How to convert a foreign driving licence in Germany

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

For the first six months you may drive with your own licence, if you carry it together with a German translation. After that it is no longer valid in Germany, and driving on becomes an offence. So the conversion, called Umschreibung, should be started early.

Rules, amounts and deadlines change. Check the official source named at the end before you act, and ask the office in your city, because procedures differ from town to town.

Step by step

1. Carry a translation from day one

   Get a certified German translation of your licence from a German automobile club such as the ADAC, or from a sworn translator. An international driving permit is accepted in place of a translation.

   Done

2. Note your six-month deadline

   The six months start on the day of your first address registration in Germany, not on the day you first drive.

   Done

3. Find out whether you need the tests

   Germany has agreements with a list of countries, set out in Annex 11 of the driving licence regulation (Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung). Licences from those countries are converted with no test or with only part of it. Licences from all other countries, which is most countries outside Europe, need both the theory and the practical test. The licence office tells you which applies to yours.

   Done

4. Collect the documents

   You need your passport, your registration certificate, a biometric passport photo, an eye test from an optician (about 7 euros), the certificate of a first aid course, and your original licence with the translation. Some offices also ask for proof that the licence is still valid and for a police certificate of good conduct.

   Done

5. Apply at the Fahrerlaubnisbehörde

   The driving licence office belongs to your town or district. Book an appointment and hand in the application. You name a driving school on the form if you have to take tests.

   Done

6. Take the tests, if required

   Experienced drivers do not have to complete a set number of lessons, but a driving school has to register you for the tests and provides the car. The theory test can be taken in several languages, including English. Plan a few lessons to learn the German rules, such as priority to the right.

   Done

7. Collect your German licence

   When you receive the German licence, the office keeps your foreign one or sends it back to the country that issued it.

   Done

Good to know

If you have to take both tests and need lessons, Handbook Germany gives a total cost of roughly 2,600 to 3,500 euros, most of it for driving lessons. With few lessons it is much less.

Do not drive after the six months without a German licence. It counts as driving without a licence, with a fine or worse, and your insurance may refuse to pay after an accident.

A licence from another EU country stays valid in Germany and does not need to be converted.

You need your registration first: how to register your address in Germany.

In short: Valid six months from registration. Translation, eye test, first aid course, photo, apply at the Fahrerlaubnisbehörde, tests if your country is not on the Annex 11 list.