Argentina on a Japanese Licence — The Side Switch, a Required IDP & 130 km/h Motorways

For a Japanese driver, Argentina flips the most basic habit you have: Japan drives on the left, Argentina on the right. That single reversal is what catches visitors out, and it does so early — pulling out of a service station, taking a roundabout that now runs the other way, or glancing the wrong direction at a junction. Give yourself a quiet first hour away from central Buenos Aires, which is intense even for residents, and treat every turn deliberately until the right-hand side stops feeling alien.

The paperwork is strict. Argentina requires an International Driving Permit alongside your Japanese licence and passport — a genuine requirement rather than a recommendation, and one you must arrange in Japan before you fly, since it cannot be obtained locally. Police and rental desks check for it. You can confirm what you need with the Driving Permit Checker.

The pace is also a step up. Japanese motorways top out around 100 km/h; Argentina runs to 130 on its motorways, 110 on rural roads and 40 in towns. The long-distance national routes are good and the higher limits are comfortable once you settle, but the speed jump is real, so ease into it. Speeding fines vary by province at roughly ARS 10,000-30,000 (≈ €10-30) — you can model one with the Speeding Fine Calculator. On alcohol you are already used to strictness, and Argentina goes one step further: since Law 27.714 (May 2023) the limit is zero.

The thing to plan hardest for is distance. Patagonia is remote, and petrol stations can sit hundreds of kilometres apart, so fill up at every opportunity even when half-full. Your car should carry a warning triangle, reflective vest, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher, and the emergency number is 911. Download offline maps before long legs, because coverage drops away from the cities.

The full detail is on our Argentina driving guide. Arrange the IDP early, learn the right-hand side on quiet roads, and Argentina becomes one of the more straightforward long-haul drives in the region.