Gifu License Conversion: The 5-Month Wait to Plan For

Gifu's gaimen kirikae takes ~5 months from first call to license. Phone reservation only, ~4-month wait for appointment. Bring A4 copies of residence card. Written test in 20 languages.

Key facts: Gifu Prefectural Police Driver's License Testing Center is at 1-22-8 Mitahorai-higashi, Gifu City. Phone: 058-237-5719 (Mon–Fri 9:00–17:00). Phone reservation only. Average wait: ~4 months for initial appointment, ~5 months total to license. Written test in 20 languages. Bus from JR Gifu Station ~40 min. Free parking (~100 spaces).

Information current as of March 2026 based on the Gifu Prefectural Police gaimen kirikae page and the English guide.

Gifu has roughly 75,000 foreign residents and the 9th highest car ownership rate in Japan (1.506 per household). Many work in manufacturing along the Chūkyō industrial corridor. The biggest challenge in Gifu is the wait: the average time from first call to license issuance is approximately 5 months.

Where to go

Item	Details
Name	岐阜県警察本部運転免許試験場外国免許係
Address	〒502-0846 岐阜市三田洞東1-22-8
Phone	058-237-5719 (foreign license section, 9:00–17:00)
Assembly	8:30 AM on exam day, 2F Foreign License Section
Bus	JR Gifu Station → Gifu Bus "Mitahorai-danchi" line → "Mitahorai Jidōsha Gakkō-guchi" stop (~40 min), then ~6 min walk
Parking	Free ~100 spaces + paid parking in front of center

The 5-month timeline

Gifu's process is notably slow. Here's the realistic timeline:

Call for reservation → appointment in ~4 months
Document screening (書類審査) on appointment day
Aptitude test + written/driving test → scheduled ~1 month after screening passes
License issuance → same day if you pass

Total: ~5 months minimum. Start the process as soon as possible — don't wait until your international driving permit is about to expire.

How to book

Phone reservation only. Call 058-237-5719 (Mon–Fri 9:00–17:00). The call is in Japanese — the police note that many applicants don't speak Japanese, so having a Japanese speaker call for you is strongly recommended.

What to bring

Valid foreign driver's license
ID card from your home country (if separate from license)
Residence card + A4 copies of front and back (Gifu-specific requirement)
All passports (current + old) + copies
Juminhyo — with nationality and residence card info fully listed. No fields omitted (省略なし).
Japanese translation from JAF or embassy/consulate
Photo: 1 sheet, 3cm × 2.4cm, within 6 months

Gifu-specific: If your residence card is renewed between booking and your test date, you must get a new juminhyo. The old one won't be accepted.

The written test

50 questions, 90% to pass (since October 2025). Available in 20 languages.

Languages: English, Spanish, Persian, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Thai, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Khmer, Nepali, Myanmar, Mongolian, Ukrainian, Sinhala, Urdu, Arabic, Hindi.

The driving test

Standard nationwide criteria since October 2025. S-curve, crank, hill start, railroad crossing, intersections. 70/100 to pass.

For detailed preparation, see our Osaka driving test guide.

Fees

Item	Amount
Exam + vehicle usage fee	¥3,350
License issuance	¥2,350
Additional category	¥200 per category
Total (first-attempt pass)	~¥5,700

Plus JAF translation (~¥4,000) and juminhyo (~¥300) separately.

Useful Japanese

English	Japanese	Romaji
I'm here for foreign license conversion	外免切替の手続きに来ました	Gaimen kirikae no tetsuzuki ni kimashita
I have a phone reservation	電話で予約しています	Denwa de yoyaku shite imasu
I'd like the test in English	英語で試験を受けたいです	Eigo de shiken o uketai desu
Where is the foreign license section?	外国免許係はどこですか？	Gaikoku menkyo kakari wa doko desu ka?

Need help in Gifu? Post on LO-PAL for free — a local helper can make the phone reservation, prepare your document copies, or accompany you to the center.