Japan on a Polish Licence — Geneva IDP, the Side Switch & a 40-to-100 Speed Drop

Poland makes Japan’s licence rules straightforward in one respect and awkward in another. Japan recognises only IDPs issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, and a Geneva-form permit carried with your Polish licence is what the rental desk wants. No official Japanese translation is needed, which spares you the step that visitors from some other European countries must take. The awkward part is making sure the permit you collect in Poland is the right form: look for the 1949 Geneva convention named on it before you leave.

Documents for the counter

Carry the permit, your Polish licence and your passport together. Our record shows a permitted stay of 12 months. The permit must be obtained in Poland, never in Japan, and the Driving Permit Checker confirms the requirement for other nationalities. The minimum age for a car is 18 in both countries.

From the right to the left

Poland drives on the right; Japan on the left. Right-hand reflexes do not switch off on the plane, so the first hour is where mistakes cluster: a turn into the wrong lane, a glance the wrong way, a wide left turn. Pick up the car away from city centres and treat every junction deliberately.

Speed: from 140 to 100

The drop from Poland’s 140 on a motorway to 100 in Japan is the biggest change in rhythm, and narrow residential roads have defaulted to 30 km/h since September 2026 per our record. Past 30 km/h over on ordinary roads, or 40 over on expressways, the offence turns criminal.

What tickets cost, side by side

Japanese bands run JPY 9,000 up to 15 km/h over, 12,000 for 16-20, 15,000 for 21-25, 18,000 for 26-30 and 25,000 for 31-35, with 35,000 or more beyond that. Poland charges PLN 50 for 1-10 over, 100 for 11-15 and 200 for 16-20, but doubles fines from 31 over on a repeat offence within two years. A handheld phone costs JPY 18,000 plus 3 points in Japan against PLN 500 plus 12 points in Poland; a red light is JPY 9,000 plus 2 points against PLN 500 plus 6 points. A first seatbelt offence in Japan brings a warning and 1 point, where Poland charges PLN 100 and 2 points. The Speeding Fine Calculator helps with a specific reading.

Booking and the first day

Book an automatic if you can; a manual means shifting with your left hand as well as steering on the other side, and that is one adjustment too many for a first day. Ask the rental agent to show you the fuel type, and set your map app to your language before you move. Drive out of the car park slowly, and keep the first trip short. Japanese roads reward patience: with 60 km/h on ordinary roads and 100 on expressways, there is little to gain by rushing.

Alcohol and kit

Japan’s 0.03 is numerically above Poland’s 0.02, but treat both as zero. Japan’s required list is just a warning triangle. Poland additionally requires a fire extinguisher, which you will not need to look for in a Japanese rental.

Emergency numbers

Japan uses 110 for police and 119 for fire and ambulance. In Poland you dial 997 for police, 998 for fire and 999 for an ambulance, with 112 as the general number. Only 112 does not help you in Japan, so save 110 and 119 before the flight.

The full picture is in our Japan driving guide.

Keep receipts for tolls and fuel, and return the car with the tank level the contract asks for. Ask at pickup how any traffic ticket would be handled after you have left Japan, because Polish authorities will not sort it out for you. Photograph the car at return as well as at pickup.