Can I drive a go-kart in Japan?
Street go-karts drive on public roads, so Japanese traffic law decides who may drive. Choose the country or region that issued your driving licence.
- Required licence
- Your licence + IDP (1949 Geneva Convention)
- International Driving Permit
- Required
- Japanese translation
- Not needed
- Original licence
- Required
- Passport
- Required
- Time limit
- Up to 1 year after you land in Japan, and within the validity of your licence/IDP
An IDP issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention is not valid in Japan. Check that your IDP booklet names the 1949 Geneva Convention.
International Driving Permit (IDP) requirements
Japanese law accepts three things: a Japanese licence; an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic; or a licence from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan carried together with an official Japanese translation.
IDPs issued under other treaties — such as the 1968 Vienna Convention — are not valid in Japan. Either route lets you drive for up to one year after you land, and never beyond the expiry date of the IDP or licence.
What documents to bring
- Your original driving licence (the physical card).
- A 1949 Geneva Convention IDP in booklet form — or, for the six places above, the official Japanese translation.
- Your passport: the shop checks identity and your date of entry.
- Your booking confirmation.
Sources: National Police Agency of Japan, “How to Drive in Japan” (7 May 2026) and the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF). Checked 27 September 2026. The operator checks your documents at the shop. NPA · JAF