The License Procedure Depends on How Long You’re Staying in Germany and Where Your Current License Comes From

Canada/USA: If you are a citizen of Canada or the United States, see this page: North American German License Reciprocity

By Elisa Stella of ELP-Expat: Expatriate Support

Driving licenses from countries that are not members of the European Union or the European Economic Area (EEA: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) must be converted into a German driving license if you are staying in Germany longer than six months. After having registered your residence in Germany (Anmeldung), a non-EU/EEA driving license is generally valid for a period of six months. After that, the license is no longer valid for driving in Germany or other EU nations.

In order to drive legally in Germany after this time, you need a German license. The conditions for obtaining the German driving license depend on the country in which your original driver’s license was obtained. An extension of the six-month limit is possible if the license holder can prove that they will not have “ordinary residence” in Germany for more than 12 months. (Some EU countries automatically allow you to drive for up to a year with your foreign license. Germany does not.)

Very few German driving schools (Fahrschulen) have automatic-transmission cars. Stick-shift cars are the norm in Germany. If you have to take driving lessons, can you master a clutch and a five-speed transmission? If you take your road test in a car with automatic transmission, your license will not be valid for driving a stick-shift vehicle. PHOTO: Hyde Flippo

None of the information given in this article refers to temporary licenses or learning-permit licenses, no matter where they’ve been issued. They simply cannot be converted into a German license. In such cases you will have to attend a Fahrschule and go through the normal procedures (and costs) of obtaining a German driving license: taking lessons and learning to drive the German way.

Do I have to go to a driving school? What about examinations?

How you convert your license is based on the respective mutual agreements between Germany and issuing foreign states. If there is no reciprocal agreement between your home country and Germany, you will have to pass both the German theoretical and practical (driving) examinations in order to get a German driving license. But Germany has agreements with 20-plus non-EU/EEA countries that exempt their citizens from taking those tests (or some of them).

Driving license holders from some non-EU member states are exempted from taking an exam in Germany if the EU-wide minimum standards are ensured in the country where the foreign driving license was issued. If there’s a reciprocal agreement between Germany and your home country, the procedure is much easier: no examination required.

If you’re one of the lucky ones, you only have to provide the German authorities with your current driving license, its certified (beglaubigt) translation in German and, if not clearly indicated on it, the so-called “Klassifizierung” made by the ADAC regional club, which confirms the type of vehicles you’re allowed to drive with your home license.

In some cases – for instance if your license was issued in five of the Australian territories – an eyesight-test and a medical evaluation are required.

To know if the country which issued your license has an agreement with Germany, you can refer to the official document Anlage 11 FeV (in German). Also see the table below for a list of non-EU countries with which Germany has reciprocal license agreements.

For driving license holders from non-EU countries that are not listed in the list of states in the “Anlage 11 FeV”, the German license is issued only after a theoretical exam and a road test. You don’t have to attend classes at a driving school, but many people decide to take at least some lessons at a Fahrschule to ensure they can pass the driving tests, especially if they have never driven a car with a manual transmission (Schaltgetriebe). You decide if and when you are ready for the exam. A driving instructor must accompany you during the road test.

How does the license conversion actually work?

The application for the German driving license must always be submitted to the Verkehrsamt (DMV), sometimes called the Führerscheinstelle (driving license office) responsible for the place of residence where the driver lives in Germany.

Gather the documents required for your case – as described above – and make an appointment. The German authority may retain your original license. A return is usually only possible upon return of the German license, but there are sometimes exceptions. Every German Führerscheinstelle seems to have its own policy.

Below you’ll find links to selected websites of the Verkehrsamt or Führerscheinstelle in some major German cities:

• Berlin: Führerschein
• Cologne (Köln): Führerschein
• Düsseldorf: Führerschein
• Frankfurt: Führerschein
• Hamburg: Führerschein
• Munich (München): Führerschein

How to Get a German Driver’s License

Now that you know what kind of reciprocity you have, learn the steps you need to take to get your license to drive in Germany: Getting a German Driver’s License, part of our Expat “How To” Guides

Next | Getting a German Driver’s License

Related Pages
AT THE GERMAN WAY

• Expat “How To” Guides – All of our “How To” guides for Germany
• How to Immigrate to Germany – Legal requirements for a residence permit in Germany
• The identity card – der Personalausweis
• GW Expat Blog

ON THE WEB

• Germany.info – The website of the German Embassy in Washington, DC has a lot of good information for people traveling to Germany.
• Auswärtiges Amt – The website of the German Federal Foreign Office also has useful information in English and Deutsch about working or studying in Germany.

Legal Notice: We are not responsible for the content of external links.