Yes, with one catch. Thai licence holders can drive in Japan on an International Driving Permit, but it has to be the one-year permit based on the 1949 Geneva Convention. Since 2021 Thailand's Department of Land Transport has also issued a three-year permit based on the 1968 Vienna Convention, and that one is not valid in Japan.
Why does Thailand have two permits?
Thailand ratified the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic on 1 May 2020, according to the UN treaty records, and the Department of Land Transport started issuing the matching three-year permit in May 2021. The older one-year permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention is still issued. Thailand has been a party to that one since 1962.
Which one works in Japan?
Only the 1949 permit. Japan is a party to the 1949 convention and has never joined the 1968 one, so the longer-lasting permit won't let you drive here, however new it is. When you apply, ask for the 1949 version, and check the cover before you leave the counter. If you already hold the three-year permit, you'll need the one-year version as well for this trip.
What do I keep in the car?
The 1949 permit, your Thai licence and your passport. The permit only counts together with the licence, and in Japan you can drive on it for up to one year from the day you arrive, or until it expires if that happens first.
Will driving feel familiar?
Mostly. Japan drives on the left like Thailand, so the car layout is the one you know. Expressways charge tolls, and rental cars often use an ETC card for them. If yours doesn't, here is how to pay tolls without an ETC card. Parking rules differ too; our guide to Japanese parking signs helps.
Where would we suggest?
We're a couple in Fukuoka, on Kyushu. Besides this site, we rent campervans under the name VAN TRIP JAPAN. If you haven't settled on a region yet, the note at the end of the page explains why we'd pick Kyushu.
Checked against the UN Treaty Collection (1949 and 1968 road traffic conventions), Thai government announcements on the 2021 permit and Japan's National Police Agency guidance in September 2026. Karen and Doko Shibagaki, Camjyo Inc., Fukuoka.
