Exchanging a foreign driving licence in Germany
Whether you can simply swap your licence, need a theory test or must sit both tests depends only on the country, or US state, that issued it.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Official fees for the exchange
Official fees
€33.20
| Authority | €33.20 |
| Theory test | €0 |
| Class B practical | €0 |
Excluding driving school, eye test and translation, whose prices are free.
If you move to Germany with a valid licence from an EU or EEA country, you may keep driving on it indefinitely (Section 28 of the Driving Licence Ordinance, FeV) and exchanging it is optional. A licence from anywhere else, including the UK, the US or Switzerland, remains valid for only 6 months from the day you take up residence (Section 29(1) FeV), extendable on request by up to 6 more months if you will stay no longer than a year. After that you need a German licence under Section 31 FeV. Annex 11 of the ordinance lists the countries, Canadian provinces, Australian states and US states whose licences can be exchanged without driving school, eye test or first aid course, and states for each whether a theory or practical test is still required; the UK, Japan, Texas and Ontario need neither. Licences from unlisted countries need both tests but no compulsory lessons. Without tests, the authority charges €28.10 plus €5.10 for checking the application.
The rule that catches most newcomers
Many people arrive on a work visa, rent a flat, register their address and keep driving on the licence from home. That is fine for a while. Section 29(1) FeV allows it for 6 months from the day your ordinary residence (ordentlicher Wohnsitz) begins in Germany. Section 7 FeV defines it as living here usually, meaning at least 185 days a year, because of personal and work ties. After the six months the licence no longer entitles you to drive here, and driving without entitlement is a criminal offence under Section 21 of the Road Traffic Act.
An extension of up to 6 months exists, but only if you can make it credible that you will be resident for no more than twelve months, for example on a short secondment. Anyone settling for longer should start the exchange well before the deadline, since tests, if required, also have to be booked and passed in that time.
EU and EEA licences: nothing to do
Licences issued in an EU country or in Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway are recognised as they are (Section 28 FeV). Conditions on them, such as glasses, apply here too. Exchanging is voluntary and needs no test, eye check or first aid course. One detail matters for truck and bus drivers: Germany calculates the validity of those classes by its own rules, and a licence that is older than its five-year German validity remains usable for 6 months after you move.
Note that Switzerland and the UK are not in this group. Their licences follow the non-EU rules below, although both are on the annex 11 list and need no test.
Annex 11: the country list
Section 31 FeV makes the exchange easier for licences from the countries and classes in annex 11. For those, the eye test, first aid training and driving lessons fall away, and for truck and bus classes the medical examination too, unless the German rules on age-related checks require it. For a few entries the annex still asks for proof of eyesight. The annex then says, country by country, whether a theory test, a practical test or neither is needed. US states and Canadian provinces are listed individually, each with the licence class that qualifies.
| Issued in | Qualifying classes | Theory test | Practical test |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | all | no | no |
| Japan | all | no | no |
| South Africa | all | no | no |
| Singapore | all | no | no |
| Israel | A1, A2, A, B | no | no |
| South Korea | 1, 2 | no | no |
| New Zealand | 1, 6 | no | no |
| Canada: Ontario | G | no | no |
| Canada: Alberta, Québec, Nova Scotia | 5 | no | no |
| Canada: British Columbia | 5, 6, 7 (Novice) | no | no |
| Australia: every state and territory | C, R (Victoria also CAR) | no | no |
| US: Texas | C, A, B | no | no |
| US: Illinois, Ohio | D | no | no |
| US: Pennsylvania | C | no | no |
| US: Virginia | D, M, A, B, C | no | no |
| US: Florida | E | yes | no |
| US: North Carolina, Oregon | C | yes | no |
Read the class column carefully. The codes are those of the issuing country: an Australian class C is treated as German class B and class R as class A. Where the annex names specific classes rather than "all", only German class B is granted on that basis. New Zealand class 6 becomes A2 for holders under 24 and A otherwise. Learner permits, instruction permits and similar stages are never exchanged; provisional or probationary licences from some states and provinces are, as the annex notes. The authority may still order a test if there are facts suggesting the necessary knowledge or skills are missing (Section 31(1a) FeV).
Countries not on the list
For any country or US state missing from annex 11, Section 31(2) FeV applies. You do not have to take lessons at a driving school, but you sit both the theory and the practical test. Because the eye test and first aid course are not exempted in that paragraph, you need those too. Many people book a few lessons anyway to get used to the test car and the way German examiners work; that is a choice, not a requirement.
What it costs
Authority fees and test fees are set in the road traffic fee schedule (GebOSt). Driving lessons, the eye test, the first aid course, photos and translations are priced freely.
| Case | Authority | Tests | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU/EEA or annex 11, no test | €33.20 | €0.00 | €33.20 |
| Annex 11 with theory test | €40.80 | €21.00 | €61.80 |
| Other country: theory and practical, class B | €40.80 | €130.10 | €170.90 |
To include driving school costs, use the licence cost calculator.
US forces and their families
Members of the US or Canadian armed forces stationed in Germany, their civilian staff and dependants have a separate route. Under Section 29a FeV they may drive private vehicles here on a licence from their home country, provided they hold a valid certificate under the NATO Status of Forces supplementary agreement and were entitled to drive privately at home when it was issued. The certificate has to be carried while driving. The six-month rule and the exchange described here apply to everyone else.
A checklist before your appointment
Bring your national licence, your passport or residence permit, and a signed declaration that the foreign licence is still valid, which Section 31(3) FeV requires. If your country is not in annex 11, add the eye test certificate and the first aid course certificate, and plan the theory and practical test dates. Check whether a translation is needed for your licence, and if you are within an extension period, bring the decision that granted it. Ask the office how long processing takes, and keep driving only while your six months, or an extension, are still running.
Applying and handing over your licence
You apply to the licensing office (Fahrerlaubnisbehörde) where you live, with your national licence and a declaration that it is still valid; the office may check this with the issuing country (Section 31(3) FeV). The German card is issued only in exchange for the foreign one. If Germany has an agreement with the issuing country, the old licence is sent back there via the Federal Motor Transport Authority; otherwise the office keeps it and returns it only when you hand back the German card. Licences kept this way may be destroyed after three years, so if you want to drive in your home country on that document later, plan for it.
Probation and points after the exchange
If your licence is less than two years old, the German probation applies to the remaining time, with any period in which you were not allowed to drive here left out; see the probationary licence guide. Points you collected in Germany on the foreign licence stay on file, because Section 4(3) StVG expressly excludes the simplified grant to holders of foreign licences from the deletion of points. The guide to Flensburg points explains how they count, and a free extract from the KBA shows exactly what the licensing office will see when it processes your application. If a driving ban is pending, the exchange does not change it either: a ban applies to whatever licence you hold, as the page on the German driving ban explains.