Embassy ETC Cards in Japan
ETC setup for diplomatic and official vehicles — including vehicles on Ministry of Foreign Affairs plates, which carry a registration certificate rather than an ordinary inspection certificate.
Who this is for
Embassies, consulates, permanent missions and the administrative offices that look after their vehicles. If you are arranging ETC cards for diplomatic staff, for official mission vehicles, or for a vehicle on a 外 (GAI) or 領 (RYO) plate, this page explains what we need and how the process runs.
Eligibility and documentation are reviewed individually for every applicant and every vehicle. Nothing on this page is an approval, and we are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or any other government body.
Vehicle documents we accept
Every ETC card is tied to a specific vehicle, so the vehicle document is the part worth getting right before you apply.
MOFA Form A-4
The Motor Vehicle Registration Certificate issued under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs system, for vehicles on 外 or 領 plates. It shows the registration number, registration date, chassis number and the registrant.
Ordinary inspection certificate
The standard 自動車検査証 (shaken), where the vehicle is registered through a transport bureau rather than the ministry.
Temporary or replacement paperwork
Tell us what you have. We will say plainly whether it is enough or what else is needed.
A Form A-4 certificate carries no printed expiry date, so we record the registration date and leave the inspection expiry empty rather than inventing one. That is a statement about the certificate, not a claim that a diplomatic registration lasts forever or is exempt from Japanese registration requirements.
How the application runs
- 1
Register an account
A few minutes online. One account can hold several vehicles.
- 2
Upload the vehicle document
Form A-4 or the inspection certificate, plus your identification.
- 3
We review it
We confirm the registration number and chassis number match the vehicle on the application, and come back to you if anything needs clarifying.
- 4
Card issued and delivered
Issued on the next scheduled batch and delivered to the address you give us.
Missions with several vehicles
An administrator can hold several vehicles under one account and add vehicles as they arrive. Each vehicle is still reviewed on its own document, and each card is still tied to its own vehicle — there is no bulk approval, and we do not offer different pricing or deposit terms for diplomatic applicants.
If you are planning a larger rollout, or handing over vehicles as staff rotate, write to us first and we will tell you what the paperwork looks like before you start.
Handled in English
Applications, invoices, toll reports and support are all available in English, as well as Japanese. You do not need Japanese to apply, and you do not need a Japanese bank account or credit card.
Passing ETC responsibilities to a new staff member?
Mission staff rotate, and vehicle paperwork usually changes hands with them. You can send this guide to whoever takes over vehicle documentation and ETC cards — it opens your own email application with a short message already written, and we never see or store the recipient's address.
Get in touch
Tell us how many vehicles you are arranging and which documents you hold, and we will tell you exactly what is needed. Queries from missions go through the same secure contact channel as everything else.
Eligibility and documentation are assessed individually. This page is general information, not legal or regulatory advice.