Converting a driver's license to a German one

Thanks timezoner. I wrote to them. Hopefully they'll write back!

Oops, wrote too soon. Turns out the secretary actually pursued it further after I objected:

Hi Dr ...,

I finally found someone who actually handles the transcription of the
licenses. <captious> is right, there is no need for a
translation or classification in your case.
Both licenses will be transcriped from English into German. A passport
per person is required and both of you must go
there yourselves, a third person will not
be receiving the licenses.

You will be getting your licenses at the Grossherzog Friedrich Strasse
111, the place is called Ordnungsamt.

The transcription will be approx. 43 €.

Any more questions, please let me know.

Excellent.
Actually, the fee should be 35€ each because Illinois and Quebec are listed in FeV Anlage 11.

Even better (not that I know what FeV Anlage 11 is). More good news: about to sign up for my second German class. I took the first Goethe institute course in Montreal, and now my husband and I are going to take a beginning course that meets every day in August!

They will know because they will get on their radio, and find out when you registered here.

Some people have suggested that you do not need a translation. I strongly suspect you will. I tried to go without one here in Munich, with a British EU license, and they said there is no way to convert it without a translation. And the EU licenses are all standard.

Further to that, you will not just have to pay 50 euros for the translation, you will also need to pay 35 euros each to get the license issued. However, your complaints will probably fall on deaf ears here because you are actually one of the lucky ones. If your husband had have got his license in a different state, it's quite possible that he would have had to resit the test costing him somewhere near 1000 euros. Some people are even required to sit the whole thing again, costing them thousands.

You'll have to pay close to 100 euros each as it is now, so that is getting out lightly to say the least.

Well, I guess since the secretary called and talked to the office, we'll try to do it without the translation. Worst case we'll have to mail it in and go back afterwards.

Actually, we're not "lucky" exactly. We read up on it before we came to Germany. I had a Texas license and my husband had a NY license, neither of which were convertible. So we made a point of getting new licenses. I never drove in Canada so otherwise would have just kept my Texas license.

ahhh got it! for 2... still.. 100?!?!! craziness if that's the price!

Appendix 11 of the Fahrerlaubnisverordnung (driver licensing regulations) lists the states/provinces/countries for which there are testing exemptions.


That was Munich, this is Saarbrücken. If Saarbrücken's practices allow conversion without a translation, then a translation isn't needed. Licensing is a responsibility of the cities.

This whole little exchange is just silly. We all know how the system works in Germany. You can call and e-mail everyone under the sun about how to get something accomplished through the bureaucracy. Then you go to get it done only to find out that there is some obscure never before heard of form or document you're missing. You then try to explain your way around the issue and the government clerk just says "Nein". Dejected we must return at a later time, costing us our time and money.

Come on, it's happened to us all.

She will only know the "truth" once she goes in person to the office and looks the license processing facilitator in the eye.

Captious, you just go ahead and try to bring a non-translated license. Good luck.

I'll let y'all know how it goes, and if my efforts to save $$ were all a waste!

Have you scanned this thread?

No, I missed that one. It doesn't seem to have anything regarding translations, but it's interesting nonetheless. Hmm, I wonder if it's worth writing up some sort of official looking letter to try to keep them from taking our licenses...

I guess I posted this in the wrong thread, but it was. It's a motorcycle license obtained in another EU country after having gotten a regular B license from the German authorities.

Hello,

I have a question regarding a license translation and obtaining a German license. I have heard many things but all of them different on this subject. I have an american license. If I am in Prenzlauerberg, is there an ADAC office for a translation. What do I do with this translation? According to the US embassy as I have a Florida license I only need to take a written exam, but the man at the driving school told me I needed to take the full written and driving exam (what a surprise). Any help or advice from anyone on helping with this is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jason

Updating my previous posts:

My husband went to trade in his Illinois license in Saarbruecken today. They made him go to the Auslander office first to get official verification of his date of entry in Germany (which costs 10 euros). Strangely, they have him "officially" arriving four months after his actual arrival. He took this official document back to the driver's license office, with his (untranslated) American license, his passport, and passport photos. The cost for the license was 44 euros. The whole process took about 2 hours all together. They said his license should arrive in 2 to 3 weeks, to their office we assume.

In any case, it all worked out, and he saved the 50 euro ADAC translation fee. So all my futzing actually paid off.

Prob. because the Saarbruecken office is used to translating licenses for all the US Military personal and their families in the area.
Same for Kaiserslautern, and all the other surrounding cities.

they (the Landrasamt/Fahrerlaubnisbehörde) made me go to both the Ausländerbehörde to verify my date of entry and get a form stamped and also the Einwohnermeldeamt (with the application form for swapping the license and stamped form from the Ausländerbehörde), even though I already had an EU license and came from the UK. I even took along the Anmeldebestätigung and my Freizüsigkeitsbescheinigung and passport but they weren't interested. They would only take receipt of the application form and documents from the Einwohnermeldeamt.
Anyway, the Einwohnermeldeamt stamped the forms and sent it all back to the Fahrerlaubnisbehörde. (cost 4€) and the cost for the license was 25 or 29€ I forget which, which I picked up 6 weeks later. This turned out to then have the incorrect date for my motorcycle entitlement on, because they had just copied it off my english license. After 9 years you would have thought I would notice the date being wrong, but I didn't. Then about 2 weeks later, the Fahrerlaubnisbehörde sent me another letter pointing out that the date was wrong and it would have to be changed. They couldn't phone the english authorities to get the document of entitlement, I had to. Fortunatly after a lot of umming and arring and eventually accepting that it was their mistake, the English people said they would fax it directly to the german authorities. They didn't and another 4 weeks letter I got a snotty letter from the German side. In the end I got the English to fax them again, and to send me a hardcopy, which they did. I got my new correct license about 2 weeks after that. Fun fun.

Regarding the translation thing... I have an International Drivers Permit from the CAA in Canada, but it's expired (only a few weeks out of date.) Are they likely to accept that?
My actual Canadian license is still current, just the IDP has expired. All the information within is still correct though.

Thats strange you didnt pay the translation. I would love to know how that worked out!

Mine didnt arrive for almost 6 weeks! They told me 2-3 as well. Eventually I showed up in their office and asked them where the hell they were hiding it. They had it sitting in one of the inboxes! I gave them a paper (in german) explaining that I needed my american license back because it's also an identification card in the US. Which is true. I paid 49 for ADAC translation and 35 for other fees, and now have the german license for life! I think it's amazing. My friend from Florida had to take the written which also isnt so bad. The only thing I dont like is that they will only turn over your normal passenger car license, and even though in the states we can drive with a trailer, they wont put it on your german license. I tried very hard to have it included...

@tJI,

You dont need an IDP to drive here (<6 months) or for conversion. You can use your canadian licence for the swap.

Hello everyone, this one might be a challenge for you.

I am a German citizen, 28, licensed in Venezuela since 16, but I was born and lived elsewhere my entire life. I moved here in July 2007, after spending the last 7 years in Canada. I possess a Venezuelan driver's license (class 3, the normal type), which I tried to exchange for a G-class in Canada, but never got further than a G1, since I didn't have the car, time or money to do the practical tests to move to G2 and eventually to G. I got a car in November and I am still driving. Way past the 6 month mark. Way past the 1 year mark as well.

I am informed as to what to do if I want to get the German license via the Venezuelan one: pony up the cash, feed the system, roll into a fetal position. Actually, I have been looking online to see if they have one of those nifty agreements so many of you have enjoyed the benefits from, without luck. So, I am going to assume there isn't one.

My question is geared toward the Canadian angle. I know Ontario has the agreement, but I wonder if I can do it with a G1. The DFAIT website mentions "regular driver licenses for cars". Does anyone have an experience trying to pull this off with a G2 or G1?

Exactly. I still don't have mine because I still need a:

"Beglaubigte Karteikartenabschrift, erhätlich bei der ausstellenden Fahrerlaubnisbehörde."

From what I understand, it's some sort of certification from my state (Illinois) confirming that they issued my driver's license. I'd bet money that they're not going to have any idea what that is or why I need it, since my license should be enough. So now I have to deal with both American and German bureaucracy.

I think that's only for German licenses. It's used if, for example, you lose your license that was issued in Berlin, but are living in Munich at the time of loss. Berlin gives you a document saying they had issued a license and then Munich replaces it.

According to Anlage 11 of the FeV, only an Ontario class G license is eligible.
http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/fev/anlage_11_110.html

Considering that G1 is not a full license, I don't think it is allowed.
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/driver/classes.htm

Yep, only a full class G Ontario license can be transferred. The idiot highly trained person at the driving office had to call in two other people to double check that mine was eligible to be swapped. She kept insisting that my class G was a G1 for some strange reason, even though I had done the license before graduating licensing even came into effect in Ontario. Then again, she also wouldn't believe that I'd had it for over 20 years because it had a new photo and had been renewed three years previously. But in the end they all agreed and promised to rush it. I got the German one in about 6 weeks.

Really? Damn, well they have my license so they know I'm a foreigner. This is getting ridiculous. I should've known better than to think it would be simple.

Most US states will, though, issue an official document confirming your licensing status. Germans love official documents. That might make them happy. (Even though I don't think the FeV requires it.)

You are correct, sir. I finally got an answer from the Secretary of State in Illinois, and they said that they can give me an abstract of my license aka my driving record. Apparently, that usually suffices in these situations. I will let you guys know how it turns out.

I've read all through this thread, but still can't discern one critical (to me) point:

Does the 6-month limit to license validity apply from the date of:

1. Original/first anmeldung in Germany
2. Most recentl arrival/anmeldung?

I swear - I'm not trying to screw the system! My work has been sending me here for 6 month trips (to stay under the double-taxation treaty limit, as I am taxed in the US). I was here for 6 months last year (June - December 2007), and will be here for another 6 months this year (June - December 2008). I will also return to Germany next year for an unknown quantity of time -- perhaps another 6 months.

So, I've been here for 3.5 months continuously, but a total of 9.5 months aggregate time since my very first arrival as a temporary resident here last year. With 6 months outside of Germany in the middle, am I driving illegally?

It sounds as if someone pulled a fast one on her with a G1.

Finally got my license today and it only cost me 29,90. Hooray!

this is something i'd like to know too. For example: Let's assume I've been here for 2 years. At the end of two years, I go back to Canada for 2 weeks. When I return does the 6 months start over again?

They go from the date that you first registered as living in Germany. (Not from when you first got your visa to legally live in Germany, which could be later.) A two-week holiday back home doesn't change the fact that you're still registered in Germany. For the time limit to restart, you have to first deregister, move away from Germany, and then it takes 6 months for your records to be eliminated from the system. So if you deregister but then move back in 4 months, you'll still have to do the driving lessons if the time limit is up from your original registration, and won't be able to drive.

I was wondering if anyone has converted Ontario G driving license to Dutch one. I am about to move there for my job. Do I have to do any road/written test? I was considering converting it to German one and use it in the Netherlands, but I am not sure if Germans will convert it since I am going to have dutch residency and live in the Netherlands but not Germany. Thanks in advance

this is a useful site:
http://www.rijbewijs.nl/ (click on english)
Looks like you can only swap your license for a Dutch one if you are from Quebec

You can contact RDW direct if you have further questions:
http://www.rdw.nl/nl/voertuigeigenaar/alge...ing_the_rdw.htm

Thank you Kätzchen for your answer. Apparently I have to go through written/road test to get Dutch DL. I am going to try to convert DL in Germany.

If you apply for converting your Canadian or States driving license in Germany, do you have to provide documents such as your visa or work permit?
I am trying to figure out if I can convert my canadian DL to German DL without having residency in Germany. I, hope those people who did convert DL, can help me

Cheers

You must be a resident of Germany to convert to a German license.

I didn't have to show them my student visa, but I did have to turn over my American license. (even though it had already expired)

thanks Bipa.