International Driving Permit...

[kenkennif]

So, my BoE realized yesterday that they needed to up their pace on contacting my towns two new incoming ALTs because the conversation of driving came up. While we know both the two new ALTs will have full driving licenses from their home contries we have no idea whether they have applied for any International Permit yet, however with the furthest of 13 schools a 50 minute drive away from where they will be living, if they haven't started to sort it out yet and they don't have a permit by the time they come to the country... they won't really be able to do their job...

SO, the BoE is finally contacting them today to make sure they will apply and get the permit, however, for all of you who may have heard nothing from your Pred or BoE yet, or to those who have not talked about a Permit yet, perhaps start looking into it - even if you won't need to drive for your work, you might want to rent a car for a trip or even take over driving your friends car on a long trip to the other side of the country and such - it's cheap, and it may be a convenient/required thing to have when you get here.

[oddsocks]

I'll be getting one before I leave, just in case. I haven't done much research, but i know where to get one. I've got a printout of my driving record though, which I hear comes in handy when the IDP runs out.

[isitatomic]

I've got a printout of my driving record though, which I hear comes in handy when the IDP runs out.

Not entirely sure what you mean here, but just to clarify -- without a valid IDP or Japanese license you aren't allowed to drive. As an Australian you've got it better than some, and the process for you to get your Aussie license converted to a Japanese one is extremely painless. Just make sure you have some way, ANY way to prove that you were at home for 3 months with a valid license and you're good to go. Usually they just check your passport and look at the date of issuance on your original license.

I've never heard of any JET from any country having any use or need for a printed driving record from home!

[lalie]

I've never heard of any JET from any country having any use or need for a printed driving record from home!

You need it if you have recently renewed your licence to prove you have had a licence for longer than three months.

[oddsocks]

My license doesn't have when it was issued, just when it expires. I read (or perhaps misread) somewhere that I need to prove I had been driving for 3+ months in my home country before being able to get a Japanese license.

[isitatomic]

My license doesn't have when it was issued

Noowwww you tell us! Then yeah, keep the extra dated document with you for your license conversion!

You need it if you have recently renewed your licence to prove you have had a licence for longer than three months.

Surely, that makes sense. Seems oddsocks just needs to make up for the lack of a date of issuance on the ID, though. Just seemed a bit odd without the added context!

[MitchDoogle]

The IDP was one of the easiest things I've done for JET. I walked in to a local AAA office, handed them my application (available at the AAA website), my Driver's License, and two passport-sized photos, along with the $15 it costs. The cashier retrieved a blank IDP from a drawer, stuck one of my pictures to it, and stamped it a few times, and I walked out less than five minutes later with my permit. Even if you're not sure if you'll drive in Japan, it's so easy and inexpensive to get one of these (at least in the US) that you might as well, just in case.

[jojionmymind]

It really is easy to get one and $15 seems pretty cheap to me, especially if you will/might need it to actually do your job!
I live in the boondocks and don't have an AAA near me so I mailed it on a Friday and got my IDP the following Tuesday. Good deal! Do it just in case you need it

[glibberish]

I'll be getting one before I leave, just in case. I haven't done much research, but i know where to get one. I've got a printout of my driving record though, which I hear comes in handy when the IDP runs out.

Hang on to it in case you end up recontracting and need to get a full Japanese license - it should make the process easier.

Edit: the driving record, that is. Well, also your international license, but I figure that would be taken for granted.

[marcusheleker]

I have a question. The costs associated with owning a car in Japan are pretty intense, so I was thinking of getting a motorcycle endorsement so that I could drive a scooter or small motorcycle on an IDP. But I've read that you need to have had the license for three months before leaving for Japan, and it's too late for that now. If I added a motorcycle endorsement, would that end up making it impossible for me to drive at all in Japan?

[Siyris]

I have a question. The costs associated with owning a car in Japan are pretty intense, so I was thinking of getting a motorcycle endorsement so that I could drive a scooter or small motorcycle on an IDP. But I've read that you need to have had the license for three months before leaving for Japan, and it's too late for that now. If I added a motorcycle endorsement, would that end up making it impossible for me to drive at all in Japan?

The three months is not for the IDP but it's for the Japanese driver's license for your second year (if you recontract). However, before you consider just getting a motorcycle endorsement, consider the weather of where you're living and (if it applies) where the nearest grocery store is and how you would transport groceries. If you have to drive to get your groceries, keep that in mind. If your placement is somewhere where there is snow in the winter, are you sure you want to ride a motorcycle around? It's worth considering, but make sure you take in all the factors. Also, ask your pred what he/she thinks.

[OdysseyOfNoises]

Getting an IDP, at least in the UK, is a 30-minute process at the local post office. They have plenty of time.

[mrkrabs]

I have a question. The costs associated with owning a car in Japan are pretty intense, so I was thinking of getting a motorcycle endorsement so that I could drive a scooter or small motorcycle on an IDP. But I've read that you need to have had the license for three months before leaving for Japan, and it's too late for that now. If I added a motorcycle endorsement, would that end up making it impossible for me to drive at all in Japan?

Or, you could always get a Japanese 50cc license outright. It's something I'm considering, having done a CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) for a 125cc scooter in the UK, and not being a car driver, given the relative expense. Here's a fairly comprehensive guide on how to go about getting a 50cc license (the information is specifically related to Hiroshima-ken, as it is the Hiroshima JET Webzine, yet I would imagine the basic tests, paperwork and procedures are the same nationwide): http://www.wideislandview.com/2009/11/s ... r-license/

The guide also explains that tests and revision materials are available in English.

[Siyris]

Or, you could always get a Japanese 50cc license outright. It's something I'm considering, having done a CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) for a 125cc scooter in the UK, and not being a car driver, given the relative expense. Here's a fairly comprehensive guide on how to go about getting a 50cc license (the information is specifically related to Hiroshima-ken, as it is the Hiroshima JET Webzine, yet I would imagine the basic tests, paperwork and procedures are the same nationwide): http://www.wideislandview.com/2009/11/s ... r-license/

The guide also explains that tests and revision materials are available in English.

Be careful assuming different prefectures have the same tests and procedures. That is not true. I know that between Gifu and Hokkaido (specifically, I don't have any knowledge except for rumor about any other prefecture) have VASTLY different drivers test processes.... at least when it comes to cars. I would imagine that they would be different for bikes/scooters as well. It's worth looking into, but don't base your ideas/plans off of information for another prefecture, try to track down information about your own prefecture instead.

[mrkrabs]

Or, you could always get a Japanese 50cc license outright. It's something I'm considering, having done a CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) for a 125cc scooter in the UK, and not being a car driver, given the relative expense. Here's a fairly comprehensive guide on how to go about getting a 50cc license (the information is specifically related to Hiroshima-ken, as it is the Hiroshima JET Webzine, yet I would imagine the basic tests, paperwork and procedures are the same nationwide): http://www.wideislandview.com/2009/11/s ... r-license/

The guide also explains that tests and revision materials are available in English.

Be careful assuming different prefectures have the same tests and procedures. That is not true. I know that between Gifu and Hokkaido (specifically, I don't have any knowledge except for rumor about any other prefecture) have VASTLY different drivers test processes.... at least when it comes to cars. I would imagine that they would be different for bikes/scooters as well. It's worth looking into, but don't base your ideas/plans off of information for another prefecture, try to track down information about your own prefecture instead.

That's sound advice, to say the tests and processes may vary, indeed they may. My reckoning was on the understanding that licenses themselves would meet a national standard.