Converting a driver's license to a German one

This is for non eu states. You're fine and dandy with your UK license.

I changed my old paper license for a German one with a picture last year. I just went down to our Rathaus, filled in the paperwork, gave them a copy of my license and a photo and about four weeks later picked it up. Went like clockwork. Only needed it for ID coz I can't be arsed to carry my passport around with me all the time and have been stuffed buying stuff in shops a few times here.

thanks for the info. so the following paragraph does not apply if you have an EU license?:

Die Antragsfrist zur Umschreibung ausländischer Führerscheine beträgt maximal 3 Jahre, beginnend ab dem Datum der Wohnsitzbegründung. Wird die Umschreibung nicht innerhalb dieser Frist beantragt, wird zur Erteilung einer deutschen Fahrerlaubnis bei "Listenstaaten" eine theoretische und praktische Prüfung (§ 31 Abs. 2 FeV), bei den sonstigen Staaten eine komplette Fahrausbildung und -prüfung erforderlich (§ 31 Abs. 1 FeV).

Correct, this is for Non EU license holders wanting to exchange their license for a German one, there is a 3 year limit to do this without having to redo the entire license procedure from scratch. You can just simply exchange yours for a Germish one if you want or continue to use your British one.

do you change it at the kreisverwaltungsreferat ??
@Boba do i only need a copy - can i keep the UK one too? how much does it cost?

As far as the Germans are concerned, this is theoretically true. As far as the Brits are concerned your license only maintains its validity if the address on it continues to be valid insofar as it can be used to contact you. If they were to write a letter to this address and it was returned or not responded to then the licence could be considered (in British eyes) as invalid and possibly suspended. None of this is especially relevant on a day to day basis, but could be problem if you ever get into deep legal shit. They example I am aware of that springs to mind is a friend of mine who lost his license for 4 weeks following an excessive speeding offence. He did not turn up to the German police to hand over the license on the appointed day and in the meanwhile had changed his German registered address. The Germans tried to track him via the British police who confirmed his UK address (on the licence) was invalid as he was not known there, so they considered the licence to be invalid too. The Germans eventually caught up with him and further prosecuted him for driving without a licence which was MUCH more serious.

that's why i think i should get a german one, cos my uk one has the wrong address - but of course i don't speed

hi there, kinda a new one.not really though.
right i have a canadian licence but live in germany with my brit solider based hubby. i wanted to transfer my canadian licence to a german one .we moved here in june 2006 but i have been in and out of the country. with his job we have not been registered as such at the address . my main question is can i transfer my licence and will it be a full one as we have a manual car? and i know in the uk its weird there where canadians can only drive automatics...please telll me its not like this in germany!

Which province is your licence from now? Germany recognizes MOST provinces as 'equal' so yes, hopefully you are lucky and can transfer your license easily. There is a list somewhere telling what provinces (and states) German accepts, but I have no idea where to find it. Surely a friendly fellow Canadian will lead you in the right direction (or when Carm wakes up) soon.
When I exchanged mine (from Ontario), it takes about 3 weeks, costed about 40 euros (around there if I remember correctly) HOWEVER you have to give up your Canadian licence. And there is no silly rule about manual vs. automatic cars.
Good luck on those Autobahns!

Just did mine recently. I'm pretty sure that all provinces can be just swapped for a German one.

Sometimes you require an eye test, sometimes not. I was told at the ADAC that I didn't need one. But when I went to take everything to the Burgeramt they went to ask for it but I told them I was told it wasn't necessary, so he just shrugged and said 'ok'.

I did have to spend €45 euro on an official translation for my licence (I guess only certain people can do this)

Certain offices of the ADAC will swap your licence for you, or you can do it at your local gov. registry. Was supposed to take about 2 or 3 weeks but ended up being about 5 or 6, but only have to give my Canadian one when I go to pick up the new one (today).

so there is definaltey no law about the manual automatic thing thne? mine is frmo alberta. i did a tick test through the army which gives you a driving permit but on the back it says must be supporrted by an ec licence but they never mentioend anything to m when i showed them my passport and drivers when i originally sat the test through the army.weird.but it makes me feel a bit ill as well the whole would i be covered by insurance or not. so do i need a translation or not or should i take with me my expired international licence and is it 6 months that u hav eor 3 years as i have seen in some posts?

I exchanged my Ontario DL for a German one about four years ago. I had to bring with me my Ontario DL, my German registration papers to prove I was a resident, a translation into German of my DL that I had ADAC do for me, an eye test result, and a passport photo.

Because my Ontario DL has no mention of manual or automatic, I was not restricted to automatic only. They did, however, lower my weight class from 11 tons to 3.5. I was told that if I wanted the higher weight class in Germany then I'd have to go to school and do the test. I decided to forget it, since I won't be driving any small trucks here in Germany.

They looked at the date when I had submitted my anmeldung (not when it was actually issued several months later!) and told me that since I had already been in Germany over 6 months (by a week!) I could no longer drive using my Ontario DL. I didn't have to do any lessons or tests as it was still within the time period for a straight swap, but they actually took away my original Ontario DL. The woman asked me how I got to the office, and I said that I had driven, of course. She winced and told me to go home and park the car and not drive until my German license arrived. Six weeks and 5 days later it came.

Globalgirl ... Do you HAVE to be a member of ADAC to use this facility.?

No, but there is a very small fee.

That's right. You don't have to be a member of ADAC. Their fee was actually around €8 cheaper than getting it done at the Burgeramt, but I didn't have the time to go all the way accross town to that one specific ADAC office again so did it at my local office.

I'm from Alberta too.

so what about needing to go down to some place called the strassenverkrsamt? is this the same as adac or the burger?? place? allso what is the correct time allowed in full or driving and conversion is it 3 years or is it 6 months?

For conversion it's 3 years

When I went to change over my Canadian license to German I was told to start the process within one year or I would be considered as having NEVER driven in my life and would have to start the training process at zero. Better inform yourself what the score is in Berlin.

I'm from BC, one of three Canadian provinces at that time NOT recognised by the Strassenverkehrsamt as eligible for a 1-to-1 transfer, pay 50 marks and on your way. Nööö, I had to take lessons, a written test, plus a road test. In today's money it set me back about 600 euros. As I recall, if I'd had an Alberta license, I would have been able to take the cheaper route.

If you are entitled to change your licence then the German one will the nearest equivalent of your original. If your Canadian one clearly states you can only drive automatics, then so will the German one.

However, as the spouse of a member of the resident armed forces I thought special rules applied which obviated the need to have a German license for your period of time here, even if it exceeds the normal limit for the validity your domestic permit

well i spoke tosomeone in one of the army depts ehre and he said it would be a waste of time getting a german one but then he thought for me to drive a manual i woudl have to retake my drivers. doesnt say anything on my original licence about only automatics or anything. so thats why i htought it might be easier to switch to a german one,only as long as they dont turn around and say to me that i can only drive an auto...but like i said there is nothing showing on my licence to either a manual or transmission.its just a normal class 5 drivers

But as an Army spouse you are not even registered here in the normal "Wohnungsanmeldung" sense, which would be a pre-requisite to do the swap in any case...

hmm ,this is what i am wondering. how difficult is it to register yourself att he wohnungsanmeldung? do u get charged to do it?

It's free, but you'll have to be registered at least 3 months before you can play games with your license. They will expect you to register your entire family, and will ask questions if you omit anyone. As I don't believe you NEED to register it may be that you simply CAN'T register, given your military status.

i read on a thread u can do it online..is this true

You can change your registration online if you move, but not if this is your first time.

i was registered in sennelager before as i was working self employeed tbut had to do all the registration, but the guy who owned the place came with me to do it all as i dont speak very good german. so that was registered in about sept 2004 adn then deregistered in mayor june 2005

I just read in an expat book that if you have an EU driver's licence (rather than a German one) and get stopped for a traffic violation, they can take away your (non-German) licence, since they can't deduct points on your foreign licence. Can anyone confirm this?

I have been using my US (Georgia ) licence here for jsut about 6 months. I would like to get an extension for another couple. I have proof that I will be staying here < another 6 months. How can I get the extension? Does it require the ADAC translation ?

Bring the proof that you'll be leaving down to the Fuherschein office and they should be able to give you an extension. The ADAC translation would only be needed if you're swapping it for a German license.

Either way, the Fuherschein will be able to provide the best info (they seem to handle these things differently from office to office). Good luck.

Thanks bohemka! Where is the nearest Fuherschein office? Is it in the same location as the KVR?

Edit: In munich?

I believe so, in Munich. We don't call it that 'round these parts (die Pfalz), but that's where you need to go.

dumbasses.. Refused to provide me an extension. Did not give me a reason why. Just said that is was not possible !

Go back and try with a different person.

then convert it, and then when you leave in a few months, collect your old license back, they hold them for 3 years.

Here's a tricky one...I lived in Germany for 4 years until I returned to the UK in July last year. I didn't change my licence as I had no need to drive. I am now looking at moving back to Germany and would like to own/drive a car. Would I have problems in switching my licence after having abmelded? It is also an Australian drivers licence...

I have a similar problem with my Australian license, but much more complicated.

Germany does not (yet) accept Australian licenses. But you could easily change it into an UK license which is valid in Germany without restriction.

Really? You don't have to change a UK licence to a German one??

I am pretty sure you don't. There would be your current UK adress on the license, that may or may not be a problem once you are registered in Germany.

That won't work in this case because Georgia is not a US state listed in Anhang 11 of the FeV.

I am not sure how easy this was to do... An international license works pretty well for me. Of course if you show too many questionable credentials, you may make the authorities nervous. I found this out a couple of nights ago on my drive through Heidelberg. I miss Berlin! It's like my home NEW YORK!!!

But it works for only six months...after that it is no longer a valid license in Germany.

An international license is simply an addendum to your national license and is only as valid as your national license. If you are formally resident in Germany and have exceeded the validity of your license from home, then your international licence is invalid too.

Hello.

I'm new to the goup and I looked for an FAQ. Is there a source or can someone give me a straight answer for how much I have to do (pay) before I can get my German license?

I'm coming from California (No exchange). I have been driving for 22 years including lots of time in Germany. My driving record is clean (no tickets or accidents).

Do I really have to go through all of the theory and practice time with a Fahrschule? Isn't that a colosal waste of time and money?

Regards

No, you don't have to go through the full program, as driver's licensed in other jurisdictions are exempt from the training, but not testing requirements. You'll still need to go to a Fahrschule; some will be more willing than others at dealing with your special case. A few hours of instruction to prep for the German test would probably be advisable.

Hello ,

I would really appreciate some of your expert advise for my situation ..I have been in Munich for 6 months and plan to buy a car this week .. Now comes the difficult part ..

1)I have had my UK drivers license since August 2006
And since then
2) Have made a claim for a small accident for 200 pounds. (shit happens and silly first timers driving)
3) Was fined 60 pounds and 3 points for speeding .. (i was doing a 71 on a 60 mile zone .. I was fooled by the roads in cornwall)
4) Since I have the points within 2 year of my new license , I know that one more small mistake from my side would revoke my license

Now

1) Should I convert my UK license to a German License as i have had it for only one and a half years prior to my arrival to germany . I have read somewhere in this topic that i am only allowed to use my EU license if I have held it for 2 years before my arrival to Germany .

2) what is the best way for to go for a insurance here .. i heard its very expensive here .. i was paying about 600 pounds in the UK .. and since I already have a history in the UK what shd I do here .. I dont want to end up paying 2000 euros for my insurance alone

Please can someone let me know what's the best way to go ahead.. I am very confused at this moment and dont know whom to turn to !!!

Thanks a bunch

If you aren't a permanent resident, then pop over to another country for the weekend and your six months restarts.


Double check the specific requirements for your German jurisdiction. I'm from CA too and driving a little longer than you. In Hamburg, I had to present the practical certificate along with my written test. If you shop around for driving schools, you'll find one that understands you've been driving *forever* and will only charge you the minimum number of hours to get the practical certificate. But DO shop around!! The driving schools are independently run and well, for example, I found a school who was willing to charge me for 3 hours of instruction, and without ever getting into the car gave me my practical certificate. They knew I was driving in Germany all along and can rent a car with my CA license at any time without restriction and agreed that the rules are really stupid! A friend of mine went to another school and paid for 5 hours of practical instruction, did 2 hours of it, and got her practical certificate. Be friendly, ask for flexibility and you'll find all kinds of alternatives. Walk away from the schools which are inflexible, they will only piss you off and take your money.

The need for theoretical courses (vs. the test) varies in each jurisdiction and is also - flexible with each driving school. Check with your local Consolate as they will have the most current and pertinent information on what is really required for your jurisdiction.

Actually it doesn't.. Its EU/Schengen Land wide (90 Days every 180 Days, for Non-EU/Visa Wavier citizens), And no, that weekend
jaunt to Switzerland doesn't count either, as they also use the Schengen Info System to monitor people as well
(They are a Schengen Member but won't go full implementation till Dec 08).

The Drivers license databases of the EU/Schengen countries are also tied together. They did this to stop "License Shopping".
The exact thing rads is asking about. If your UK license get suspended, the computer get updated and
no EU/Schengen country will issue you a license. (Or so goes the policy)

You have to take the practical and written tests, but the training requirements are legally waived, as per the FeV:


http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/fev/BJNR221410998.html

I absolutely agree that it is important to check various Fahrschulen because their flexibility AND understanding of the actual rules vary.

Well, the rules regarding licensing are different than the 90/180 day visa-free travel rules. Travel to other countries doesn't reset the clock, but the law specifically deals not with time *in* Germany, but time *since* establishing a residence in Germany (Begründung des ordentlichen Wohnsitzes). The date that matters is the date you establish residency in Germany--usually the date that is registered on your Anmeldebestätigung.

Actually it's the date stamped on your passport from when you entered Germany. I registered as a resident about 90 days after I got here, but that wasn't what was important to them. It was the date I landed.

But yeah, the golden rule is to check with your local office. There's a lot of variation in how they apply the rules. But if you get pulled over, it'd probably be best to go with the safest interpretation.