It had been raining since the previous night but it did not dampen our spirits. With a spring in our step, we presented our International Driver’s Permit to car rental agency Nippon Rent-a-Car in Hokkaido, Japan. Almost immediately our joy turned into dismay. My wife and I looked at each other distraught! We were denied a car because our International Driver’s Permit was not typed but handwritten. I tried to reason but it was of no use.
HANDWRITTEN IDP 
TYPED IDP
The Long Story
I visited Japan on vacation in 2019 and pre-booked my car online from Nippon Rent-a-Car in Hokkaido. International Drivers Permit (IDP) is mandatory for tourists to rent and drive a car in Japan and it must be obtained prior to arrival in Japan.
Hokkaido
Hokkaido is the Northern most island of Japan. It is sparsely populated and poorly connected by public transport. To visit remote offbeat locations in Hokkaido a car is recommended.
Preparation
I applied for an IDP from RTO in Mumbai and obtained an authentic IDP which was handwritten.
Collecting the Car
After collecting the car I required my wife to help me navigate while I could drive in an alien city. So we left our daughter with luggage at the hotel in Chitose supremely confident about returning with the car in a short while.
However, our booking was refuted and we found ourselves in a miserable situation. We were denied a rented car on a remote Japanese island and our road trip itinerary was failing in front of our eyes. There was no Plan B. In Hokkaido there cannot be a Plan B without a car that too in under six days.
Salvaged by Luck
The car rental agency was kind to drop us at Chitose airport where all the other car rental agency Kiosks are located. It was a long weekend and hordes of Japanese tourists were arriving, mobbing the kiosks and being driven to offsite car pick up locations.
We checked at all Kiosks if they could accept handwritten IDP. Most of them either did not accept or had their cars sold out.
To our sheer joy Budget Rent-a-Car, an American company, agreed to rent a car on a handwritten IDP. It is a memorable story of oscillation between joy and sorrows of life within a matter of few hours.
Fact
If one intends to drive, some countries in the world may require you to have an International Drivers Permit. IDP is a translation of the national driving license. It must be accompanied with national driving license for it to be valid.
Myth
International Driver’s License does not exist. Each country has its own Driver’s license and there is no single license which allows driving across all countries. Foreign visitors are required to abide by the driving rules of the country being visited.
What is International Driver’s Permit
International Driving Permits are governed by three international conventions: the 1926 Paris International Convention relative to Motor Traffic, the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, and the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. India signed the Geneva Convention and became a member in 1962.
It is an A6 size document in booklet format which is valid for a period of one year from date of issue.
Requirements for Obtaining IDP
- Application Form for issue of IDP – Form 4A
- Valid Indian Drivers License
- Medical Certificate on Form 1A
- Valid Visa to the country where one intends to drive.
- Valid Passport
- Four passport size photographs
- Prescribed Fee
Who Issues IDP?
IDP is issued by RTO of the state where one’s Indian Driving License is affiliated.
Western India Automobile Association based in Mumbai is the only agency in India other than RTOs which issues IDPs. The service however is only available in Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad. To obtain IDP from WIAA a lifetime membership of the association is mandatory.
If there is a change of address, first the person must apply for a change of address to the state from where IDP has to be applied or apply in your DL State.
Even to this day many RTOs across India are still issuing hand written IDPs so please check in case you intend to drive in a foreign country. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has instituted measures to issue QR coded IDPs in booklet form.
Measures have also been instituted for door delivery of
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