{"id":36818,"date":"2018-07-12T08:00:47","date_gmt":"2018-07-11T23:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/?p=36818"},"modified":"2018-11-06T07:33:49","modified_gmt":"2018-11-05T22:33:49","slug":"about-international-driving-permit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.panamera-life.com\/en\/entry\/about-international-driving-permit\/","title":{"rendered":"Applied for an International Driving Permit for the US Trip! \u2013 A Summary of the Process"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heading to America<\/h3>\n

Actually, from the end of July to early August, my family and I are going to San Francisco, USA. My husband has a business trip there, and the plan is for me and our two daughters to join him once his work is done.<\/strong> After that, a colleague of my husband who is fluent in English will show us around San Francisco and Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Once we arrive, things will somehow work out, but getting there means I have to handle the heavy suitcases and take care of our 4-year-old eldest daughter and 1-year-old youngest daughter all by myself through the airport procedures and boarding. I wonder if I can manage… The eldest is fine, but the youngest tends to run off the moment I look away…<\/p>\n

Also, will the kids be able to endure a flight of over 10 hours? Well, I guess we\u2019ll manage somehow.<\/p>\n

That nightmare again\u2026?<\/h3>\n

This time, since we have kids, we plan to get around mostly by rental car. \u201cWe\u2019ll probably rent something like a Mercedes-Benz GLS,\u201d<\/strong> I overheard my ex-husband say the other day, and I thought, \u201cWell, there will be two other adults besides me, so maybe I don\u2019t need to get an international driving permit.\u201d But then my husband said:<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if you say that, you\u2019ll regret not getting it later! This time, definitely get it!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So I went to get my international driving permit recently.<\/p>\n

The reason is that a few years ago when we traveled to Germany, my husband told me, \u201cYou absolutely have to get an international driving permit!\u201d but I stubbornly refused because I was scared, and I regretted it after returning home. (I wrote about that experience in this article)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2192\u3010Past article\u3011How I foolishly missed the chance to drive the Romantic Road in a Porsche.<\/a><\/p>\n

That said, since this is my first time applying for an international driving permit, I did my homework carefully to avoid any back-and-forth, which is unusual for me, so I\u2019ve summarized the process here.<\/p>\n

\u2460 Search online for \u201cInternational Driving Permit + Region\u201d<\/h3>\n

I currently live in Hyogo Prefecture, so I first searched \u201cInternational Driving Permit Hyogo\u201d online to find out where I could apply. On the Hyogo Prefectural Police website<\/a>, there was a list of license renewal centers where you can apply (Akashi, Kobe, Itami, Himeji, Yabu \u2013 five locations).<\/p>\n

You can also apply at police stations, but since they don\u2019t issue the permit on the same day, I decided to go to a license renewal center.<\/p>\n

\u2461 Check reception hours and required items<\/h3>\n

The reception hours were \u201c9:00-11:00 and 13:00-16:00,\u201d closed during lunch, so I planned to go shortly after 1 pm.<\/p>\n

The required items were:<\/p>\n

1 Passport (or equivalent travel document)
\n2 Driver\u2019s license
\n3 One photo for the international driving permit
\n*Passport-sized photos are not accepted
\n4 Personal seal (inkan)
\n5 Black ballpoint pen<\/p>\n

Regarding the photo, there\u2019s a regulation that it must be \u201c5 cm tall by 4 cm wide,\u201d so I didn\u2019t want to bring a photo that might be rejected for the wrong size. I decided to have it taken on-site. Also, I thought, \u201cThey\u2019ll surely lend me a black pen,\u201d so I only brought my passport, driver\u2019s license, and personal seal<\/strong> on the day.<\/p>\n

\u2462 Follow the staff\u2019s instructions for the procedure<\/h3>\n

I planned to arrive just after 1 pm, but I got off at the wrong station\u2014not the nearest one (Seriously, why?)<\/span>\u2014and ended up walking about 20 minutes to the center, arriving around 1:30 pm.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

When I entered, the receptionist asked, \u201cAre you here for license renewal?\u201d I replied, \u201cI\u2019m here to get an international driving permit.\u201d<\/strong> Then they said, \u201cPlease line up over there,\u201d and when I went to the designated spot…<\/p>\n

No one was in line (laughs).<\/span><\/p>\n

It was super quiet.<\/p>\n

At the counter, the person in charge asked me to show my passport, driver\u2019s license, and photo. They also asked, \u201cWhich country and for how long will you be staying?\u201d<\/strong> I answered, \u201cAbout a week in the United States,\u201d and they handed me the application form. When I said I wanted to take the photo there, they said, \u201cPlease go take it over there,\u201d which was a relief.<\/p>\n

The process was:<\/p>\n

Receive application form \u2192 Pay the international driving permit application fee (2,350 yen) at another counter \u2192 Take and receive the photo on the spot (700 yen) \u2192 Fill out the application form \u2192 Submit the form with the photo at the counter<\/p>\n

After that, the international driving permit was ready immediately. They asked if my address and name were correct, and once confirmed, I wrote my name in Roman letters on the permit, then stamped it with my seal (a Shachihata stamp was fine) for the signature, and the issuance was complete.<\/p>\n

The whole process took about 15 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe it was a quiet time, but it was incredibly quick and easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2192\u3010Next page\u3011 Be careful, some countries are not part of the Geneva Convention!<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2463 About the permit<\/h3>\n

Regarding the permit:<\/p>\n

1 Valid for one year from the date of issue
\n2 Valid for driving specified vehicle types (ordinary cars, motorcycles, three-wheelers)
\n3 Valid for driving in Geneva Convention member countries (96 countries and 2 administrative regions)
\n4 Must be returned immediately to the nearest license renewal center or police station upon expiration or invalidation<\/p>\n

Also, countries like China, Taiwan, Switzerland, and Germany<\/strong> are not members of the Geneva Convention, so even if you have a valid international driving permit, it\u2019s best to double-check.<\/p>\n

By the way, in Germany, you can drive for six months if you have both your Japanese driver\u2019s license and its German translation, or your Japanese license and an international driving permit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot to know.<\/p>\n

But will I be able to drive properly?<\/h3>\n

Since applying for the international driving permit was so easy and issued on the spot (I thought it would be as complicated as applying for a passport)<\/span>, I\u2019m thinking I\u2019ll get one each time I travel abroad from now on.<\/p>\n

Well, whether I actually drive overseas is another story (I probably won\u2019t, lol)<\/span>, but just in case my husband can\u2019t drive for some reason, it\u2019s reassuring for me to have a license.<\/p>\n

That said, when I tweeted recently that I got my international driving permit,<\/p>\n

\u201cBe careful! People in America don\u2019t drive defensively, so you have to be extra cautious. You think they won\u2019t pull out now? \u2192 They do. You think they won\u2019t cut in here? \u2192 They\u2019ll try to get in even if they hit you. They think they have priority. They\u2019re very assertive…\u201d<\/p>\n

I got replies like this ((((\uff1b\uff9f\u0414\uff9f))))<\/p>\n

Yikes. I think I\u2019ll just drive on quiet country roads with no one around (lol).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Heading to America Actually, from the end of July to early August, my family and I are going to San Francisco, USA. My husband has a business trip there, and the plan is for me and our two daughters to join him once his work is done. After that, a colleague of my husband who is fluent in English will show us around San Francisco and Los Angeles. 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