Jordan on a Japanese Licence — IDP Recommended, and a Side Switch

Jordan is a rewarding self-drive country — the road from Amman down to Petra and the Wadi Rum desert is one of the best in the Middle East — and the paperwork for a Japanese visitor is straightforward. The adjustment that actually matters is which side of the road you are on.

The verdict for Japanese licence holders

You can drive in Jordan on your Japanese licence, and an International Driving Permit is recommended to carry alongside it. Rental desks in Amman and at the Aqaba and airport pickups will want to see the IDP with your licence and passport. Japan issues IDPs under the 1949 Geneva Convention through your local police; sort yours before departure, as you cannot get one in Jordan.

The biggest change: driving on the right

This is the headline for Japanese drivers. Japan drives on the left; Jordan drives on the right. The danger window is your first day — joining the King’s Highway, taking a roundabout that now flows the other way, or glancing the wrong direction at a desert junction. Take your first hour out of central Amman, ideally on the open road, and be deliberate at every turn until right-hand traffic stops feeling backwards.

Slow in town, faster on the desert highways

Town limits are a strict 40 km/h — the same figure you know from Japan — while rural roads run to 80 km/h and motorways to 110 km/h, faster than Japanese expressways. The bigger issue is the road itself: long desert stretches, sudden gravel, wandering livestock near Bedouin areas and unlit vehicles after dark. Drive to the road, not the sign. Jordan’s 0.08 alcohol limit is loose by Japanese standards, but treat it as zero on these roads.

We do not have a verified on-the-spot speeding fine figure for Jordan, so this page won’t quote one; pay any roadside penalty against an official receipt. Fuel is around $1.32 a litre, and the emergency number is 112.

Before you collect the car

Bring your IDP, Japanese licence and passport, and confirm the documents with the Driving Permit Checker. Read the full country rules on our Jordan driving guide, and if you want to picture the limits before you arrive, the Speed Limit Map is a quick reference.