How Do You Exchange a Driving Licence in Germany? (2026)

Do You Need to Exchange an EU or EEA Driving Licence?

No. Under section 28 FeV, holders of a valid EU or EEA licence who live in Germany may drive within the scope of that licence. There is no six-month clock and no deadline. Conditions printed on the licence still apply here. The licence keeps working until it expires.

Truck and bus classes are the exception. For C and D classes, the German validity limits apply. A licence already older than five years when you move stays valid for six more months. You can also exchange an EU licence voluntarily. Under section 30 FeV there is no test, no eye test and no first-aid course. Berlin charges EUR 37.50 and accepts the application at any Bürgeramt, per service.berlin.de (checked October 2026).

How Long Can You Drive on a Non-EU Licence?

Six months from the day you establish normal residence. Section 29(1) FeV says the right to drive on a foreign licence then lasts six more months. The Fahrerlaubnisbehörde can extend it by up to six months on application. You must show you will live here for twelve months at most. Normal residence means living here at least 185 days a year under section 7 FeV.

The clock is not linked to a letter or a reminder. Your Anmeldung is the usual evidence of when you moved in, so plan from that date. A licence that is not in German needs a translation while you drive, unless it comes from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland or follows the 1968 Convention format.

Which Countries Can Exchange a Licence Without a Test?

The states in Annex 11 FeV, for the classes the Annex names. Under section 31(1) FeV, their holders skip the medical, the eye test, the first-aid course and the training. The test is dropped too, unless the Annex says otherwise. The United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan and South Africa exchange all classes without a test. Moldova still needs the practical test.

US licences, state by state

Annex 11 lists US car licences state by state, and only class B is issued. No test (28): Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Theory test only (11): Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee.

Not listed, full theory and practical test (13): Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont.

What If Your Country Is Not on the List?

You sit the theory and the practical test, but lessons are optional. Section 31(2) FeV says the training rules do not apply to a holder of a licence from a state outside Annex 11. That covers India, China, Brazil, Nigeria and the 13 unlisted US states.

Berlin also asks third-country applicants for a first-aid certificate and an eye test for car and motorcycle classes, per service.berlin.de. It needs the name of a driving school and a test centre when a test is required. No official source publishes a typical driving-school bill, so this page does not quote one.

How Do You Exchange a Driving Licence Step by Step?

Six steps, at the Fahrerlaubnisbehörde of your main residence. The order matters, because each step needs the one before. Register your address first, then apply while the foreign licence is still valid. The document list below is Berlin's; other cities publish their own.

1. 1

   Check which rule applies to your licence

   EU or EEA licence: no exchange needed. Annex 11 state and class: exchange without a test, or with the test the Annex names. Any other state: theory and practical test.

2. 2

   Register your address first

   The Fahrerlaubnisbehörde of your main residence handles the exchange. Berlin requires a main residence in Berlin before it accepts the application.

3. 3

   Collect the documents

   ID or passport, residence permit, one biometric photo, the original licence, and a translation if it is not in German or English. Third-country applicants add a first-aid certificate and an eye test.

4. 4

   Apply while the foreign licence is still valid

   Berlin states that the foreign licence must still be valid on the day you apply. An International Driving Permit is not accepted in its place.

5. 5

   Take the tests, if your route needs them

   Theory and practical tests are taken with an officially recognised examiner. Driving lessons are not compulsory for a foreign-licence holder under section 31(2) FeV.

6. 6

   Swap the foreign licence for the German card

   The German licence is handed over only against your foreign licence, which the authority returns to the issuing state or keeps on file.

What Does the Exchange Cost?

In Berlin, EUR 37.50 without a test and EUR 45.10 with one. The federal fee schedule, the GebOSt, sets the items that a city total is built from. The test fees are a separate part of the schedule, charged by the officially recognised examiners.

Check your own city's page for its total. Driving lessons, a first-aid course, the eye test and the translation are bought on the open market, at prices no official source publishes.

What Goes Wrong, and How Do You Avoid It?

Four mistakes cause most failed exchanges. The six months run out, the foreign licence expires before the appointment, an International Driving Permit is brought instead of the original, or the translation is missing. Each one is avoidable with an early booking.

How we verified: every rule on this page was read in the FeV, StVG and GebOSt text on gesetze-im-internet.de, and the Berlin fees and documents on service.berlin.de, on 24 October 2026.

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