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German Driving License Explained [How-to English Guide]



Driving the Autobahn without speed limit

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Yvonne was born and raised in Germany and has lived in the United States, France, and Spain. She understands the struggle of settling in a new home and is happy to share simple services and tips on how things are done in her home country, to help expats get their German experience started.


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So you have moved to Germany and have already tasted the seemingly endless freedom on the Autobahn ? Well, unless you look into getting a German driving license, you won’t be able to continue driving on the Autobahn or anywhere for that matter sooner than you might expect.
In this guide, I will detail whether or not your foreign license remains valid in Germany. And if it does not remain valid, we explain in detailed steps how you can change it into a German license and how much that will cost you. 
If you already have a valid driving license from another country, whether it is valid in Germany or not depends on where it was issued.
If you live in Germany and hold a valid full driving license issued by an EU / EEA country, you can stop reading, as your license is valid in Germany until it expires . You can, however, only renew it in the country where it was issued. Foreign EU licenses cannot be renewed in Germany.
Once you have moved to Germany and have registered your address , your foreign license stays valid for six months . If you would like to keep on renting cars after that period, or even get and drive your own car, you need to get a German license within the first six months of your move to Germany.
If your license was issued in any of the following countries , you could simply exchange your foreign license for a German Class B license, which allows you to drive a regular car. You will not need to take a practical driving or theoretical test.
*Australia: If you have a driving license issued from South Australia, Tasmania, or Victoria, you have full reciprocity. For licenses from all other Australian states, an up-to-date eye test is required . 
** USA: Depending on which US state issued your license, you may have full, partial, or no reciprocity.
If your US driving license was issued by any of the following states, you can simply swap your license for a German one, without needing to take and pass any tests.
* Texas is the only state with full reciprocity that requires an eye test . 
Partial reciprocity means that you need to take the German written theoretical test. No worries, you can take it in English; however, you need to study for it, as it is more difficult than the US version.
If your driving license was issued by any of the below-listed states, you need to go through the entire process and all exams to attain a German driving license. If you think it is easier to just get a new license from a US state with full reciprocity, think again. To avoid such ‘license tourism’ most cities in Germany require you to have lived in the state, which issued your license for 185 days or more.
If you have not found your country or US state listed above, you need to prepare to invest more time and money to obtain your German driving license. You will not be able to exchange your current license, instead, you will need to either complete an entirely new driving training or just the written and practical test. You can take a look at this list of all countries , to find out which requirements apply to your country. 
If you think it is easier to simply acquire a license in a country where it is ‘easier’ during a vacation, it won’t work. To avoid such ‘license tourism’ most cities in Germany require you to have lived in the country, which issued your license for 185 days or more.
To get a German driving license, you need to personally apply for it at the road traffic licensing department ( Straßenverkehrsamt ) or the driving license office ( Führerscheinstelle ) in the city that you are registered in. You can make an appointment online or via phone. To exchange your non-EU / EAA license for a German one, you need to make an appointment for ‘ Umschreiben eines ausländischen Führerscheins (Non-EU/Drittstaaten) ’.
Here are the links to the Straßenverkehrsamt or Führerscheinstelle for the major German cities for expats: 
Depending on the individual driving license office, you might not need a translation of your license if it is in English. Ideally, you can check with them beforehand via e-mail or telephone. 
If your license is not in English or you need a translation regardless, you can use the services of Lingoking , a translation service provider for fast and certified translations.
❗️ Word of caution : The Driving Licence Office ( Führerscheinstelle ) in Dusseldorf is the only office to not accept the translation of a driving license from Lingoking. This has to do with the fact that this particular office requires the translator to physically hold the driving license they are translating in their hand. The ADAC is the only accepted provider to do a translation that is accepted in Dusseldorf.
If you require an eye-test, you can visit any optician in your city. 
In most cases, you have to hand in your foreign license, which will be sent to the issuing authorities.
If you have to do any tests (theoretical or practical), you have to sign up with a driving school ( Fahrschule ). There is no way to get a license without getting the proper education of a certified German Fahrschule . In Germany, you can not learn to drive from your parents.
Luckily, you can find quite a few driving schools that offer their services in English in the bigger cities. Also, the driving school will be able to tell you the actual exact steps you need to take in the city that you live in, as they may vary slightly. You can find this search aggregator with the language filter English to find suitable driving schools in your city.
The first aid course requires 9 x 45 mins of training, and most cities have several providers who offer such courses on Saturdays. A lot of providers also offer to take the eye-test and the photograph on the same day. If they don’t, you can get an eye-test from any optician in your city. Usually, your driving school can recommend a local first aid course. If not, here are the direct links to some first aid course providers in the biggest cities:
You need to personally apply for a German driving license at the road traffic licensing department ( Straßenverkehrsamt ) or the driving license office ( Führerscheinstelle ) in the city where you are registered in. You can make an appointment online or via phone. To exchange your non-EU / EAA license for a German one, you need to make an appointment for ‘ Umschreiben eines ausländischen Führerscheins (Non-EU/Drittstaaten) ’.
Here are the links to the Straßenverkehrsamt or Führerscheinstelle for the major German cities for expats. 
This will be the first of two appointments you will need to attend at the Straßenverkehrsamt or Führerscheinstelle .
In this first appointment, the German Road Traffic Licensing Department will evaluate your documents and will approve or deny your request.
If they approve your request, they will inform the TÜV that you are eligible to continue with the process.
💡 Good to know: The TÜV ( Technischer Überwachungsverein ) is one of the approved technical supervisor associations in Germany. They provide services like official car inspections and other certifications. They are also responsible for supervising all theoretical and practical driving exams in Germany.
The second appointment is to pick up your driving license ( step #9 ).
Before you can continue the process, you need to pass the theory exam. 
Even though you can take this test in English, don’t underestimate it, as German traffic rules are very detailed and comprehensive. 36% of all applicants in Germany fail their license theory test, so you should study all questions beforehand. You can practice for the German driving license theory test in English via a web app or an app on your phone . 
Most driving schools will ask you to take a certain minimum amount of driving classes, even if you know how to drive. They do this for two reasons:
A driving lesson usually lasts 45 minutes, and it is common that they book double lessons for maximum output. Once your driving teacher is confident that you will pass the practical exam, your driving school will make the appointment with the local TÜV .
Before you jump in the car and start your practical driving test, the examiner will ask you between 3 and 5 questions. Some questions might include things like:
Once you pass your oral questions, you can then start your practical exam.
During the practical driving test, your driving teacher will still sit in the passenger seat, and the examiner will sit behind you. The examiner will give you instructions on how to drive and what to do. The exam usually lasts about 45 minutes, and the examiner will tell you directly afterward whether you have passed or not.
If you have passed, you will get a slip certifying that you are allowed to drive in Germany until you can pick up your actual driving license a few weeks later.
It is not uncommon that the examiner will end the driving test early in case you have disrespected a traffic rule and hence failed the test. If you fail the test, your driving teacher will usually insist on several driving lessons before you can take (and pay) the exam again. The failure rate for the practical driving test in Germany is around 31%.
Congratulations on making it this far! Once you have received the authorization from the TÜV, they will notify your local driving license office. You will be able to pick up your license a few weeks after you have passed your exam.
Before you receive your German driving license, you will need to give away your foreign license. There is no negation allowed regarding that one. The one downside of this process is that your years of experience drop to 0 in case your country does not have reciprocity.
In that case, you will be considered a new driver and have to abide by the first-time license holders. One drawback of this is that you will not be able to rent a car for the first year.
If you have a good driving record from your home country, be sure to get an official summary of your good driving history from your previous car insurance. This will help keep your car insurance cost lower, in case you own or want to buy a car in Germany. 
Suppose you do not need to take any theoretical or practical test thanks to a reciprocity agreement. In that case, the application to exchange your driving license for a German license usually takes four to six weeks.
If you do not benefit from a reciprocity agreement, getting your German license can take anywhere from two to six months. The availability of your driving school also plays a role here.
Getting a German driving license is expensive, especially if you don’t have reciprocity and need to go through a Fahrschule . For a brand new German driving license with full driving training, Germans easily pay between 1,500 and 2,000 euros. 
Here is a real-life example from Jen, my wife from Guatemala, who got her German driving license in 2018 in Dusseldorf. 
As you can see, exchanging your foreign driving license for a German one is another bureaucratic and quite expensive act. However, if you follow the steps above, it is totally doable and ensures our roads’ safety.
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First aid course incl. Eye-test & photo
4 double driving lessons (80 euros each)


Driving in Germany: Rental Car Tips

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Renting and Driving a Car in Europe
In order to rent or lease a car in Europe, non-Europeans need a valid driver’s license from their home state or province. Although the legal driving age is 18, drivers usually must be over 21 (sometimes even older) to rent a car. (Only 18 for short-term leasing.) Since 1 July 2011 foreign drivers must also be at least 18 years of age to drive any car in Germany, even the family car. (See more below .)
Picking up a leased Peugeot 3008 near the Frankfurt airport. We had to drive a short distance to a TÜV inspection station to obtain the required Green Zone sticker for Germany. The white-on-red license plate is an EU temporary plate valid for a limited time. PHOTO: Hyde Flippo
International Driving Permit
If you will be driving in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, or some other European country, you may want to get an International Driving Permit (IDP), which is actually just a translation of the original license from your home country. However, in Germany you don’t need an IDP for a license in English , and the rental car agency only wants to see your US or Canadian driver’s license. If you plan to drive a lot outside of Germany, you may still want to get an IDP, which is valid in over 150 countries. The minimum age for the IDP is 18. In the US, you can get an IDP for a small fee from most AAA offices or online .
More important than having an IDP is knowing and following German and European traffic laws. Learn which international road signs mean what. They are often different from those in North America. You don’t want to be surprised after your return by a traffic or parking fine charge on the credit card you used to rent a car in Germany. Make sure you know the laws and regulations. (See Radar Photo Speed Traps below.)
Automatic vs Stick Shift
While most cars in the US have an automatic transmission, it’s exactly the opposite in Europe. Most Germans and other Europeans learn to drive with a manual “stick-shift” transmission, and most cars on the road in Germany have a four or five-speed transmission with the shift lever in the center floor console (“four on the floor”). Only recently was German law changed to allow new drivers in Germany to learn to drive with an automatic vehicle. However, getting this class of license means the driver is only allowed to drive a vehicle with an automatic transmission or no transmission (i.e., electric vehicles).
If you’re planning on renting or leasing a car in Germany or anywhere in Europe, this gear-shift business can be important. First of all, most rentals are also manual-shift models. You can get an automatic, but it’ll cost ya — in two ways: (1) A higher rental fee. (2) Higher fuel costs. Automatics usually get lower fuel mileage than manual-shifts, although newer automatic cars may get fuel mileage equal to or better than a stick-shift. (Don’t forget, gasoline in Europe costs about twice as much as in the US.)
Many Americans have never even learned to drive a stick-shift vehicle. If you have no idea how to use a clutch and shift gears, you’ll need to rent an automatic.
Leasing vs Renting
If your European trip will last at least three weeks, it may be cheaper to get a short-term car lease rather than renting. Leasing also has the advantage of including full auto insurance coverage in the lease fee. The only disadvantage of a short-term lease in Germany is that your leased vehicle must be brought into Germany from France. (France is the only European country that has favorable laws for short-term auto leases. All of the tourist auto-leasing firms in Europe work out of France, even German Sixt.) So if you pick up your vehicle at the airport in Frankfurt (FRA) or Munich (MUC), there will be an extra charge of about $200 – for both the pick-up and drop-off. (Sometimes there is a free or reduced fee option. Always ask.) It is the same for other locales outside of France. If possible, pick up your vehicle in France or Geneva, Switzerland to save about $400. Another option is Strasbourg, France, near the German-French border. In any case, your leased vehicle will be a French brand: Citroen, Peugeot, or Renault. You have the usual choices of a diesel or gas model, plus various sizes (compact, medium, SUV, etc.) and models.
Despite the German leasing drawback, if your trip will last longer than about four weeks, you may still save money by leasing a car in Germany versus renting. It pays to compare. Don’t forget to take the cost of insurance into account.
Parking
Although you will seldom see a parking meter in Germany and much of Europe, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay for parking!
You can pay for your parking time with either coins or an EC card, but not always with a credit card. Click on photo for a larger view. PHOTO © Hyde Flippo
When parking in an urban area (business or residential) in Germany, always look for a sign that says “ Parkscheine ” (“Parking tickets”) and the machine that dispenses them. Never just assume that parking is free. You insert coins to pay for the amount of parking time you want, then place your ticket on the car’s dashboard in plain sight. See photo.
Parking Payment App
Some German cities, including Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Wiesbaden and others, now offer the EasyPark or Pango smartphone app that allows you to pay for parking using your mobile phone (Android or iPhone ). The parking fee is charged to your phone account! (A few US cities also have this option, but usually only for parking garages.) The app even sends you a warning 15 minutes before your parking time expires!
Rental Tip: GPS Navigation
Want a GPS navigator for your rental? You can rent a portable GPS “Navi” (NAH-vee) for about 9 euros a day or get a rental car with a built-in GPS navigation system. Mention this when you make your reservation, since they are not always available. Note: A lease may include GPS at no extra cost. – More alternatives: Rent or buy a portable GPS navigator that also works in Europe before you go. Just make sure it has current European maps!
Driver’s License Age Requirement
Since July 1, 2011, a non-German driver must be at least 18 years of age in order to legally drive in Germany with a foreign dri
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