Singapore on a Japanese Licence — Same Side, but 4 Demerit Points Per Mistake

Most guides for driving in Singapore open with a warning about switching sides of the road. For Japanese visitors, that warning does not apply — Japan and Singapore both drive on the left, so your instincts at junctions, roundabouts and overtaking are already correct. That is the good news, and it lets you focus on the things that genuinely differ.

The catch is enforcement. Singapore’s blood-alcohol limit reads as 0.08, higher than Japan’s 0.03, which looks lenient on paper. It is the opposite in practice: penalties for drink-driving are among the harshest anywhere, with jail time on the table, and the higher number gives you no real cushion. Treat it as a strict country, not a relaxed one.

Speeds are lower than you are used to. Expressways top out at 90 km/h, against the 100 you’d see on a Japanese expressway, and urban roads sit at 50 km/h. The number that matters most, though, is the demerit point. A single speeding ticket runs around SGD 150 (≈ EUR 100) plus 4 demerit points, and points accumulate against your driving record. Tourists rarely think about points, but rental agreements and any future driving privileges can hinge on them. You can estimate a penalty with our Speeding Fine Calculator.

Then there is the money side of simply moving around the city. Singapore runs Electronic Road Pricing — ERP gantries deduct a toll as you pass during peak hours — and your rental will need a stored-value CashCard or its successor fitted. Ask the desk to confirm it is topped up; an unpaid gantry becomes an administrative fee later.

On paperwork, your Japanese licence is valid for stays of up to 12 months, and an International Driving Permit is recommended to carry alongside it. Sort the IDP in Japan before you fly. Confirm exactly what you need with the Driving Permit Checker, and read the wider rules on our Singapore driving guide before collecting the car.

Petrol sits around $1.98/litre, and the emergency number is 999. Roads are excellent and clearly signed, so once the demerit-point discipline and ERP routine click into place, Singapore is one of the easiest places a Japanese driver can rent a car.