Japan licence 
IndonesiaDriving in Indonesia with a Japan license
Short answer: to drive in Indonesia with a Japan license you need an International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva format, carried together with your Japan license.
Yes — to drive in Indonesia on a Japan licence you should carry an International Driving Permit together with your Japan licence. Indonesia expects foreign drivers to hold an IDP.
Japanese drivers should carry an International Driving Permit (1949 Convention) with their licence when driving abroad. Your International Driving Permit is a certified multilingual translation of your existing licence, prepared in the 1949 Geneva format and carried alongside your national licence.
What driving in Indonesia is like
The Kintamani-Bedugul mountain loop in Bali, climbing past Lake Batur and the volcanic caldera, is the country's most-searched scenic drive. For most visitors the real draw is the freedom to reach places trains and tours don't, on your own schedule, with the open road generally capped around 100 km/h toll roads. Getting behind the wheel is the easy part: your International Driving Permit is a certified translation of your Japan licence, carried alongside it, so rental staff and officials in Indonesia can read your credentials at a glance.
Driving rules in Indonesia
- Drive/ride on the left.
- Helmets mandatory and strictly checked.
- International + home licence carried together.
- 0.00% practical alcohol tolerance.
Local driving facts in Indonesia
Emergency number: 112 or 110 (police) (112 also connects from most mobiles). Typical maximum for cars on the fastest road class: 100 km/h toll roads. Posted limits always take precedence.
- Tolls & road charges
- Indonesia's intercity toll roads (jalan tol) are cashless and require an e-money tap card (e-Toll, Mandiri e-Money, Flazz, BRIZZI) held against the gate reader; physical cash is no longer accepted, so buy and top up a card at a minimart before driving.
- Parking
- Most urban parking is informal, attended by 'juru parkir' wardens who charge a few thousand rupiah in cash and help you reverse out; malls and offices use ticketed barrier parking, and illegally parked cars in Jakarta can be wheel-clamped or towed.
- Penalties & enforcement
- Speeding, no-seatbelt and phone-use fines are issued on the spot, and unofficial cash 'damai' settlements with traffic police are common but technically bribery; rental firms pass any e-toll or camera charges to your card. Always insist on an official tilang ticket.
- If you have an accident
- Call police on 110 (or the 112 emergency line); for any injury or dispute a police report is needed for insurance. Do not move vehicles before documenting the scene, and phone your rental company's helpline immediately as cover can be voided without correct paperwork.
- City driving
- In Jakarta the 'ganjil-genap' odd-even licence-plate scheme restricts main arteries (e.g. Sudirman-Thamrin) on weekdays during peak hours - your plate's last digit must match the date's parity or you risk a fine.
- Winter driving
- No winter-tyre rules - tropical climate.
- Fuel
- Pertamina stations are attendant-served; petrol grades are sold by octane name (Pertalite 90, Pertamax 92, Pertamax Turbo 98) and diesel as Solar/Dexlite, at roughly IDR 12,000-15,000 (about USD 0.75-0.95) per litre. Cards are accepted at most city stations but carry cash for rural ones.
Sources: internationaldriversassociation.com, remitly.com, tyremap.com