British to German driver's licence conversion

Hi all,

I've got a quick question about converting to a German licence.

I passed my UK driving test 2 weeks after they changed the law back in 1997. As a result, I'm not allowed to drive a 7.5 tonne lorry without taking another test.

Eventually, I'll have to convert my licence as I'll have no UK address. Now when I do, will I get the the exact equivalent of what I've got now, or if the Germans are given this entitlement as a standard (which I seem to remember they are), will that be added to my licence too?

Anybody noticed a similar thing when they converted (if you have)?

I'm just trying to save some money when the gf moves back over and drive the lorry for €700 rather than paying £2500 for a removal company.

You will get the equivalent of what you have now and I don't think that the licence for 7.5 tonne lorries is a given here anymore either.

...unless the license you are changing it for already includes it.

You don't have to change your license unless you really want/need to - e.g. if you lose it. The fact that the DVLA can't/won't put a foreign address on your license doesn't invalidate your license.

If you do change it, you will only get the vehicle classes you have now.

What classes are you allowed to drive now? Could you drive a Transit with a Luton body?

I'm allowed group B which is basically cars up to 3.5 tonne. So I will be able to drive a Luton. Actually planning on getting a mate (well several) and hiring two long bodied Merc Sprinters.

The other thing to check is how much the ferry or eurotunnel would be for the van(s) you intend to take. I took a Luton with a tail lift through Eurotunnel and they charged a lot - I can't remember exactly how much but more than the rental.

actually I think you will only get a class b allawance, meaning you can drive regular size cars and large vans small lkvs are no longer included in the german drivers lisence. This is how it worked when I "switched" my canadian for a german. I actually lost about a ton if memory serves me correctly Canadian one allows for 4500kg and the german only allows for 3000kg. something like that. Oh and having more than one lisence is viewed as illigal in this country.

Class B on a German/European license (pretty much the standard drivers licence for newbies these days) permits you to drive any vehicle up to a MAXIMUM total weight of 3500Kg with not more than 8 passenger seats (plus driver) as well as a trailer up to 750Kg (but the combination of vehicle and trailer must not exceed 3500Kg)

Will have to look at the German motoring organisations to see what the licence entitlements are, and test criteria should I ever decide to upgrade. I did look at taking the UK test for C1 (vehicles up to 7.5t) but that was weighing in just below £1000. Factor in renting one for £700 for a long weekend and fuel, ferry etc, it get's too expensive.

As far as the UK to German licence goes, as soon as the other half comes over to Germany, I will have no ties at all to the UK. Not even family. Therefore as DVLA currently say it's "technically" illegal to have the wrong address on the licence, I thought it would be better to get a German one (eventually).

@Yorkshirelad

Interesting side note,

From DVLA
Drivers who do not have minibus entitlement (Category D1)
If your driving licence does not allow you to drive minibuses, there are certain circumstances where you still may be able to do so.

You may drive a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats if:

i) you drive on behalf of a non commercial body for social purposes but not for hire or reward, unless operating under a permit;

ii) you are aged 21;

iii) you have held a car (category B ) licence for at least 2 years;

iv) you are providing your service on a voluntary basis; and

v) the minibus maximum weight is not more than 3.5 tonnes excluding any specialist equipment for the carriage of disabled passengers. Minibuses up to 4.25 tonnes will be permitted in certain circumstances.

vi)if you are aged 70 and over, you are able to meet the health standards for driving a vehicle (i.e. minibus) which comes within the D1 class;

When driving a minibus under these conditions you may not receive any payment or consideration for doing so other than out of pocket expenses or tow any size trailer; you may only drive minibuses in this country.

Drivers aged 70 or over will need to make a special application which involves meeting higher medical standards

Just thought it was interesting...

It's pretty much the same in Germany, but you need an additional "Personenbeförderungsschein" to supplement your driving license if you have more than 8 passengers.

That's not correct. It is illegal if you fail to inform them of your change of address. European law since 1996 says you do not have to change your license just because you have moved to another member state. If DVLA have no procedure to cope with the provisions of EU law, that is their problem and not yours - i.e. it is technically illegal for them not to comply with EU law.

There's was another thread about this is you search for it. Basically, the DVLA try to scare you into changing your license voluntarily. If you write to them and ask how they intend to support your right under EU law to keep your license, they will eventually acknowledge that you don't have to change the license and that they know the address will be wrong.

I have the old Green UK licence. I originally had heard that I could now keep this indefinately under EU law but someone told me that this only applies to the new photo licences . I applied to the DVLA to get a form for a photo licence (sent to my parents address) but the form specifically asks questions about residency and that you can only apply if you are a UK resident. Does anyone have any first hand experience here ? I want to get this issue sorted out so that I don´t have any grief should I be involved in an accident or stopped by the police.

Thanks

Caroline

I've got the old Pink piece of paper UK license with my last known address in UK still on it. I never changed the license because of all the issues with DVLA (photo license and being told EU license is valid anyway). I'v ebeen stopped a few times for checks and the police have looked at my tatty piece of selotaped license in horror! With questions like "Where does it say that you can drive a car?" Anyway, I got stopped a few weeks later at the same spot and the policeman said "Oh no not you again, please go...!"
They've checked it and let me go now a couple of times so I assume I'm okay...?

Yeah, the pink paper licences are the best to have from an administrative point of view, beacause they remain valid until you're 70 (-1 day), but are valid throughout the EU, even with your old UK address on (but they do confuse officials, who are expecting a picture). The same goes for the photocards, but they're only valid for 10 years, and when you go to apply for a new one, you'll find that you can't satisfy the residency clause.

Of course, you can go back to the UK for a weekend, show your passport at a post office and hand in a renewal form, lying about your residency, but it is a) illegal and a heavy fine if caught and b.) you need a UK address to get the new licence sent to.

I will be changing my UK photocard to a German one before it expires. Should be fun, as many German officials incorrectly insist that you have to change within 6 months of arriving in Germany, or retake the test.

Some pink UK licenses are valid here, but not all. Only those that conform to the "EU Model" are accepted. Some earlier ones did not conform, although these are a minority. The correct ones have "GB" in a circle on the first page and the words "European Communities Model" at the bottom. If you are hoping to change your license back in the UK, there are checks in place make sure you are resident, beyond simple proof of ID. They check electoral roll and credit agencies to reinforce your proof residence there. While these are no means definitive ways on proving you live there, they are a guide and ring alarm bells in DVLC if you don't pop up on them. Personally, I think it's better to change to a German license. Speaking from personal experience this allows you to drive at higher speeds in the UK.