Norway on a Japanese Licence — The Right-Side Switch, IDP & a 0.02 Limit

Norway gives a Japanese driver the most to relearn of almost any European destination, because here you change the side of the road as well as the rules. Get the side switch under control in your first day and the rest of the trip is the easy, scenic drive Norway is known for.

You now drive on the right

Japan keeps to the left; Norway keeps to the right. Every roundabout turns the opposite way, every overtake sits on the other side, and the reflex glance before pulling out points the wrong direction until you retrain it. The danger window is the first hour and the quiet moments after — a petrol-station exit, an empty rural junction, the point where you stop concentrating. Take that first session on calm roads near the depot, say the side out loud at each turn, and let the new habit settle before any town driving.

Permit, alcohol and the cost of a slip

You need an International Driving Permit with your Japanese licence — sort it at home, as it cannot be issued in Norway; your licence covers stays of up to 3 months. Confirm the detail with the Driving Permit Checker. On alcohol, Norway’s 0.02 limit sits below even Japan’s strict 0.03, so the rule is simply none before driving, backed by routine breath testing. Fines are scaled to Norwegian wages: around 10 km/h over the limit costs NOK 2,550, about EUR 220. Speeds run lower than you may expect — 110 on motorways, 80 open road, 50 in towns — so check any overspeed on the Speeding Fine Calculator.

Practical notes

Carry the legally required warning triangle and reflective vest, budget fuel at roughly $2.10/litre, and save the emergency number 112. Download offline maps — coverage drops out between fjords and tunnels. Full rules are on our Norway driving guide.