Gunma Foreign License Conversion: Booking Days, Fees, Languages

Booking: next month's slots open at 9 am on booking day

Apply through the "外国免許切替予約申請" form linked from the police page "運転免許試験". According to the police guide, you can only book for the following month, one slot per person, from 9:00 am on the booking day. Remaining 2026 booking days (外免切替予約カレンダー 2026):

Appointment times: holders of licenses from exempt countries/regions (such as South Korea, Taiwan, Germany) and people who once held a Japanese license use the 1:00 pm slot; everyone else chooses 10:00 am or 1:00 pm. Fully booked days cannot be selected.

What the booking form asks for

The form is in Japanese and English. If you choose the wrong category (exempt country or not, Japanese license history), the booking is invalid. The confirmation email comes from @logoform.jp, so make sure you can receive it.

• Name exactly as in your passport, date of birth, phone number, nationality
• Country that issued your license (for the US, include the state)
• Exempt-country category and whether you ever held a Japanese license
• Preferred date and time, license type (car, motorcycle, moped)
• Photos of the front and back of your foreign license, email address
• If you cannot speak Japanese, you must bring an interpreter

The flow: pass the knowledge test, then the driving test on a later day

The steps are: document review → application form and questionnaire (申請書・質問票) → reception → aptitude test (適性試験) → knowledge test (知識の確認) → pass → driving test (運転能力の確認) → pass → photo (on a later day) → license issued. Exempt-country applicants go straight from the aptitude test to the photo and receive the license the same day (you cannot leave until it is issued).

Licenses are handed out around 4:00 pm, earlier or later depending on the number of applicants. Depending on the review, your application may be refused or you may be asked for extra certificates.

Knowledge test languages: 21 languages, Monday to Thursday

Since July 29, 2024, Gunma police have offered 20 foreign languages for written tests, including the knowledge test for license conversion. On the police schedule, the conversion knowledge test runs Monday to Thursday (except holidays and the New Year period) and every one of the 20 languages plus Japanese is marked available. The knowledge test is by appointment.

The 20 languages: English, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Spanish, Persian, Korean, Russian, Thai, Tagalog, Indonesian, Khmer, Nepali, Burmese, Mongolian, Ukrainian, Sinhala, Urdu, Arabic and Hindi.

Fees (Gunma police guide)

Total = test fee (受験手数料) + issuing fee (交付手数料). The issuing fee depends on the format: card license only, card + My Number card license (マイナ免許証) 2,450 yen, or マイナ免許証 only 1,550 yen. The police FAQ says license fees are paid with Gunma revenue stamps (群馬県収入証紙; some fees in cash), sold at the Traffic Safety Association (交通安全協会) counter.

Requirements and documents

You need a registered address in Gunma, a valid foreign license, and a total stay of at least 3 months in the issuing country after getting the license. With a stay of 1 year or more, you are exempt from the novice driver period (beginner mark 若葉マーク, no motorcycle passengers). Documents differ by issuing country, so the police ask you to contact them in advance if unsure.

• Foreign license plus an A4 copy of both sides. If it does not show the first-issue or renewal date, a document proving it (e.g. license record)
• Passport (all old ones too) plus A4 copies of the photo page and the issuing country's entry/exit stamps. If you used automated gates, you need official entry/exit records
• Japanese translation (from the issuing authority, the issuing country's consulate, JAF or another source the police accept)
• One residence certificate (住民票の写し) issued within 6 months, with nationality and all items except the My Number, original only, plus one photocopy
• Residence card (在留カード), ID photo 3 cm × 2.4 cm taken within 6 months
• Brazil: ID card; China: resident identity card; Philippines: Official Receipt
• Old Japanese license (even expired), International Driving Permit if you have one, My Number card if you want マイナ免許証

Contact and practice

Contact: Gunma Prefecture General Traffic Center, License Division (written test section), 027-253-9300 (9:00 am–4:00 pm per the document). People with "Designated Activities" (特定活動) status working in road transport (trucks, taxis, buses) are asked to call first.

There is only one booking day a month, for the next month, so failing the knowledge test means a long wait. menkyopass mock tests use the same 50-question, 30-minute format in English, Vietnamese and Chinese.

FAQ

Related guides

• Japan License Conversion Process: 6 Steps from Booking to License
• Japan License Conversion Documents: Juminhyo, Translation, Passport
• How to Book a License Conversion Appointment in Japan
• Failed Japan License Conversion? Reapplying and the 6-Month Rule
• Converting a Foreign License in Saitama: Konosu Online Booking

Sources (in Japanese)

• 群馬県警察「運転免許試験」（外国免許切替を希望する方へ）
• 群馬県警察「外国の運転免許から日本の運転免許への切替手続について」日本語版PDF（令和7年10月1日改定）
• 群馬県警察「外国免許切替予約申請について（説明文）」PDF
• 群馬県警察「外免切替予約カレンダー（2026年）」PDF
• 群馬県警察 外国免許切替予約申請フォーム
• 群馬県警察「外国語による学科試験実施日一覧」PDF
• 群馬県警察「外国語による運転免許学科試験等の拡大について」
• 群馬県警察「外国籍の方の免許手続について」
• 群馬県警察「よくあるQ&A」（手数料の納付方法）
• 警察庁 丙運発第59号（令和8年1月8日）別添「外国免許等関係事務取扱い要領」