“I’ve just landed at Naha Airport on an international flight. Where do I pick up my rental car, and what do I need to have with me?” It is one of the most common questions we hear from first-time visitors to Okinawa. After immigration and customs, it is easy to feel unsure about where to head next and which documents you should have in your hand.
This article walks through the international arrival route as published on the official Naha Airport Terminal Building website, and then the preparation you need before picking up a car at UMUI Rent a Car’s Naha Airport branch. The most important point is that the entry stamp you receive at immigration is needed again at the rental counter. Please read through it before you leave home so you are not caught off guard on arrival.
From Landing to the Arrival Lobby on an International Flight
From Quarantine to Immigration
According to “International arrival procedures” on the official Naha Airport Terminal Building website, the route after an international arrival goes like this. First you pass through the quarantine counter, and if you are not feeling well, you tell the quarantine staff. Then you show your passport at the immigration counter. The website says that the inspection is complete once you receive your passport with the entry stamp on it.
| 1. Quarantine | Pass through the quarantine counter. If you have a fever or feel unwell, tell the staff. |
|---|---|
| 2. Immigration | Show your passport at the immigration counter. The inspection is complete when you receive your passport with the entry stamp. |
| 3. Baggage claim | Collect your checked baggage at the baggage claim area. If you have no checked baggage, go on to customs. |
| 4. Customs | Fill out the “Declaration of Personal Effects and Unaccompanied Articles” and go to customs inspection. You need to fill it out even if your goods are within the duty-free allowance. |
| 5. Arrival lobby | The taxi stand is at the 1st-floor entrance, past the arrival lobby. If you will use a bus, a rental car or the Yui Rail monorail, proceed to the domestic terminal area. |
Source: Naha Airport Terminal Building official website, “International arrival procedures” (checked October 2026)
Baggage Claim and Customs
After immigration, you collect your checked baggage at the baggage claim area. If you have no checked baggage, you go straight on to customs. At customs you fill out the “Declaration of Personal Effects and Unaccompanied Articles.” According to the website, you need to fill it out even if the goods you are bringing do not exceed the duty-free allowance. For bringing in plants or animals, the website links to the Plant Protection Station and Animal Quarantine Service pages, so please check them in advance if this applies to you.
How long immigration and baggage claim take depends on your flight and the time of day. Naha Airport’s official website gives no guideline for waiting times, so we will not give a number here either. It is wise to leave some margin in your rental car pick-up time and the branch’s business hours.
The Arrival Lobby and How It Connects to the Domestic Terminal Area
Once you leave customs, you are in the arrival lobby. The official international arrival page says to proceed to the domestic terminal area if you will use a bus, a rental car or the Yui Rail monorail. Only the taxi stand is on the 1st-floor entrance, past the arrival lobby.
For domestic arrivals, the official website says the following. After arriving, you go to the 1st-floor arrival lobby, and the bus, taxi and rental car stops are at the 1st-floor entrance, past the arrival lobby. The Yui Rail monorail can be reached from the 2nd-floor passage to Naha Airport Station. In other words, even if you arrive on an international flight, when you use a bus, a rental car or the monorail you follow the route that leads to these stops and passages on the domestic terminal side. Note that the official English page differs from the Japanese page and appears to be out of date. Inside the terminal, please follow the signs and the content of the Japanese page first.
Why the Entry Stamp Is Needed at the Rental Counter
UMUI Asks for a Passport with an Entry Stamp
On UMUI Rent a Car’s page about International Driving Permits, two documents are listed as required if you drive with an International Driving Permit.
| Document 1 | International Driving Permit (issued under the Geneva Convention by a Geneva Convention member country) |
|---|---|
| Document 2 | Passport (with an entry stamp showing your date of arrival in Japan) |
In other words, you need a passport with a stamp showing the date you entered Japan together with your International Driving Permit. The entry stamp you receive at immigration at Naha Airport is exactly this document.
Why the Entry Date Matters
With an International Driving Permit, you can drive in Japan for one year from the day you entered Japan, or until the permit expires, whichever is shorter (for details, see our blog article Which Driver’s License You Need to Rent a Car in Japan (by Country and Region)). The entry stamp serves as the document that shows you are within that period. UMUI’s page does not explain “why” it is required, but it is easy to understand if you think of it as being for this rule.
What to Check After Immigration
UMUI’s page gives no detailed description of what the stamp looks like or where it is placed, so we cannot go into detail here. Here is what we suggest.
- When you finish immigration, check on the spot that your passport has the Japanese entry stamp
- Do not put your passport back into your checked suitcase; keep it somewhere you can take it out right away
- If you are unsure about the stamp or how your passport is handled, ask UMUI Rent a Car (phone 050-1783-5687, 8:00-20:00) even before you book
If you drive with a foreign license plus a Japanese translation (for example, a Taiwanese license), UMUI’s page lists “a foreign driver’s license and a Japanese translation” as the required documents and does not list the passport in the same section. However, the rule of one year from your entry into Japan still applies, and our other blog article also lists three items, including the passport, for visitors from Taiwan. If in doubt, anyone arriving on an international flight should keep their passport ready to show.
From the Arrival Lobby to UMUI Rent a Car’s Naha Airport Branch
A Free Shuttle from the Airport to the Branch
UMUI Rent a Car’s Naha Airport branch offers a free shuttle from the airport to the branch. There is no rental counter inside the airport. You take the shuttle to the branch and pick up your car there. The branch is open 8:00-20:00, every day of the year.
| Branch | UMUI Rent a Car Naha Airport Branch |
|---|---|
| Address | 〒901-0225 沖縄県豊見城市豊崎1-325 |
| Hours | 8:00-20:00 (open every day) |
| Phone | 050-1783-5687 |
| Access from the airport | Free shuttle |
The Shuttle Stop and Frequency Are Not Listed on the Official Website
UMUI’s official website does not give the location of the shuttle stop, how often it runs, or how long the ride to the branch takes. We will not guess here. Please check your booking confirmation email, any guidance you receive, or call the branch. The airport’s official guidance says to head to the domestic terminal area if you will use a rental car, but because nothing is written about it, we cannot say whether UMUI’s shuttle meeting point is there.
Our blog article Naha Airport Access and the Free Shuttle: A First-Timer’s Okinawa Car Rental Q&A covers the same point. Whether the shuttle guidance differs for domestic and international arrivals is also not stated on the official website. If you are arriving on an international flight, enter your arrival flight in the online check-in described in the next section, and call if you are unsure.
Business Hours and Your Arrival Time
The Naha Airport branch is open 8:00-20:00. International flights include late-night and early-morning arrivals, so when you book, think about whether you can reach the branch by 20:00 after immigration and baggage claim. If you expect to arrive late, please consult the branch before booking. UMUI’s rental agreement says that if you do not start the rental procedure within one hour of your reserved time, the reservation is treated as cancelled. If your flight is going to be delayed, it is safest to contact the branch early.
Documents to Prepare and Online Check-In
Prepare Documents for Every Driver
UMUI Rent a Car needs documents for every person who will drive. The “How It Works” page clearly states that we cannot rent the car without the physical license. Photos and copies are not accepted.
| With an International Driving Permit | International Driving Permit (Geneva Convention format) + passport (with an entry stamp showing your date of arrival in Japan) |
|---|---|
| With a foreign license | Foreign driver’s license (Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, Taiwan) + Japanese translation |
| U.S. Forces Japan personnel | U.S. Forces Japan individual driving permit (SOFA) + U.S. military ID |
An International Driving Permit is a document you obtain in your own country or region before you leave. Permits that are not in the Geneva Convention format, such as the Vienna Convention format, cannot be used in Japan. For preparation details by country and region, including Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Europe and North America, see our blog article on licenses by country and region.
Preparing to Pay
UMUI Rent a Car does not accept cash. Please have a credit card, QR code payment or e-money ready. If you already paid when you booked online, you do not need to pay at the counter. The estimated rental amount is paid in advance during the procedure at the branch.
What to Enter in the Online Check-In Form
UMUI Rent a Car has an online check-in page. In the form you enter your reservation number (or rental number), name, email address, start date, number of people and branch. For country of origin, the choices are “Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Other.”
The part that matters most for international arrivals is “Airport shuttle request.” You choose from outbound only (airport to UMUI Rent a Car), return only (UMUI Rent a Car to the airport) or both, and enter the airline and flight number of your arrival flight. There is also a field for your departure flight. If you need a child seat or similar, the optional seat field lets you choose from a baby seat (newborn to 1 year), a child seat (1 to 4 years) and a junior seat (3 to 12 years). At the end, you must tick that you have confirmed the important notes, the coverage and the rental agreement.
From Pick-Up at the Branch to Departure
Procedures at the Branch
When you arrive at the branch, tell the staff your name. After they confirm your reservation, you sign the rental agreement. If more than one person will drive, we need each driver’s name, signature and license checked on the agreement. Please carry the rental agreement with you during your rental.
Japanese Driving Rules to Know Before You Set Off
In Japan, traffic drives on the left and the driver’s seat is on the right. For visitors from abroad, please take particular care that it is easy to enter the opposite lane when turning right, and that in some cars the turn signal and wiper levers are the other way around from what you are used to. Drunk driving is severely punished. If you start driving right after an international arrival, give your first day a relaxed schedule so that you do not push yourself while tired or jet-lagged.
Cars can be returned only at our branches. After returning at the Naha Airport branch, you can use the free shuttle to the airport. For fuel, fill the tank at a gas station within 2 km of the return branch and show the receipt to the staff. For details, see our blog article First-Timer’s Okinawa Car Rental Q&A.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I enter Japan at another airport, such as Tokyo or Osaka, and then fly to Naha on a domestic flight?
Because immigration is done at the first airport where you land, at Naha Airport you follow the domestic arrival procedure. For domestic arrivals, you go to the 1st-floor arrival lobby and collect your baggage at the baggage claim area. In this case too, if you will use an International Driving Permit at UMUI, the requirement of a passport with an entry stamp showing your date of arrival in Japan stays the same.
After immigration, is it all right to put my passport into my suitcase?
UMUI’s page says nothing about how to handle your passport. However, you will need to show a passport with the entry stamp at the counter, so we suggest keeping it with you, not in your suitcase, where you can take it out at any time.
What if I cannot find the shuttle stop?
The stop is not written on the official website, so please check the guidance in your booking confirmation email, or call UMUI Rent a Car (050-1783-5687, 8:00-20:00). The airport’s official guidance says to head to the domestic terminal area if you will use a rental car.
Arrive on an international flight, take your passport with the entry stamp and your license documents, and ride the shuttle to the branch. Just knowing this flow makes your first step in Okinawa much calmer. If anything about the documents or the shuttle worries you, please feel free to contact UMUI Rent a Car, even before you book. UMUI Rent a Car offers service in four languages: 日本語, English, 한국어 and 繁體中文.
* The information in this article is as of October 2026. Information about Naha Airport is based on the official Naha Airport Terminal Building website, and information about UMUI Rent a Car is based on the UMUI Rent a Car official website (u-mui.com). Immigration procedures and shuttle details may change, so please check the official websites or the branch for the latest information.
Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons (CC0 / CC BY 2.5 / CC BY-SA 4.0). Photographers are credited in each photo caption.
