023 after a break from Japan of over 3 months...possibley a year.
He was a long-term resident before in visit 1 as well as this past 13 months or so with visit 2.
He was driving on an IDP all this time since March/April 2023 and he was driving to work after it'd expired in March 2024.

I think my question of "Can you have multiple IDP's" has been answered and yes you can so long as you are away for more than 3 months then return to Japan so, that's solved.

My mystery has been his honesty I guess with accounts of what he'd done in his first visit plus how he was using an IDP for more than a year with his second visit.

It's my understanding he had a very small "accident" in March or late February which involved part of his car impacting another. It was from this that all the dates etc were becoming known because the Japanese person involved wanted to be by the book and involve insurance etc and in Japan, police can often be included in even very minor accidents too. It's this that I feel resulted in him talking one moment about his future in Japan...to suddenly there's a "problem" back home only I can fix so got to bail out.

Something doesn't add up.

 

[johnnyG]

So he chose to do a runner?

Personally, I have no sympathy for people who try to play the system, and an accident should involve the police as a matter of course. And it will involve insurance companies after that (since police don't really assign responsibility), and the insurance companies have loads of accident records/descriptions on file, and they are the entities that apportion responsibility (and liability) for an accident.

Any minor fender-bender, and I will insist on playing it by the book--call the police, wait for them to come and do their thing, and then follow up with insurance. If someone does not want to do that, that's a serious red flag, and I'll have my phone out and be recording video as I try to talk to them, and they drive away.

How about a guess? Your friend did not have any of the extra, but ever-so-necessary insurance? Probably just gambling on the 自賠責保険 being 'enough'? They're lucky if it was a minor accident, hopefully no injuries. Good luck to your friend, and their guarantor, negotiating with the other party's insurance company.

 

[Eigo]

So he chose to do a runner?

Personally, I have no sympathy for people who try to play the system, and an accident should involve the police as a matter of course. And it will involve insurance companies after that (since police don't really assign responsibility), and the insurance companies have loads of accident records/descriptions on file, and they are the entities that apportion responsibility (and liability) for an accident.

Any minor fender-bender, and I will insist on playing it by the book--call the police, wait for them to come and do their thing, and then follow up with insurance. If someone does not want to do that, that's a serious red flag, and I'll have my phone out and be recording video as I try to talk to them, and they drive away.

How about a guess? Your friend did not have any of the extra, but ever-so-necessary insurance? Probably just gambling on the 自賠責保険 being 'enough'? They're lucky if it was a minor accident, hopefully no injuries. Good luck to your friend, and their guarantor, negotiating with the other party's insurance company.

A runner...I guess that's why I'm hunting for info, facts and stats so as to determine as best as possible the truth of things.

Since he was driving on an expired IDP, his insurance etc was void, even if he had it, it was now invalid once his IDP expired. Everything became void and invalid the day after the expiration date and as minor as the bump was in the accident, this is potential "big rocks to little rocks" time or fine after a chat with the cops.

He's back in his home country now and won't face the music.

I've got a feeling he'll attempt to return to Japan next year however in some capacity.

 

[mdchachi]

You're probably right that he left due to circumstances in Japan rather than back home. Maybe he is restricted from getting a Japanese license now due to whatever happened. If he returns, perhaps the solution is to find a job not requiring driving.

 

[Eigo]

If he returns, perhaps the solution is to find a job not requiring driving.

I'm not sure he'd actually be able to. He's no spring chicken and would need it little luck to land another job, especially since he's no longer in Japan which can often be a disadvantage anyway.

One of the reasons I wanted to determine accurate information about his story and the IDP is that I feel certain younger colleagues that are still green to the world and new to Japan may have been sold a few stretched truths by him...if not blatant lies in his attempt to apply damage limitation due to what happened. They're nice people and I'm just hoping they weren't sold a bunch of BS and bought his story hook, line and sinker without question in their naivety to the facts and law regarding IDPs, insurance, residence status and all those good things.