Converting your driving licence in Germany

EU/EEA vs. everyone else

If you're moving from an EU or EEA country (which includes Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein), your existing driving licence simply keeps working in Germany — there's no conversion requirement tied to your move. Everyone else — including UK, US, Canadian, Australian and most other licences — falls under the non-EU rule: your foreign licence stops being valid for driving in Germany 6 months after you establish residence here, which in practice is counted from your Anmeldung date. After that point, driving on the original licence is not legal, even if the licence itself hasn't expired back home.

The 'Staatenliste': some countries skip the test entirely

Germany maintains a list of countries under Anlage 11 FeV with which it has reciprocal recognition — if your licence was issued there, you convert to a German one without sitting any theory or practical exam. Switzerland and the United Kingdom are commonly cited examples on this list; some countries have been added or are pending official publication, so the list is genuinely worth checking fresh with your local Fahrerlaubnisbehörde (driving licence authority) or the ADAC rather than trusting an older blog post. Even on the reciprocal list, an authority can still ask for an eyesight test.

If your issuing country is not on the list, you'll need to pass both a theoretical and a practical driving test in Germany — the good news is there's no legal requirement to take a minimum number of paid driving lessons first, so many people study independently and book the tests directly.

What the process actually involves

• Apply at your local Fahrerlaubnisbehörde (part of your district or city administration) — bring your original foreign licence, passport, biometric photo, proof of residence (Anmeldung), and a certified translation of your licence if it's not in German or a recognized format.
• Reciprocal-list countries: administrative processing only — typically a few weeks, occasionally an eyesight test.
• Non-listed countries: book and pass the theory exam (multiple choice, available in several languages) and the practical driving exam; processing end-to-end commonly takes anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on the city and test-slot availability.
• Budget for fees separately: administrative conversion fee (~€35–50), theory test fee, practical test fee if required, plus translation costs — these add up beyond the base conversion fee.

If you miss the 6-month window

Once the 6 months lapse without conversion, your foreign licence is no longer valid for driving in Germany — you'd need to complete the full conversion (test included, if your country requires it) before you can legally drive again, and driving in the meantime carries the same risk as driving without a licence at all: it can affect insurance cover in an accident and lead to legal consequences. If you know you'll need more time — for example, waiting on a translated or apostilled document — apply for the one-time 6-month extension before the original deadline runs out, provided your total planned stay in Germany is under 12 months; it is not automatic.