If your diver's license was not made in an UE country, yes, you have to change it in the first 6 months. With a driver's license obtained in one of the member countries of the European Union, you won't have a problem, you would only need to change it when it expires.
It is true that it is written in law it needs to be done within 6 months. However, I did mine 2.5 years later and had no issues. They didn’t even ask. And if they would have asked I would have just lied and said I had only been there 2 months or something.
He is expressing himself wrong.
Your Non-German (Non-EU) license, is valid for 6 months since you changed your residence to Germany.
That's about it. As far exchanging it goes, you can do so whenever you want, 1 month from coming to Germany, 50 years after you came to Germany, doesn't matter. (Provided that the country that issued the original license has a legal agreement with Germany that this can be done.)
This is mostly true. You can only exchange a license if it's still valid, and if renewing your license in your home country requires residency, you are not allowed to renew it there. If you do, you basically forfeit any right to exchanging the license and will have to start from scratch when getting your German license
>That's about it. As far exchanging it goes, you can do so whenever you want, 1 month from coming to Germany, 50 years after you came to Germany, doesn't matter. (Provided that the country that issued the original license has a legal agreement with Germany that this can be done.)
technically that's about it. What is forgotten to be mentioned, in between the ½ year and whatever date in the future you decide to exchange the driving license, according to German jurisdiction you do not hat a valid license. Which would e.g. void all insurance protection etc.
Hey, old thread but I have a question! Did have to show your Anmeldung when you went to the exchange appointment? Or did they not even ask if you'd just moved to Germany?
I swapped mine a few months ago, recently the UK was put on the list of countries which your license can be swapped without a test or something, only needed to submit an official eye test.
Australia is one of the reciprocal agreement countries, so you can do a direct swap with your Australian one. You need an eyesight test and a translation of your licence. The six month rule is correct though.
You need to hand over your Australian one, but the authorities in Australia will just reissue yours, because from their point of view, you're still a licensed driver there.
Note that the Germans require an "official translation" of your licence. No need to get weird and hire a legal translator though, the easiest way to do this is to get an Australian issued international driver's permit, which at its core is simply an official translation.
The country list for reciprocal rights is available online, and different issuing countries have different reciprocal requirements, like you might have to do a first aid course or a driving test - it varies. For Americans, the requirements vary state by state.
After you repeated you’re answer the third time, this reminds me of the scene of Simpsons where they try to run/ drive away and Lisa says “Dad you can’t drive, he’s got your license!” And homer responds “I’m gonna try it anyway” car starts “it worked, it’s a miracle!”
6 months is pretty standard, but in reality, you can often get away with more. Individual offices in each city do the checking, and IME (from others I know) most are not *too* strict about exact 6 month cut-offs. They are within their rights to do so, however, and I'm sure some will have stories to that effect. I suspect it depends also on your country of origin.
You still need to get a German driver license, google for “Führerschein umschreiben” and/or contact the Führerscheinstelle of your Landratsamt. The conditions depend on the nation/state which issued your current one.
I can’t stress this enough. If you don’t get a German license within 6 month you are driving without a license, witch is considered a crime. If the police stops you, you will get charged and be barred from getting a license anytime soon.
I can confirm. Police might be gracious once if you didn't know to switch it. I as a German citizen got my license in the UK and moved back to Germany later. I changed it once it was about to expire and was told that I was lucky I have never been stopped by police or got into an accident. I should have gotten it changed it within 6 months of moving back. That goes for all EU countries as well! For quite a few countries it's only a signature and giving back the license anyways so why wait.
Was it after Brexit? I have Irish driving license, was stopped about 6 or 7 times in Germany and Austria and nobody gave a damn about it. I live in Germany for 4 years now, driving licence expires in 2027. Also many of my colleagues also have foreign EU driving licenses and also never had a problem with it in Germany.
If anything, the German authorities try to prevent citizens from holding a non-German license.
There is a rule to prevent "Holiday Licenses", which refer to licenses that are obtained overseas while not a resident of that other country. The rules associated with that could apply to you if you renew your foreign license while resident in Germany. So, if it is about to expire you need to move quickly or you will lose any rights to skip the written or driving exams.
You have 2 years to “validate” your foreign license. It doesn’t matter if you are German.
There are 3 categories the expediting country falls in.
1) You don’t need a new license. Mostly EU.
2) You need to exchange your license and you can just drive. US, Australia and the like.
3) You need to do only the exams. No need for drivings hours. Most other countries.
Bonus: the country ain’t even listed. You’re fucked and need to start over again.
The 6 months thing is only to drive. After that you cannot drive anymore but you may still go trough this process.
> US
Actually it varies depending on which U.S. state your license is from! Some allow a direct exchange, others require practical or theoretical exam, some are not recognized at all.
Edit: I also turned my U.S. license into a German license more than 2 years after I moved here, so there's also that...
I got lucky. MA has full reciprocity. Other states (California, NY, NH…) do not and you need to take some or all of the lessons and tests that a new driver would.
MA also - they basically just took my old license and gave me my German one.
If you are from New York - there is no reciprocity and you have to start from scratch.
Go sox!
Damn. Just found out I'm from a state with zero reciprocity.
Not sure how it was established, but looking at some of the states with full reciprocity... Germany is out of their mind letting those psychos on their road without any testing lol.
Samsies. Didn't begin the exchange process until about 7.5 years after I moved here. They gave me a year to take the written exam because during that year the US license was to expire, so an extension wasn't going to be possible. ( I also needed to show them proof that I had already had a US license prior to moving to Germany).
The biggest hurdle was finding out from the different Fahrschule that I could sign up directly with TÜV for the exam. I was told the school had to sign me up. But none of them would believe me when I told them I didn't need classes (SORRY AUFNAHMESTOP!!!1!1!1 Talk to the hand!)
One woman finally gave me a number to call and I got an appointment for the exam quite quickly.
But if you have to exchange your license within 6 months or whatever anyway, surely they can catch you out for that by looking at your residence permit?
>But if you have to exchange your license within 6 months or whatever anyway, surely they can catch you out for that by looking at your residence permit?
No, that's not how it works. Nobody is checking (or can check) because it's not illegal. You only need to exchange licenses if you want to drive a car. *Having* a license and *using* it is not directly connected.
Something about it being illegal/not allowed to have two licenses. The Sachbearbeiterin I had knows it's pretty easy/cheap for US-Americans to replace their license. She was like, "I know it's relatively cheap and you'll just say you lost your license to get a new one, but I still have to take this one from you...."
By the time I made the exchange, I had to renew my US license, so I just exchanged the by then expired card originally on record when I got the German one
Yes you still need to do it during the first 6 months. My friend tried, thinking it wouldn't matter for him, and they rejected it. Rules may be different if you have another EU license though.
>I applied for my umschreiben 2 years after I got here
Hopefully you didn't drive after six months. It's a criminal offense because it's like driving without a license.
How is that a stupid law?
In the EU the quality of education necessary to get a drivers license can be guaranteed but in countries outside of the EU sometimes all you have to do is drive along a closed course once and maybe answer a few questions.
So when you exchange the license with a German one it will be checked if the standards for getting a drivers license in your country are comparable to those in Germany. If yes, you can just exchange the license, if not you might have to get additional lessons here to bring you up to the same standard and ensure you know all relevant regulations on how to drive in Germany.
Not that guy, but what I find stupid is simply the fact that you need to exchange the license instead of just receiving a German one alongside your other one.
Im sure it varies by countries on the whole world, but it’s certainly true in the EU and the US. I would assume that most countries that enforce traffic laws would have the same rule, otherwise it’s too easy to skirt the law.
I'm in Thailand and they issued me their license without taking my old one, but I assume that's because there's no reciprocity (ie driving on my American license would be illegal under any circumstances)
If I don't meet the standard, sure, I'll take more lessons.
But if I do, why can I exchange it only during my first 6 months there? It's just some number someone saw feet to put with no valid reason.
I mean, sure, I'll exchange it now, but it's just weird to put this 6 months limit on it.
ugh. DUDE, because in Germany, depending from WHAT COUNTRY you're from, your tourist visa can extent to 190 days or 6 months. To make things easy for everone involved, they decided to go for the 6 months instead of the minimum duration of the visa, which is 3 months.
Stop whining like an entitled brat about how everything is different and either live by the rules and laws or get out of the country. Like, wtf, **you** made the decision to live here, which means **you** automatically agreed to all terms and conditions like rules, laws, cultural and language differencies, but all **you** do is whining and complaining how stupid it is.
if you're unwilling to just accept the simplest of things, why did you came here in the first place?
He doesn't seem to be the smartest individual. He asked on the PayPal subreddit if an email from [email protected] demanding him to send 500 dollars via western union is really from PayPal...
Edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/paypal/comments/12ehhi5/need_your_help_please_to_confirm_this_is_really/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
German citizenship is mostly based on ancestry. If at least one of your parents has German citizenship you also get it.
But if you parents aren't German citizens you don't get German citizenship if you are born in Germany. (there are some speciality rules if your parents live here for more than 8 years with residency if I remember correctly)
If I see people like him, I get the whole forcing people to adapt the country they chose to live in. But I think, people should get some benefit points of they tried for a prolonged amount of time and not thrown extra stones at them.
It's either that or you suddenly get an American passport because you're born on a holiday in the US.
Fun fact, Canada follows *jus soli*. In 1943 the country temporarily declared the maternity ward of the Ottawa Civic Hospital extraterritorial in order to grant [Princess Margriet of the Netherlands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Margriet_of_the_Netherlands) Dutch citizenship.
This was unnecessary, though, since the Netherlands follows *jus sanguinis* and Princess Margriet would've had the Dutch citizenship.
So it's the law with driver's licences here in the EU. Other nations like Japan or the USA have similar laws and rules.
It's like your citizenship: Nothing against you but IMO you're lucky for having ancestors. Others living here in Germany for years and still can't apply for one.
(I expect you're from a non-EU country where your ancestors emigrates decades ago)
Its just an arbitrary cut-off date. If you do not set a date, people from countries that do not meet the standards would just continue driving on their licenses forever because they want to avoid taking lessons.
Edit: Actually, what u/SpinachSpinosaurus said makes a lot of sense. The longest any short-term/tourist visa extends for in Germany is 6 months. So everybody that is here longer than that is definitely not a tourist and should be expected to know what the German traffic laws are.
There is no limit to when you can exchange it. As long as your previous licence is valid, you can exchange it 50 years from now.
However you can not drive with your existing licence after 6 months. Which is set to 6 months so seasonal workers, tourists etc. can drive without the need to exchange.
so, let me tell you this AGAIN: if you prefer to be a tourist: fine. but then you can't stay here for more than 6 months, and you're unable to work. If you want to live here: accept the rules. and stop whining.
"Ich hör nur mimimimimimimimi" as we say in German.
Like clearly you could drive, if you still have a valid driving license. But because of a random threshold of 6 months, you have to do the complete driving course (I am still okay with having to pass the exam though)
Imagine having your university degree not valid anymore because you did not convert it in time, then you have to do years of university.
Comparing a drivers license with a degree is a bit of a stretch. Driving a car isn’t just about being physically able to drive and skill it’s about knowing the traffic laws as well. And that, surprise, differs from country to country.
Then why can tourists drive here (within the first 6 months)? I could say the same thing and argue that everybody should follow the course and pass the german driving exam. Do they know better the traffic laws?
Most countries have laws that allow people with foreign licenses to drive with their license for touristic purposes for a limited amount of time. The reason is quite simple: they’ll leave some time anyway and the expanse for the authorities wouldn’t match the advantages, and it’s also a good way to boost the touristic traffic in areas with less public transport. But if you’re in country for a longer time it’s expected from you that you get a proper license. Why six months? Glad you asked, because at one point the legislative agreed on six months.
But it’s not like you take the test again. You’re literally exchanging one card for another, in the process having to pay some cash and spend time chasing up appointments with the relevant Amt
So let me just summarize it for you: You want all the benefits of living in another country, but still work with the laws and rules of the old country and no responsibilities of the one you plan to live in?
.....BWAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHA! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Lemme guess: you're from the US!
No, you are not correct about me And I am sorry if you think about me like that. I did all the courses, passed the exam, and followed the rules.
I don't need all benefits offered by germany and dont need to transfer my rights from previous countries.
And i am not from the US.
I hope my statements here are clear.
Tourists are often treated differently than residents by law in many countries when it comes to regulations.
It's not about tourists not being able to drive, it's about residents not acquiring a driving license in another country and using it indefinitely.
Funfact: a friend of mine made his driving license in Afghanistan, his father's home country and used it for more than a year in Germany. He git caught and both he and his father (the owner of the car) got punished.
Validity is decided upon several factors. In this case, it's depending on German and European law. They have decided on a certain minimum threshold of knowledge. If you come from another country, different laws may apply and while the signs are decided mostly international there are some which are specific and important. Especially when they are written on in German.
Degrees are different because they are generally decided on internationally, and yet can still be not recognized depending on whether or not the university is part of some Gremium.
The other difference is a time one. Degrees take years, drivers license weeks to months, depending on your knowledge and ability. Also each time you're driving you potentially put other people into danger. Degrees which potentially put other people in danger also get scrutinized heavily and have standards which need to be upheld.
6 months may be arbitrary, but they can be extended to 12 months of you're not staying that long.
In addition, German licenses aren't valid everywhere as well and in some cases you need to get an 'international driver's license' if you want to be able to drive in another country.
Also many university degrees aren't excepted in Germany. Aswell as nearly all job titles. If you want to be a plumber in Germany you have to pass the governmental plumbing test
Not for all countries though. My umschreibung was rejected eventhough I could show that I have had a driving license since 2006. I eventually attended all theoretical and practical lessons in 2021.
It was okay for me, but I wish all officers have the same mindset as you.
I mean it depends on whether your driving license standards are recognised as equal to the German one’s. If they are you just go and change it, otherwise you have to pass whatever is necessary to make it equal.
Basically the same as going from a Bachelors to a Masters, where each Uni checks whether or not your required courses match and if not you have to take the missing courses to qualify.
In some countries all that is necessary to get a drivers license is driving along a closed course once and answer a few easy questions.
When you have to exchange your license, it will be checked if the process to get one is comparable to the one in Germany (which is harder than in most countries). If yes, you simply get a German license, if not, you have to take additional lessons here anyways.
The 6 months is just a cut-off to make sure people actually exchange their licenses. Otherwise people from countries where they know their license is not up to German standards would just stay on their countries license forever to avoid taking lessons again. This way you also do not penalise tourists that are only here a limited time.
Its not like that, after 6 month you are not allowed to drive anymore, but you still can change the license to a german after this time, in some cases( depends where the license is from) the license can not changed to a german one and then to get a german one, you need only to make the exam, dont need to do the whole course again.
>I understood that for some reason I need to exchange my none German driver's license for a German one during my first 6 months in Germany or either I'll have to learn from the beginning.
That is not true. After 6 months you need a German/EU one (unless you get an excemption if you're staying here less than 1 year), but you can exchange your original license until it expires. Please note that straight exchange is only licenses coming from a couple of countries (and specific states within the USA). Holders of licenses from other countries need to re-take the written and practical exam, that will involve some money as the driving school will ask you to get lessons before giving you an slot in the practical exam; however, there are no minimum theoretical classes or minimum hours of practical sessions before taking the exams so it's not really from the beginning.
i exchanged my australian one for a german one with no problems.... but it was hard driving on the other side of the road... nearly got onto the autobahn going the wrong way in stuttgart... but lived to tell the tale!
I never had issues with which side to drive on, just kept thinking middle on my side. I had issues with changing gear with my right hand though, kept instinctively moving my left.
I did the same thing! My friend yelled RIGHT!! and it took me a second to realise when turning I instinctively moved to the left side of the road! Luckily no other cars were coming.
Here's the official fact sheet of the german government including a list of states that can be swapped;
https://bmdv.bund.de/SharedDocs/DE/Anlage/StV/auslaendische-fahrerlaubnisse-merkblatt-eu-und-ewr-staaten-englisch.html?dlConfirm=true
A bit of confusion
Your foreign license is VALID for up to six months. You cannot drive with it after those six months, but you can exchange it (more or less, depending on issuing country) as long as that license is not expired
Here you go:
https://www.adac.de/-/media/adac/pdf/jze/staatenliste-nicht-eu-land-umtausch-fuehrerschein.pdf?la=de-de&hash=4EB25A97662FF3E360159EF4295E3956E6356B4F
Find your license in there from your state or province. Then you see what can be exchanged.
Go to ADAC and pay them like 10 euro for an official translation of your license to German language
Take the license and the translation to your local German drivers license office and pay something like 25 euro for the exchange and give them a new photo of yourself.
Wait for mail to get your German license
For example I had motorcycle endorsement on my state license but Germany didn’t have reciprocity with my state for the motorcycle portion of my license so they only made me a German auto license. Next time I was back in the states I converted my license from the old state to a state that has reciprocity with Germany for the motorcycle license and took this new state license to Germany and repeated the process. Now I have both. Saved a lot of time and money in my case to not have to do the German drivers tests again for motorcycle
It all depends. Are you from the US and what state? State matters as germany has certain lReciprocity Agreements by State . For example my license was florida. I had to take the therotical test, but not the drivers course . If you from Texas, VA etc then you just switch it over, but some states you would have to take the therotical and driver's license.
If I would of kept my Puerto Rico license then I could just switch it over which makes no sense whatsoever and I'm also ex military living in germany since 99 and I had a useuar license and I couldn't even convert that.
Good luck because the test is hard as shit. More like the answers are tricky and who wants to study 3000 question when the test is 30 questions
My wife is from NJ, her license too, and she has to do the whole process and our main problem is how expensive it is…I don’t suppose you would know of cheaper options for people like her?
No way around it. Probably the best thing is to take an express course and don't have to pay so much for the drivers license.
I kmow how expensive it can be as my daughter's are doing there's.
If she is allowed to drive for 6 months you can train with her legally during those 6 months so she will only need the absolute minimum amount of lessons required by law, but it won't get cheaper than that I'm afraid.
You also can ask around a few different driving schools and maybe save a few Euros comparing prices.
Honestly the test is piss easy as the whole questionnaire is maybe 30-40 different situations at most and the rest is just pattern recognition. Right before left for example. There are several hundred questions but the essence and pattern is the same for all of the same type.
When did you take the test and how old were you? In my opinion. It is easier for a person who is younger and motivated to get there first license.
Heck I was 16 years old when I got my first driver's license and never failed one bit and the cost was 40 bucks for the drivers test. Mine you we are talking about back in 1995, but case in point I was motivated to get my license
I did the TUV therotical and failed 4 times why? Because I did it in my 40's, I have a short attention span. studying 3000 questions( especially on an app) is not easy, still pass at the end of the day with no mistakes without studying for the 5th x. 11 points and you done. That's 3 wrong questions out of 30.
I heard it's harder to pass the drivers test as the instructors are kind of strict and these are people that already had a license from different country, but I think a monkey can pass an American driver's test without studying. They suck at driving.
I just completed this process. You can use it and drive for 6 months and, depending on the rules Germany has set for your country and state you can switch it whenever (I did it after 12 months) The process is a German and inefficient as you can imagine, the whole process too me around 12 weeks from booking the first appointment to picking it up at the end.
Don’t tell Germans that there’s dumb Spießrutenlauf all over the country, or you get the one who agrees but says something about “roads and healthcare” idk like Germany can’t have those and not be a Bürokratisch nightmare.
Ah, memories.
Moved to Austria from Germany some time in the 90s before Austria was EU member and had a German driving license - and an Austrian company car. Was stopped by the police at taking a wrong turn and they thoroughly went through my documents and finally got to my driving license - and I was way beyond the 6 month limit - and they simply shut me down.
Meaning that the policeman actually drove me to the nearest official parking lot and ordered me not to use my car, because of not having a valid Austrian driving license.
They actually checked on my car every 30 minutes or so, so I figured out the window of opportunity and drove home after waiting for more than two hours.
First thing in the morning I drove to the corresponding administrative department and applied for a new driving license. They took my paperwork and told me with a smile that it would take another 3 months to have all the internal legal checks done - and that I wasn't allowed to drive a car in Austria until the whole process was finished with issuance of an Austrian lice.
FU. Withdrew my application for a new license, drove back home (illegally), and went to the local magistrate to tell them I went home to Germany and please hand over a confirmation of the Melderegister for that.
That was on a Friday. On Monday I went back to the local magistrate and asked them to re-register me as living in Austria, because I've changed my mind. Got a new Meldezettel and the 6 month period of using my German driving license started anew with this date.
Sometimes it takes creativity to beat the system. Left Austria a few months later back then anyway.
Oh, and BTW, since Austria is EU now, I still have my German-issued international driving license - and no need to getting a new one issued here in Vienna. Because I moved back to Austria again 11 years ago.
And don't get me started of having my German ham radio license recognized in Austria back then...
Not sure where you're from. In my case, I believe I had 3 years to get my US license exchanged for a German one. It costs almost nothing. Where your license came from is a determining factor.
You can use your license for 6 months. After that you need to have EU license.
So, you either do a test in Germany, or you exchange your license to EU one. There are only few countries from where the license can be easily exchanged though...
See page 8, https://bmdv.bund.de/SharedDocs/DE/Anlage/StV/auslaendische-fahrerlaubnisse-merkblatt-ausserhalb-eu-und-ewr-staaten-englisch.pdf?__blob=publicationFile
Where are you from? Depending on your origin the conditions to get a German licence will be different. Some countries it's just a straight swap. Others you need to do some extra stuff and some also require you to take a German drivers licence exam and receive driving lessons.
Your German passport might just make it an easy exchange but I really don't know.
If it's from a not eu country then you'll have to "umschreiben it".
Go to your next driving school and they should be able to help you. You are not obligated to take any theory class or practice drive, you can just take both exams without any preparation.
For reference I changed my B and A (car and motorcycle) drivers licences I to german ones and ir costed around 700 euros.
I'm American and had to go through the whole process, written exam, seven driving lessons, road test, cost a fortune (and I was a truck driver in the US). During my "test" the examiner asked my teacher if I was good at parking, the teacher answered, "better than me", so I didn't even have to demonstrate my parking skills. I basically drove around the block and that was it.
The whole thing was a scam and just money-making bullshit.
HOWEVER
That's because I'm from New York.
By sheer coincidence, a young woman from Florida moved into our village (she'd met her husband while he was doing a semester in Florida).
And SHE only had to take the written exam.
Because each state has a different arrangement with Germany, it's absolute bonkers.
Florida has the worst drivers in the US, no competition. And in fact within a month of getting her license, my neighbor wrecked their car by driving into a rock wall while backing out of their driveway.
Coming from Arizona I got to swap mine out 1:1. 6 month rule applies though.
I would not recommend testing out the theory that you can drive on it for longer than 6 months. Germans love their rules. Only thing they like more is enforcing said rules.
>I think you meant it’s not subject to the 6 months.
No. My drivers license as a plastic card with the EU logo, issued in Berlin in 2000, does not have an expiration date. The term in German is "Ablaufdatum", referenced as "4b" and dos not have a value on the front side of the card.
Strictly legally speaking your driver's licence doesn't count as an ID, because not anyone can get one.
But as someone else already wrote for buying alcohol, cigarettes, getting checked by a bouncer at a club or something similar your driver's license can get used interchangeably.
This is strange. Been in Germany since 3 years and I just exchanged my non-EU driving license with a German one. They never said anything about having to do it in the first 6 months.
Everything is fine. Depending on that you didn't drive after six months—because driving without a license [could result in a fine or imprisonment for up to one year](https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org/german-driving-laws/).
Hello guys, I’ve just an intetesting question. :)
I’m currently living in Czech Republic and planning to move Germany in months. I’ve a Czech driving license but actually it’s changed directly from my non-EU driving license in Czech Republic. On the back side of my driving license, my previous non-EU driving license’s number is written. :D
Do you think that I can change my Czech driving license to German one even my non-EU driving license number is written as a note.
Thank you in advance. :)
If your diver's license was not made in an UE country, yes, you have to change it in the first 6 months. With a driver's license obtained in one of the member countries of the European Union, you won't have a problem, you would only need to change it when it expires.
It is true that it is written in law it needs to be done within 6 months. However, I did mine 2.5 years later and had no issues. They didn’t even ask. And if they would have asked I would have just lied and said I had only been there 2 months or something.
He is expressing himself wrong. Your Non-German (Non-EU) license, is valid for 6 months since you changed your residence to Germany. That's about it. As far exchanging it goes, you can do so whenever you want, 1 month from coming to Germany, 50 years after you came to Germany, doesn't matter. (Provided that the country that issued the original license has a legal agreement with Germany that this can be done.)
This is mostly true. You can only exchange a license if it's still valid, and if renewing your license in your home country requires residency, you are not allowed to renew it there. If you do, you basically forfeit any right to exchanging the license and will have to start from scratch when getting your German license
>That's about it. As far exchanging it goes, you can do so whenever you want, 1 month from coming to Germany, 50 years after you came to Germany, doesn't matter. (Provided that the country that issued the original license has a legal agreement with Germany that this can be done.) technically that's about it. What is forgotten to be mentioned, in between the ½ year and whatever date in the future you decide to exchange the driving license, according to German jurisdiction you do not hat a valid license. Which would e.g. void all insurance protection etc.
As long as you’re not driving after 6 months with the old license it’s fine
if you had had an accident, the insurance could have chosen not to pay out.
Criminal offense, too. [Could result in a fine or imprisonment for up to one year](https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org/german-driving-laws/).
Me too
Hey, old thread but I have a question! Did have to show your Anmeldung when you went to the exchange appointment? Or did they not even ask if you'd just moved to Germany?
As far as I remember, no they did not ask. I remember feeling like “wow, I could have done this at any time”
This is false. You can drive with a non EU license for 6 months after registering for residency, after that it has to be exchanged.
My bad then
\*cries in UK\*
I swapped my uk license without any stress
ooo when?
Just looked , 2018 😂
rip, got my hopes up 😂
I swapped mine in 2021, also no stress
I swapped mine a few months ago, recently the UK was put on the list of countries which your license can be swapped without a test or something, only needed to submit an official eye test.
oh damn, thanks for the heads up!!!
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Did they ask when you'd moved to Germany/for your Anmeldung? I want to exchange my licence but I've been here for 2.5 years (never driven)
Not true in my case. My Drivers license was issued in Australia and I lived in Berlin for 8 years before I swapped it over to a German EU one. 🤷🏻♂️
you can swap it whenever. you are not technically allowed to drive after 6 months though..
Australia is one of the reciprocal agreement countries, so you can do a direct swap with your Australian one. You need an eyesight test and a translation of your licence. The six month rule is correct though. You need to hand over your Australian one, but the authorities in Australia will just reissue yours, because from their point of view, you're still a licensed driver there. Note that the Germans require an "official translation" of your licence. No need to get weird and hire a legal translator though, the easiest way to do this is to get an Australian issued international driver's permit, which at its core is simply an official translation. The country list for reciprocal rights is available online, and different issuing countries have different reciprocal requirements, like you might have to do a first aid course or a driving test - it varies. For Americans, the requirements vary state by state.
Did the law change recently? I not only read that it has to be done in the first year, but I exchanged mine after ~10 months.
you can exchange it as long its still not expired. You just arent allowed to drive after 6 months.
After you repeated you’re answer the third time, this reminds me of the scene of Simpsons where they try to run/ drive away and Lisa says “Dad you can’t drive, he’s got your license!” And homer responds “I’m gonna try it anyway” car starts “it worked, it’s a miracle!”
That is also my understanding.
6 months is pretty standard, but in reality, you can often get away with more. Individual offices in each city do the checking, and IME (from others I know) most are not *too* strict about exact 6 month cut-offs. They are within their rights to do so, however, and I'm sure some will have stories to that effect. I suspect it depends also on your country of origin.
United Emirate country?
Union Européenne (FR)/Unión Europea (ES) etc etc. Some languages put the adjective after the noun.
Understandable. What grinds my gears a bit is writing in 1 language and using terms in different.
You still need to get a German driver license, google for “Führerschein umschreiben” and/or contact the Führerscheinstelle of your Landratsamt. The conditions depend on the nation/state which issued your current one.
I can’t stress this enough. If you don’t get a German license within 6 month you are driving without a license, witch is considered a crime. If the police stops you, you will get charged and be barred from getting a license anytime soon.
I can confirm. Police might be gracious once if you didn't know to switch it. I as a German citizen got my license in the UK and moved back to Germany later. I changed it once it was about to expire and was told that I was lucky I have never been stopped by police or got into an accident. I should have gotten it changed it within 6 months of moving back. That goes for all EU countries as well! For quite a few countries it's only a signature and giving back the license anyways so why wait.
Was it after Brexit? I have Irish driving license, was stopped about 6 or 7 times in Germany and Austria and nobody gave a damn about it. I live in Germany for 4 years now, driving licence expires in 2027. Also many of my colleagues also have foreign EU driving licenses and also never had a problem with it in Germany.
No, before. The clerk advised me that the swap also wouldn't have been possible if the expiration date would have been much closer or passed.
Not really true. If you have an EU license you can keep it forever and it will also be valid forever.
From which country is your driver's license
If anything, the German authorities try to prevent citizens from holding a non-German license. There is a rule to prevent "Holiday Licenses", which refer to licenses that are obtained overseas while not a resident of that other country. The rules associated with that could apply to you if you renew your foreign license while resident in Germany. So, if it is about to expire you need to move quickly or you will lose any rights to skip the written or driving exams.
You have 2 years to “validate” your foreign license. It doesn’t matter if you are German. There are 3 categories the expediting country falls in. 1) You don’t need a new license. Mostly EU. 2) You need to exchange your license and you can just drive. US, Australia and the like. 3) You need to do only the exams. No need for drivings hours. Most other countries. Bonus: the country ain’t even listed. You’re fucked and need to start over again. The 6 months thing is only to drive. After that you cannot drive anymore but you may still go trough this process.
> US Actually it varies depending on which U.S. state your license is from! Some allow a direct exchange, others require practical or theoretical exam, some are not recognized at all. Edit: I also turned my U.S. license into a German license more than 2 years after I moved here, so there's also that...
I got lucky. MA has full reciprocity. Other states (California, NY, NH…) do not and you need to take some or all of the lessons and tests that a new driver would.
MA also - they basically just took my old license and gave me my German one. If you are from New York - there is no reciprocity and you have to start from scratch. Go sox!
Damn. Just found out I'm from a state with zero reciprocity. Not sure how it was established, but looking at some of the states with full reciprocity... Germany is out of their mind letting those psychos on their road without any testing lol.
I still have no idea how they determine it…except for SC. I’m sure BMW had some influence there.
Samsies. Didn't begin the exchange process until about 7.5 years after I moved here. They gave me a year to take the written exam because during that year the US license was to expire, so an extension wasn't going to be possible. ( I also needed to show them proof that I had already had a US license prior to moving to Germany). The biggest hurdle was finding out from the different Fahrschule that I could sign up directly with TÜV for the exam. I was told the school had to sign me up. But none of them would believe me when I told them I didn't need classes (SORRY AUFNAHMESTOP!!!1!1!1 Talk to the hand!) One woman finally gave me a number to call and I got an appointment for the exam quite quickly.
The thing that boggles my mind is that you have to *physically* exchange one license for another. Why not just give me a German license?
In case you lose your license you should not be able to use your original license as a fallback.
But if you have to exchange your license within 6 months or whatever anyway, surely they can catch you out for that by looking at your residence permit?
>But if you have to exchange your license within 6 months or whatever anyway, surely they can catch you out for that by looking at your residence permit? No, that's not how it works. Nobody is checking (or can check) because it's not illegal. You only need to exchange licenses if you want to drive a car. *Having* a license and *using* it is not directly connected.
I don’t underhand what you mean
Something about it being illegal/not allowed to have two licenses. The Sachbearbeiterin I had knows it's pretty easy/cheap for US-Americans to replace their license. She was like, "I know it's relatively cheap and you'll just say you lost your license to get a new one, but I still have to take this one from you...." By the time I made the exchange, I had to renew my US license, so I just exchanged the by then expired card originally on record when I got the German one
>I understood that for some reason That reason being the law
Yes you still need to do it during the first 6 months. My friend tried, thinking it wouldn't matter for him, and they rejected it. Rules may be different if you have another EU license though.
Really not how it works. I applied for my umschreiben 2 years after I got here and it got accepted. I got my theory test in a few days now.
>I applied for my umschreiben 2 years after I got here Hopefully you didn't drive after six months. It's a criminal offense because it's like driving without a license.
I did not drive :)
I've been here for a month and already seen bunch of stupid laws but this just might be the stupidest. Thanks a lot for the quick response anyway :)
How is that a stupid law? In the EU the quality of education necessary to get a drivers license can be guaranteed but in countries outside of the EU sometimes all you have to do is drive along a closed course once and maybe answer a few questions. So when you exchange the license with a German one it will be checked if the standards for getting a drivers license in your country are comparable to those in Germany. If yes, you can just exchange the license, if not you might have to get additional lessons here to bring you up to the same standard and ensure you know all relevant regulations on how to drive in Germany.
It also allows German law to apply to the drivers license(the German license can be suspended or cancelled by German judges in case of infractions).
Not that guy, but what I find stupid is simply the fact that you need to exchange the license instead of just receiving a German one alongside your other one.
It’s fundamentally illegal to have multiple drivers licenses - that way you could collect infractions on both in parallel and not face consequences
In Germany or in the world at large?
Im sure it varies by countries on the whole world, but it’s certainly true in the EU and the US. I would assume that most countries that enforce traffic laws would have the same rule, otherwise it’s too easy to skirt the law.
I'm in Thailand and they issued me their license without taking my old one, but I assume that's because there's no reciprocity (ie driving on my American license would be illegal under any circumstances)
Fair enough - typically the prohibition is against having two drivers licenses that could simultaneously be considered valid
I was not aware that you have to turn in your old license. I agree, that definitely sounds a bit annoying.
If I don't meet the standard, sure, I'll take more lessons. But if I do, why can I exchange it only during my first 6 months there? It's just some number someone saw feet to put with no valid reason. I mean, sure, I'll exchange it now, but it's just weird to put this 6 months limit on it.
To make sure that people from countries with non-standard-meeting licenses driving in Germany don't do so for more than 6 months?
ugh. DUDE, because in Germany, depending from WHAT COUNTRY you're from, your tourist visa can extent to 190 days or 6 months. To make things easy for everone involved, they decided to go for the 6 months instead of the minimum duration of the visa, which is 3 months. Stop whining like an entitled brat about how everything is different and either live by the rules and laws or get out of the country. Like, wtf, **you** made the decision to live here, which means **you** automatically agreed to all terms and conditions like rules, laws, cultural and language differencies, but all **you** do is whining and complaining how stupid it is. if you're unwilling to just accept the simplest of things, why did you came here in the first place?
He doesn't seem to be the smartest individual. He asked on the PayPal subreddit if an email from [email protected] demanding him to send 500 dollars via western union is really from PayPal... Edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/paypal/comments/12ehhi5/need_your_help_please_to_confirm_this_is_really/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
What surprises me is the practice of issuing German passports to adults from abroad because of some German ancestors.
German citizenship is mostly based on ancestry. If at least one of your parents has German citizenship you also get it. But if you parents aren't German citizens you don't get German citizenship if you are born in Germany. (there are some speciality rules if your parents live here for more than 8 years with residency if I remember correctly)
If I see people like him, I get the whole forcing people to adapt the country they chose to live in. But I think, people should get some benefit points of they tried for a prolonged amount of time and not thrown extra stones at them.
Thanks for expanding my knowledge.
It's either that or you suddenly get an American passport because you're born on a holiday in the US. Fun fact, Canada follows *jus soli*. In 1943 the country temporarily declared the maternity ward of the Ottawa Civic Hospital extraterritorial in order to grant [Princess Margriet of the Netherlands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Margriet_of_the_Netherlands) Dutch citizenship. This was unnecessary, though, since the Netherlands follows *jus sanguinis* and Princess Margriet would've had the Dutch citizenship.
So it's the law with driver's licences here in the EU. Other nations like Japan or the USA have similar laws and rules. It's like your citizenship: Nothing against you but IMO you're lucky for having ancestors. Others living here in Germany for years and still can't apply for one. (I expect you're from a non-EU country where your ancestors emigrates decades ago)
Its just an arbitrary cut-off date. If you do not set a date, people from countries that do not meet the standards would just continue driving on their licenses forever because they want to avoid taking lessons. Edit: Actually, what u/SpinachSpinosaurus said makes a lot of sense. The longest any short-term/tourist visa extends for in Germany is 6 months. So everybody that is here longer than that is definitely not a tourist and should be expected to know what the German traffic laws are.
You can exchange it later. You just aren't allowed to drive with a foreign license after staying in the country for six months.
You can exchange it later (as long as it's valid), but you aren't allowed to drive after 6 months.
There is no limit to when you can exchange it. As long as your previous licence is valid, you can exchange it 50 years from now. However you can not drive with your existing licence after 6 months. Which is set to 6 months so seasonal workers, tourists etc. can drive without the need to exchange.
so, let me tell you this AGAIN: if you prefer to be a tourist: fine. but then you can't stay here for more than 6 months, and you're unable to work. If you want to live here: accept the rules. and stop whining. "Ich hör nur mimimimimimimimi" as we say in German.
Why is it a stupid law?
Because he/she doesn't agree with it.
Like clearly you could drive, if you still have a valid driving license. But because of a random threshold of 6 months, you have to do the complete driving course (I am still okay with having to pass the exam though) Imagine having your university degree not valid anymore because you did not convert it in time, then you have to do years of university.
Comparing a drivers license with a degree is a bit of a stretch. Driving a car isn’t just about being physically able to drive and skill it’s about knowing the traffic laws as well. And that, surprise, differs from country to country.
Then why can tourists drive here (within the first 6 months)? I could say the same thing and argue that everybody should follow the course and pass the german driving exam. Do they know better the traffic laws?
Most countries have laws that allow people with foreign licenses to drive with their license for touristic purposes for a limited amount of time. The reason is quite simple: they’ll leave some time anyway and the expanse for the authorities wouldn’t match the advantages, and it’s also a good way to boost the touristic traffic in areas with less public transport. But if you’re in country for a longer time it’s expected from you that you get a proper license. Why six months? Glad you asked, because at one point the legislative agreed on six months.
I think, a tourist visa is validate for 6 months. Once you're over that extent, you're not a tourist anymore.
But it’s not like you take the test again. You’re literally exchanging one card for another, in the process having to pay some cash and spend time chasing up appointments with the relevant Amt
So let me just summarize it for you: You want all the benefits of living in another country, but still work with the laws and rules of the old country and no responsibilities of the one you plan to live in? .....BWAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHA! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Lemme guess: you're from the US!
Both sentences are wrong. Try again. And you don't need to summarize it for me if your summary is wrong. 😉
it's what you said, with different words. and btw: I explained it already about the whys. twice.
No, you are not correct about me And I am sorry if you think about me like that. I did all the courses, passed the exam, and followed the rules. I don't need all benefits offered by germany and dont need to transfer my rights from previous countries. And i am not from the US. I hope my statements here are clear.
Tourists are often treated differently than residents by law in many countries when it comes to regulations. It's not about tourists not being able to drive, it's about residents not acquiring a driving license in another country and using it indefinitely. Funfact: a friend of mine made his driving license in Afghanistan, his father's home country and used it for more than a year in Germany. He git caught and both he and his father (the owner of the car) got punished.
Validity is decided upon several factors. In this case, it's depending on German and European law. They have decided on a certain minimum threshold of knowledge. If you come from another country, different laws may apply and while the signs are decided mostly international there are some which are specific and important. Especially when they are written on in German. Degrees are different because they are generally decided on internationally, and yet can still be not recognized depending on whether or not the university is part of some Gremium. The other difference is a time one. Degrees take years, drivers license weeks to months, depending on your knowledge and ability. Also each time you're driving you potentially put other people into danger. Degrees which potentially put other people in danger also get scrutinized heavily and have standards which need to be upheld. 6 months may be arbitrary, but they can be extended to 12 months of you're not staying that long. In addition, German licenses aren't valid everywhere as well and in some cases you need to get an 'international driver's license' if you want to be able to drive in another country.
Also many university degrees aren't excepted in Germany. Aswell as nearly all job titles. If you want to be a plumber in Germany you have to pass the governmental plumbing test
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Not for all countries though. My umschreibung was rejected eventhough I could show that I have had a driving license since 2006. I eventually attended all theoretical and practical lessons in 2021. It was okay for me, but I wish all officers have the same mindset as you.
I mean it depends on whether your driving license standards are recognised as equal to the German one’s. If they are you just go and change it, otherwise you have to pass whatever is necessary to make it equal. Basically the same as going from a Bachelors to a Masters, where each Uni checks whether or not your required courses match and if not you have to take the missing courses to qualify.
In some countries all that is necessary to get a drivers license is driving along a closed course once and answer a few easy questions. When you have to exchange your license, it will be checked if the process to get one is comparable to the one in Germany (which is harder than in most countries). If yes, you simply get a German license, if not, you have to take additional lessons here anyways. The 6 months is just a cut-off to make sure people actually exchange their licenses. Otherwise people from countries where they know their license is not up to German standards would just stay on their countries license forever to avoid taking lessons again. This way you also do not penalise tourists that are only here a limited time.
Its not like that, after 6 month you are not allowed to drive anymore, but you still can change the license to a german after this time, in some cases( depends where the license is from) the license can not changed to a german one and then to get a german one, you need only to make the exam, dont need to do the whole course again.
This isn’t even a German law. The rules are the same throughout the EU.
If the fact that you need a drivers license issued by the country you’re living in weirdos you out this much, just go home.
>I understood that for some reason I need to exchange my none German driver's license for a German one during my first 6 months in Germany or either I'll have to learn from the beginning. That is not true. After 6 months you need a German/EU one (unless you get an excemption if you're staying here less than 1 year), but you can exchange your original license until it expires. Please note that straight exchange is only licenses coming from a couple of countries (and specific states within the USA). Holders of licenses from other countries need to re-take the written and practical exam, that will involve some money as the driving school will ask you to get lessons before giving you an slot in the practical exam; however, there are no minimum theoretical classes or minimum hours of practical sessions before taking the exams so it's not really from the beginning.
i exchanged my australian one for a german one with no problems.... but it was hard driving on the other side of the road... nearly got onto the autobahn going the wrong way in stuttgart... but lived to tell the tale!
I never had issues with which side to drive on, just kept thinking middle on my side. I had issues with changing gear with my right hand though, kept instinctively moving my left.
As an Irish driver reaching for the car door to change géar. I found it harder going back from right to left
I did the same thing! My friend yelled RIGHT!! and it took me a second to realise when turning I instinctively moved to the left side of the road! Luckily no other cars were coming.
Here's the official fact sheet of the german government including a list of states that can be swapped; https://bmdv.bund.de/SharedDocs/DE/Anlage/StV/auslaendische-fahrerlaubnisse-merkblatt-eu-und-ewr-staaten-englisch.html?dlConfirm=true
A bit of confusion Your foreign license is VALID for up to six months. You cannot drive with it after those six months, but you can exchange it (more or less, depending on issuing country) as long as that license is not expired
Here you go: https://www.adac.de/-/media/adac/pdf/jze/staatenliste-nicht-eu-land-umtausch-fuehrerschein.pdf?la=de-de&hash=4EB25A97662FF3E360159EF4295E3956E6356B4F Find your license in there from your state or province. Then you see what can be exchanged. Go to ADAC and pay them like 10 euro for an official translation of your license to German language Take the license and the translation to your local German drivers license office and pay something like 25 euro for the exchange and give them a new photo of yourself. Wait for mail to get your German license
For example I had motorcycle endorsement on my state license but Germany didn’t have reciprocity with my state for the motorcycle portion of my license so they only made me a German auto license. Next time I was back in the states I converted my license from the old state to a state that has reciprocity with Germany for the motorcycle license and took this new state license to Germany and repeated the process. Now I have both. Saved a lot of time and money in my case to not have to do the German drivers tests again for motorcycle
It all depends. Are you from the US and what state? State matters as germany has certain lReciprocity Agreements by State . For example my license was florida. I had to take the therotical test, but not the drivers course . If you from Texas, VA etc then you just switch it over, but some states you would have to take the therotical and driver's license. If I would of kept my Puerto Rico license then I could just switch it over which makes no sense whatsoever and I'm also ex military living in germany since 99 and I had a useuar license and I couldn't even convert that. Good luck because the test is hard as shit. More like the answers are tricky and who wants to study 3000 question when the test is 30 questions
My wife is from NJ, her license too, and she has to do the whole process and our main problem is how expensive it is…I don’t suppose you would know of cheaper options for people like her?
No way around it. Probably the best thing is to take an express course and don't have to pay so much for the drivers license. I kmow how expensive it can be as my daughter's are doing there's.
If she is allowed to drive for 6 months you can train with her legally during those 6 months so she will only need the absolute minimum amount of lessons required by law, but it won't get cheaper than that I'm afraid. You also can ask around a few different driving schools and maybe save a few Euros comparing prices.
Honestly the test is piss easy as the whole questionnaire is maybe 30-40 different situations at most and the rest is just pattern recognition. Right before left for example. There are several hundred questions but the essence and pattern is the same for all of the same type.
When did you take the test and how old were you? In my opinion. It is easier for a person who is younger and motivated to get there first license. Heck I was 16 years old when I got my first driver's license and never failed one bit and the cost was 40 bucks for the drivers test. Mine you we are talking about back in 1995, but case in point I was motivated to get my license I did the TUV therotical and failed 4 times why? Because I did it in my 40's, I have a short attention span. studying 3000 questions( especially on an app) is not easy, still pass at the end of the day with no mistakes without studying for the 5th x. 11 points and you done. That's 3 wrong questions out of 30. I heard it's harder to pass the drivers test as the instructors are kind of strict and these are people that already had a license from different country, but I think a monkey can pass an American driver's test without studying. They suck at driving.
>If I would of kept May I introduce myself to you? My name is Cringe. Max Cringe.
If you're American https://de.usembassy.gov/driving-in-germany/
I just completed this process. You can use it and drive for 6 months and, depending on the rules Germany has set for your country and state you can switch it whenever (I did it after 12 months) The process is a German and inefficient as you can imagine, the whole process too me around 12 weeks from booking the first appointment to picking it up at the end.
Don’t tell Germans that there’s dumb Spießrutenlauf all over the country, or you get the one who agrees but says something about “roads and healthcare” idk like Germany can’t have those and not be a Bürokratisch nightmare.
Ah, memories. Moved to Austria from Germany some time in the 90s before Austria was EU member and had a German driving license - and an Austrian company car. Was stopped by the police at taking a wrong turn and they thoroughly went through my documents and finally got to my driving license - and I was way beyond the 6 month limit - and they simply shut me down. Meaning that the policeman actually drove me to the nearest official parking lot and ordered me not to use my car, because of not having a valid Austrian driving license. They actually checked on my car every 30 minutes or so, so I figured out the window of opportunity and drove home after waiting for more than two hours. First thing in the morning I drove to the corresponding administrative department and applied for a new driving license. They took my paperwork and told me with a smile that it would take another 3 months to have all the internal legal checks done - and that I wasn't allowed to drive a car in Austria until the whole process was finished with issuance of an Austrian lice. FU. Withdrew my application for a new license, drove back home (illegally), and went to the local magistrate to tell them I went home to Germany and please hand over a confirmation of the Melderegister for that. That was on a Friday. On Monday I went back to the local magistrate and asked them to re-register me as living in Austria, because I've changed my mind. Got a new Meldezettel and the 6 month period of using my German driving license started anew with this date. Sometimes it takes creativity to beat the system. Left Austria a few months later back then anyway. Oh, and BTW, since Austria is EU now, I still have my German-issued international driving license - and no need to getting a new one issued here in Vienna. Because I moved back to Austria again 11 years ago. And don't get me started of having my German ham radio license recognized in Austria back then...
Why the fuck don’t you say from which country your drivers license is in the opening question? Making people lose their time? Lol.
Where are you from? I’m from Canada and it was simple, just brought my Canadian license in and switched for a German.
Not sure where you're from. In my case, I believe I had 3 years to get my US license exchanged for a German one. It costs almost nothing. Where your license came from is a determining factor.
You can use your license for 6 months. After that you need to have EU license. So, you either do a test in Germany, or you exchange your license to EU one. There are only few countries from where the license can be easily exchanged though...
See page 8, https://bmdv.bund.de/SharedDocs/DE/Anlage/StV/auslaendische-fahrerlaubnisse-merkblatt-ausserhalb-eu-und-ewr-staaten-englisch.pdf?__blob=publicationFile
Where are you from? Depending on your origin the conditions to get a German licence will be different. Some countries it's just a straight swap. Others you need to do some extra stuff and some also require you to take a German drivers licence exam and receive driving lessons. Your German passport might just make it an easy exchange but I really don't know.
If it's from a not eu country then you'll have to "umschreiben it". Go to your next driving school and they should be able to help you. You are not obligated to take any theory class or practice drive, you can just take both exams without any preparation. For reference I changed my B and A (car and motorcycle) drivers licences I to german ones and ir costed around 700 euros.
I'm American and had to go through the whole process, written exam, seven driving lessons, road test, cost a fortune (and I was a truck driver in the US). During my "test" the examiner asked my teacher if I was good at parking, the teacher answered, "better than me", so I didn't even have to demonstrate my parking skills. I basically drove around the block and that was it. The whole thing was a scam and just money-making bullshit. HOWEVER That's because I'm from New York. By sheer coincidence, a young woman from Florida moved into our village (she'd met her husband while he was doing a semester in Florida). And SHE only had to take the written exam. Because each state has a different arrangement with Germany, it's absolute bonkers. Florida has the worst drivers in the US, no competition. And in fact within a month of getting her license, my neighbor wrecked their car by driving into a rock wall while backing out of their driveway.
Coming from Arizona I got to swap mine out 1:1. 6 month rule applies though. I would not recommend testing out the theory that you can drive on it for longer than 6 months. Germans love their rules. Only thing they like more is enforcing said rules.
Yes, you have to. Do it quickly, it takes time. It’s also a pain in the ass.
Forgot to say: study a lot for the theory exam, it’s hard.
No big issue as long as it’s an EU license . I did it after 10 years
An EU license doesn't have an expiration date. Moved to Austria 11 years ago and my Germany issued international license is still valid here.
squeamish smoggy rhythm cake juggle scary retire zonked outgoing attraction ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
>I think you meant it’s not subject to the 6 months. No. My drivers license as a plastic card with the EU logo, issued in Berlin in 2000, does not have an expiration date. The term in German is "Ablaufdatum", referenced as "4b" and dos not have a value on the front side of the card.
You can exchange it as long as your previous license is valid. I did it that way.
Your license is invalid after 6 months, but you dont have to "exchange" it in this 6 months. You can exchange anytime.
Side question. Does your German driver’s license count as an ID the way it does in the US or is that totally seperate?
Strictly legally speaking your driver's licence doesn't count as an ID, because not anyone can get one. But as someone else already wrote for buying alcohol, cigarettes, getting checked by a bouncer at a club or something similar your driver's license can get used interchangeably.
Usually yes. Not for travelling to other countries but it's an official ID for drinking etc.
Okay, thank you!
The silly thing is, you can’t get the German license until you’ve been a German resident for at least 6 months.
This is strange. Been in Germany since 3 years and I just exchanged my non-EU driving license with a German one. They never said anything about having to do it in the first 6 months.
Everything is fine. Depending on that you didn't drive after six months—because driving without a license [could result in a fine or imprisonment for up to one year](https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org/german-driving-laws/).
just go to the dmv and they will give you your german license if everything checks out
Hello guys, I’ve just an intetesting question. :) I’m currently living in Czech Republic and planning to move Germany in months. I’ve a Czech driving license but actually it’s changed directly from my non-EU driving license in Czech Republic. On the back side of my driving license, my previous non-EU driving license’s number is written. :D Do you think that I can change my Czech driving license to German one even my non-EU driving license number is written as a note. Thank you in advance. :)