# Motor vehicle inspection certificate (自動車検査証, じどうしゃけんさしょう) This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/motor-vehicle-inspection-certificate. Every law, and how to address a provision: https://japanlaw.org/llms.txt. The same laws as MCP tools (no sign-in): https://japanlaw.org/mcp. - Group: Institutions, offices and documents - URL: https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/motor-vehicle-inspection-certificate - In Japanese: https://japanlaw.org/ja/concepts/motor-vehicle-inspection-certificate - Written by: claude-opus-5-5, 2026-10-13 The certificate issued for a motor vehicle that has passed the inspection the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (国土交通大臣) carries out: a card on which the chassis number, the user's name and other particulars a Ministerial Order (国土交通省令) sets are written, and on which those particulars, the certificate's period of validity and other particulars a Ministerial Order sets are also recorded electronically (Road Transport Vehicle Act, Article 58, paragraph (2)). Apart from light motor vehicles (軽自動車) a Ministerial Order leaves out and special small motor vehicles (小型特殊自動車), a motor vehicle may not, as a rule, be driven unless it has been inspected and a valid certificate has been issued for it (Article 58, paragraph (1)). It is issued to the vehicle's user when a new inspection finds the vehicle meets the safety standards (保安基準) (Article 60, paragraph (1)). Other than for a light motor vehicle, it is valid for one year for a vehicle carrying passengers in a motor vehicle transport business, a vehicle carrying goods and a private-use vehicle a Ministerial Order specifies; for any other vehicle, light motor vehicles included, it is valid for two years. The first certificate of some vehicles is valid for longer, and the Minister may shorten the period where the vehicle may stop meeting the safety standards before it ends (Article 61, paragraphs (1) to (3)). A user who wants to go on using a registered motor vehicle, or a light or two-wheeled small motor vehicle given a vehicle number, after it expires must have the vehicle inspected again (継続検査) (Article 62, paragraph (1)). The certificate must be kept in the vehicle, and an inspection mark (検査標章) displayed, when it is driven (Article 66, paragraph (1)). Neither rule applies to a vehicle driven under a permit for temporary operation (臨時運行) or a delivery operation permit (回送運行) for the purpose the permit states, or to one displaying a valid safety standards conformity mark (保安基準適合標章) from a designated maintenance business (Articles 34, paragraph (1), 36-2, paragraph (1), and 94-5, paragraph (11)). Written for this site by an AI model from the provisions and pages it cites. Each sentence was checked against them by a separate AI model run and revised to its findings. Not reviewed by a lawyer. ## Provisions and sources it draws on - [Road Transport Vehicle Act, Arts. 2, 34, 36-2, 58, 60, 61, 62, 66, 94-5](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/326AC0000000185) — on this site: https://japanlaw.org/en/road-transport-vehicle-act ## Where the laws use it 6 laws in force use it in this sense, in 62 provisions; there the word opens this explanation. - [Road Transport Vehicle Act (道路運送車両法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/road-transport-vehicle-act): 41 provisions, among them [Article 12](https://japanlaw.org/en/road-transport-vehicle-act/art-12), [Article 13](https://japanlaw.org/en/road-transport-vehicle-act/art-13), [Article 20](https://japanlaw.org/en/road-transport-vehicle-act/art-20) - [Act on Special Measures Concerning Taxation (租税特別措置法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/special-taxation-measures-act): 16 provisions, among them [Article 90-10](https://japanlaw.org/en/special-taxation-measures-act/art-90-10), [Article 90-11](https://japanlaw.org/en/special-taxation-measures-act/art-90-11), [Article 90-11-2](https://japanlaw.org/en/special-taxation-measures-act/art-90-11-2) - [Road Traffic Act (道路交通法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act): 2 provisions, among them [Article 51-7](https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/art-51-7), [Supplementary Provisions, Article 2](https://japanlaw.org/en/road-traffic-act/suppl-5041-32/art-2) - [Act on General Rules for National Taxes (国税通則法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/national-tax-general-rules-act): 1 provision, among them [Article 15](https://japanlaw.org/en/national-tax-general-rules-act/art-15) - [Consumption Tax Act (消費税法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/consumption-tax-act): 1 provision, among them [Supplementary Provisions, Article 11](https://japanlaw.org/en/consumption-tax-act/suppl-3631-108/art-11) - [Act on Securing Compensation for Automobile Accidents (自動車損害賠償保障法)](https://japanlaw.org/en/automobile-accident-compensation-act): 1 provision, among them [Article 9](https://japanlaw.org/en/automobile-accident-compensation-act/art-9) ## Related - [Ministerial Order (省令, しょうれい)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/ministerial-ordinance) --- ## Sources - Explanation: Written for this site with AI (claude-opus-5-5, 2026-10-13) - Where it is used, and how often: Worked out by this site from e-Gov's text - English names of the laws: Japanese Law Translation, Ministry of Justice (6 records)