Purchasing a new vehicle in Okinawa can be a chore with several steps. But even after you purchase your vehicle there are still several things you’ll have to continue to do for your vehicle while you live here on island which are your Road Tax in Okinawa and JCI in Okinawa (Japanese Compulsory Insurance). You will also need regular insurance from an American insurance company.

There are several types of fees and insurances you have to pay when you have a vehicle in Okinawa. The rates you pay will depend on the size of your engine and weight of your vehicle. The size and weight are signified by your plate number- 300, 500, mini or motorbike.

Road Tax- done annually from April to May 31st
JCI- done every two years; date depends on previous JCI expiration
American car insurance- done annually; date depends on previous American insurance expiration
Weight Tax- paid when you do JCI
JCI Inspection- paid when you do JCI inspection; $50 USD cash no matter size of vehicle

Additional fees you may incur are:

JCI re-inspection
Temporary plates if JCI expires

You must pay everything in Yen except for the JCI inspection- that can be paid in American dollars. Be sure to bring

How to Do Your Road Tax in Okinawa

Road tax is one of the easier things to remember to do while stationed in Okinawa. It is done every year, and you have about two months to do it. There will be email reminders from your command and they even have commercials on AFN radio to remind you!

Road Tax in Okinawa and JCI in Okinawa PCS Okinawa

You can pay your road tax by visiting any insurance office. On Camp Foster, you can go to the Balloon Shop/Custom Order Shop inside the Community Center. It opens at 9am. You can also visit the Shoppette next to the gas station (there is only one gas station on Camp Foster). There is also an office inside the Kadena Exchange.

If you want to go off base, there is an AIG office outside of Gate 6 on Camp Foster (the Legion Gate). There is also a Chubb insurance office inside Johnny’s, which is also outside Gate 6.

All locations get very crowded closer to the end of May, so the earlier you can do it the better!

Road tax cost will depend on the size of your vehicle engine and type of plate you have.

Once you pay for your road tax in Okinawa you will be given a receipt. You will be instructed to come back within the next few days to pick up your road tax sticker. If your road tax expires before you get the sticker, you can show your receipt to the gate guards which is sufficient. If you do not pay your road tax in time your car is at risk of being impounded by base security forces or the Japanese police.

Your road tax sticker is affixed to your windshield, and the designs are different every year!

How to Do Your JCI in Okinawa

Your JCI, or Japanese Compulsory Insurance, is done every two years. The date it expires is not necessarily the same as Road Tax, so you’ll want to make sure you know what date it expires.

To do your JCI you will have to first head to an insurance office, the same ones listed above, to pay for your JCI coverage. Then you will head to the Joint Vehicle Registration Office on Camp Foster. The JVRSO services all branches and SOFA members. Once at JVRSO you will go into the double doors and go to the counters on your right to pay for your weight tax. The weight tax is dependent on the size of your car’s engine and the size of your vehicle itself. After weight tax is paid, you will then go over to Door 6 (outside the JVRSO main office, on the left hand side of the building) to pay for your actual vehicle inspection. This is $50 USD no matter the size or weight of the vehicle.

After you have paid, you will be instructed to wait in lane 5 for inspection. The inspector will do a variety of things to include checking your lights, brake lights, turn signal, the engine, the headlight alignment, and the undercarriage of your vehicle.

If you do not pass inspection, you will be asked to take your car for repairs. There is a repair shop right next to the JVRSO, or you can head to any repair shop that does JCI repairs. If you are able to get your vehicle repaired and reinspected the same day you do not need to pay any additional fees. If you are not able to get your vehicle repaired and reinspected the same day you will need to pay another 1800 yen at the same counter you paid for weight tax.

Once repairs are completed you can go back through the inspection line to be reinspected.

When you pass inspection, you will be asked to go around to lane 3 or 4 for the final inspection with the Government of Japan inspector *FOREWARNING- this office is CLOSED on Fridays.* They will do a couple of additional inspections and check your inspection sheet. Then you will head back into JVRSO and go to counters A or B to update your base registration. They will double check all your paperwork and you will be on your way.

What Happens if your JCI Expires?

If your JCI expires before you’re able to pass inspection you will have to get temporary plates. These look like regular license plates but they have a red line across them. They are to be placed inside your car in the windshields in the front and back.

To get temporary plates you will visit the JVRSO office and head to counters 1 to 4. You will apply for your temporary license plates. After that, you will head to the counters on your right to pay. It is 1500 yen for the temporary plates. You will come back the next business day to pick them up.

Once you pass inspection you will turn in your temporary plates, along with the green slip they give you when you pick them up, when you do your base registration.

Regular American Car Insurance

In addition to JCI and road tax, your SOFA agreement also requires you to have additional insurance. The two American insurance companies offered here are Chubb and AIG. Your policies are annual so you will have to renew them every year. They work just like regular car insurance in the United States where you can pick your policy level and deductible.

Your regular insurance may not expire when your JCI does, so you will need to keep on top of that policy as well.

If you come to Okinawa right after road tax season and your JCI isn’t due right away, then you won’t even know about these processes when it comes to re-registration and renewal. Keep this article handy (maybe even print it out!) to have on hand when you need to purchase road tax or renew your JCI.