THE DRIVING LICENCE CONUNDRUM

A few months ago I mentioned that my old Swiss Driving Licence was going to lose its validity this year, as Swiss authorities will now only accept the new licence in credit card format. I appreciate that Switzerland is moving with the times. The conundrum is that the new licence is only issued to folks residing in Switzerland, essentially leaving Swiss nationals living abroad out in the cold.

So in order to continue to drive legally in Switzerland, getting an international licence would seem the only option open to me, although this comes with the caveat that it needs to be renewed every 12 months.

So in anticipation of my upcoming trip to Europe, I thought I'd use a recent day off to go to the nearby police station for a renewal of my international licence, together with my trusted wife, for potential linguistic (and moral) support, just in case, as dealing with authorities as a foreigner in Japan can sometimes be a somewhat tricky undertaking...

So there we went, expecting it to be a mere formality.

The instructions on the Website said to bring a photo no older than 6 months old, and in a specific size. But conveniently, there is a shop right next to the police station, where they snap your picture within seconds and also cut it into the right size. It's in situations like that where I marvel at the convenience and the service level offered in Japan. It's pricey, but incredibly convenient. Because who would have a recent picture in the right size at hand? And hunting down one of those photo booths, which you always encounter on almost every corner when you don't need one, but which you cannot find when you do, could easily take up half a morning in itself.

So into the police station we went, being greeted by a staff member at the door, who swiftly directed us to counter number 5, after inquiring about our reason for our visit. Another thing that never ceases to amaze me in this country: That they actually employ someone with the sole purpose of directing visitors to the right counter. When visiting public services in other countries, you are left to your own devices to find the right place to go to and get what you need...

And before even reaching the respective counter we had been directed towards, there was another police officer, who inquired about our needs - presumably just to make sure that his colleague at the door had indeed given us the right directions, and in order not to waste the time of the person at counter 5 with a request that should be dealt with elsewhere...

So far so good. That our visit then didn't turn out to be as successful as we had expected and that it prompted a lot of head-scratching, that is nothing we can blame the police force for. They were just following the rules. And it's those rules that are rather hard to comprehend.

Because once the police officer in front of the counter had convinced himself that counter 5 was indeed the right one for us, he proceeded to ask which country I was going to travel to. Which I found a rather odd question. Why would it matter to him whether I was travelling to Iceland or Timbuktu? The only thing that mattered was that I needed an international licence for driving outside of Japan, right?

Wrong!

You see, while I answered his question, I saw that he was holding a piece of paper with a long list of countries, and as soon as I mentioned Switzerland, he said: "I'm sorry, but Switzerland is not listed as one of the countries that has ratified the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic".

When my wife and I asked him what the implications of that were, he explained that only countries that had signed up to that treaty officially recognised the Japanese international driving licence.

At this, my wife couldn't resist remarking "But Geneva is in Switzerland..."

But apparently, that doesn't matter.

So we were then told that we would have to call the Swiss Embassy to check whether the international licence would still be recognised despite them never having signed up to the treaty.

As I feared that our visit had been in vain, and that we would not be allowed to advance to counter 5 to put in our application, I then quickly added that I was planning to also visit Germany (even though it will only be for a day).

As it turned out, Germany isn't listed either...

But as I will also be spending some time in Britain, I tried my luck with that, and bingo! Apparently the United Kingdom is one of the 74 countries that ratified the Geneva Convention. Which gave my request for an international licence the necessary legitimacy, and so we were finally allowed to step forward to counter 5 and get my request processed.

Which, weirdly enough, requires you to prove that you will indeed be travelling abroad. So you have to present either a valid flight ticket or a passport.

It beats me why they would ask for such 'evidence'. I cannot think of anyone applying for an international driving licence just for the fun of it, and without any intention of leaving Japan...

Besides, having a valid passport does not exactly prove that you will be travelling overseas - although it may make it seem more likely than for someone who doesn't have a passport in the first place.

But rules are rules, and I guess it's mentioned somewhere in a handbook, so they are obliged to ask.

On our drive back home after what had turned into a somewhat puzzling experience, my wife did a quick online search on her smartphone and soon found some information that seemed to indicate that while Switzerland does indeed recognise the Japanese international licence, but that there is apparently not even a need for it, as an official translation of the Japanese licence suffices. The article added that this can be obtained from a translator with an official translating licence - or from the Embassy, although it wasn't quite clear whether that should be the Swiss Embassy in Japan, or the Japanese Embassy in Switzerland. After giving it some thought, we came to the conclusion that asking the Swiss Embassy in Tokyo would make the most sense. After all, I'm a Swiss national, and their job is to look after the needs of the likes of me.

So upon arriving at home, I sent an e-mail to the Swiss Embassy in Tokyo, although well aware that I had already applied and paid for an international licence, which would allow me to drive in my home country. But thinking ahead, getting a translation, which doesn't require an annual renewal seemed a more practical - and cost-efficient - solution.

A couple of days later I got a response and was told that they couldn't provide such a translation, but that I should turn to the Japanese Embassy in Berne instead, as they would be able to.

So next stop: The Japanese Embassy in the Swiss capital.

I wrote to them in German (after all, they are located in Switzerland), explaining my situation and adding that I had been referred to them by the Swiss Embassy in Tokyo. To my bemusement, I got a response in English, within a mere couple of hours. Very efficient, I thought.

Until I realised that they were explaining to me that in order to drive in Japan with a Swiss driving licence, I would need to get a Japanese translation of my Swiss licence from the Japan Automobile Federation, and that since they didn't accept applications from abroad, it was recommended that I apply after my arrival in Japan, or ask someone local to apply on my behalf...

Evidently, the staff at the Embassy either hadn't really read my e-mail - or didn't understand much German...

So I sent off a reply - this time in English, explaining my situation again.

One day later came their response, apologising for sending the "wrong answer" and acknowledging that I'm a Swiss residing in Japan with a Japanese driving licence and wishing to drive in Switzerland, rather than the other way round. So far so good.

But then their recommendation was to simply get an international licence. Back to square one!

They also added, however, that if I was really intent on getting a translation instead, would I please click on the link provided... which took me to a Japanese-language site aimed at Japanese nationals residing in Switzerland, asking them to submit a form together with a copy of their Japanese passport and Swiss residence permit - both of which I'm unable to produce, for obvious reasons...

It seemed that there is no manual for my situation - and thus no solution.

But then a few days later I talked to a German colleague at work, who recommended a qualified translator he has used in the past. And after just one e-mail I learnt that the translator could provide me with a German translation of my Japanese licence within 2 days, at less cost than what I paid for the international one, and which is deemed good enough for driving in Switzerland. Problem solved. Sometimes it's just a matter of talking to the right people...

Meanwhile I have received my international licence in the post. Evidently, they still haven't moved on from their 1940s design...