UK Driving License "umschreiben"

[marka 225]

Could anyone who has gone through the process of converting their UK driving license, please explain what actions/documents need to be presented? I have looked at various sites to clearly understand the process but to my addled brain "clear" was far from attainable.

 

Among other tasks, it appears I need to take a First Aid course, have my UK license officially translated and possibly donate my oldest daughters milk teeth to the Landesamt.

 

Any guidance on the full set of hoops and rabbit holes I need to go down, would be gratefully appreciated.

[toBnruG 1,152]

I don't recall all the ins and outs but I do recall it was very simple to get my UK drivers license transferred to a German one. You need 1 passport photo, passport / ID card, registration confirmation (Meldebestätigung) and a bit of money.

You definitely don't need a first aid course, and my son hasn't lost any milk-teeth yet so I'm sure I didn't hand any of them over either.

 

I would make one fact-finding trip to your local Landratsamt or Stadtverwaltung, taking all the things I listed, and if you're lucky you'll come away with the application completed but worst case you'll have a fool proof list of the things you need to take with you next time.

[marka 225]

Many thanks toBnruG. May I ask how long ago you went through the process?

[xioxox 4]

4 minutes ago, toBnruG said:

I don't recall all the ins and outs but I do recall it was very simple to get my UK drivers license transferred to a German one. You need 1 passport photo, passport / ID card, registration confirmation (Meldebestätigung) and a bit of money.

You definitely don't need a first aid course, and my son hasn't lost any milk-teeth yet so I'm sure I didn't hand any of them over either.

 

I would make one fact-finding trip to your local Landratsamt or Stadtverwaltung, taking all the things I listed, and if you're lucky you'll come away with the application completed but worst case you'll have a fool proof list of the things you need to take with you next time.

 

Yes, that's about what I needed, though they were happy with my residence permit with my address on, and didn't look at the Meldebescheinigung. I also didn't need a classification or translation of the old licence. They took away my old licence and give me a new one several weeks later, I'm not sure exactly, but it was at least a month. I had to go in person to collect the new one.

[Dembo 499]

Yes: I had to 1. make an appointment and wait 4 months for it (that was the difficult bit). Then go in with old licence, form, anmeldung and passport + photo and payment (i.e. EC card). Easy enough. They gave me a temporary slip, but the real one turned up in the post only 2 days later.

As with all things Brexit it's all a bit unclear, but assuming you have an EU licence nothing else should be necessary. Mine was Feb 2021, so after the real Brexit. 

 

[toBnruG 1,152]

Mine was September 2019 (I didn't realise it was so long ago!)

[HH_Sailor 3,547]

The ADAC has a page about this.

New, is that from 1st June 2022, UK will return to the list of countries

allowing a simple swap of the license (no test, first aid kit or dentristry reqd)

 

 

ADAC

 

[toBnruG 1,152]

Nice link @HH_Sailor - I totally forgot that Brexit was the reason for me changing my license in the first place.

From the ADAC linked article:

"Wer bereits zum Zeitpunkt des Brexits seinen Wohnsitz in Deutschland hatte, hätte bis Ende Juni 2021 seine Fahrerlaubnis in einen deutschen Scheckkartenführerschein umtauschen müssen. Wer das nicht getan hat, fährt ohne gültige Fahrerlaubnis und begeht damit eine Straftat. Der Umtausch ist allerdings auch heute noch möglich. Mit Aushändigung der deutschen Scheckkarte ist das Fahren (wieder) erlaubt."

Any Brit living in Germany at the time of Brexit had to change their license to a German one by end June 2021. Anyone who didn't do so has not been legally permitted to drive in Germany since July 2021 and will have committed a crime if they did drive since then without acquiring a license.

The article goes on to say that UK drivers license holders have continued to be able to swap their license for a German one without additional testing, although some locations do require an eye test (test of sight).

[marka 225]

Many thanks for all the feedback. One last question, do I have to give up my UK License to get the German one? If yes, does this cause issues if you want to hire a car when in the UK using the one issued by the German authorities?

[yesterday 1,983]

yes they take your UK licence off you, so you can no longer use it, they then send the UK license to the UK so that the UK can cancel your UK license for you as well, but the UK do not bother to cancel your UK license ever ...  

 

Its better to swap your license during a period when you will know you are not travelling to the UK, so you do not have any problems. When you get your new German license, they should be no problem hiring a car in the UK with it. The Germans should give you a bit of paper to to say that your do not have a license at the moment while your application is being processed.

[snowingagain 5,214]

..

[marka 225]

Thanks again for all your help. Toytown is still awesome!

[HH_Sailor 3,547]

1 hour ago, yesterday said:

yes they take your UK licence off you, so you can no longer use it, they then send the UK license to the UK so that the UK can cancel your UK license for you as well, but the UK do not bother to cancel your UK license ever ...  

 

When I applied (early 1990s), I photocopied my DVLC paper license before handing it in.

Was most surprised that the copy had "Fake" all over it.

Never noticed that on the original 

 

Even back then, the DVLC was smart enough to use copy proof paper.

[French bean 3,463]

You might find that because we are out of the EU, you may have to have your driving licence officially translated.

[snowingagain 5,214]

30 minutes ago, French bean said:

You might find that because we are out of the EU, you may have to have your driving licence officially translated.

No.  Even non-EU licences, if in English, do not need translation.

[yesterday 1,983]

29 minutes ago, HH_Sailor said:

 

When I applied (early 1990s), I photocopied my DVLC paper license before handing it in.

Was most surprised that the copy had "Fake" all over it.

Never noticed that on the original 

 

Even back then, the DVLC was smart enough to use copy prrof paper.

 

I converted my UK licence in 1990.

 

I know several people, who after getting their converted German license, proceeded to get a duplicate UK license, claiming they had lost the original. This works because the UK never deletes your UK licence.

 

One guy I know converted his licence to a German one, then went to England years later, got a speeding fine with with points.  The guy I know explained to the police that he had no UK licence, so  the police looked him up and said that they would put the points and the fine on the UK licence ... Thats because the UK never cancels the licence in the UK.

[scook17 248]

44 minutes ago, yesterday said:

One guy I know converted his licence to a German one, then went to England years later, got a speeding fine with with points.  The guy I know explained to the police that he had no UK licence, so  the police looked him up and said that they would put the points and the fine on the UK licence ... Thats because the UK never cancels the licence in the UK.

 

Luck him. A friend of mine had to appear in UK court because he failed to present a valid UK licence when stopped. The plod concerned did not believe he had only a German licence being a British guy. Judge dismissed the case an awarded compensation, but still he had to make a special trip to the UK to appear in court.

[kaffeemitmilch 1,294]

17 hours ago, snowingagain said:

No.  Even non-EU licences, if in English, do not need translation.

Not true. I needed my US license translated. Depends on the authority, I suppose. However, I expect they'll make an exception for the Brits.

[JG52 1,024]

17 hours ago, snowingagain said:

No.  Even non-EU licences, if in English, do not need translation.

 

7 minutes ago, kaffeemitmilch said:

Not true. I needed my US license translated. Depends on the authority, I suppose. However, I expect they'll make an exception for the Brits.

 

I had to provide a certified translation of my U.S. driver's license even though the information on the license should have been obvious.

[yesterday 1,983]

I converted my licence in 1990 and did not need a translation

 

The buggers now insist on my converting my German license from an old pink one with a nice young photo of me, to a new card one, which will have an old and terrible photo of me on it.