# How Do You Exchange a Driving Licence in Germany? (2026) > Exchanging a foreign driving licence in Germany: EU licences stay valid, others last six months, the Annex 11 countries that skip the test, the fees and the documents. By Jules de Bruin · URL: https://www.guide-germany.com/moving/driving-licence-exchange An **EU or EEA licence** stays valid in Germany and needs no exchange. Any other licence lets you drive for **six months** after you take up normal residence, under section 29 of the **Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung**. After that you need a German licence from the **Fahrerlaubnisbehörde**. Licences from the **Annex 11** states, such as the UK, Japan, Switzerland and 28 US jurisdictions, convert without a test. Everyone else sits the theory and practical test. Berlin charges **EUR 37.50**, or EUR 45.10 with a test. ## Do You Need to Exchange an EU or EEA Driving Licence? **No.** Under [section 28 FeV](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/fev_2010/__28.html), 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](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/fev_2010/__30.html) 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](https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/121598/) (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](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/fev_2010/__29.html) 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](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/fev_2010/__7.html). The clock is not linked to a letter or a reminder. Your [Anmeldung](/moving/address-registration) 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. #### The six months end silently Driving after the deadline is driving without a licence. Section 21(1) of the [Road Traffic Act (StVG)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stvg/__21.html) sets up to one year in prison or a fine. Book the exchange in your first months, not your sixth. ## 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](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/fev_2010/__31.html), 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. Source: [Annex 11 FeV](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/fev_2010/anlage_11.html), read 24 October 2026. Where the classes are not "all", only German class B is issued. | Issuing state | Classes | Theory test | Practical test | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | United Kingdom | All | No | No | | Switzerland | All | No | No | | Japan | All | No | No | | Republic of Korea | 1, 2 | No | No | | Singapore | All | No | No | | South Africa | All | No | No | | Israel | A1, A2, A, B | No | No | | New Zealand | 1, 6 | No | No | | Taiwan | B/BE | No | No | | Ukraine | A1, A, B, BE, C1 to DE | No | No | | Serbia | All, no probationary licences | No | No | | Montenegro, North Macedonia | All | No | No | | Bosnia and Herzegovina | A1, A, B | No | No | | Albania | A1 to DE (AM: practical test) | No | No | | Kosovo | AM to DE | No | No | | Moldova | A1 to DE | No | Yes | | Andorra, Monaco, San Marino | All | No | No | | Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Gibraltar | All | No | No | | French Polynesia, New Caledonia | All | No | No | | Namibia (licence at least 2 years old) | A1, A, B, BE, C1, C1E, C, CE | No | No | | Australia, all 8 states and territories | Car (C) and motorcycle (R) | No | No | | Canada, 12 provinces and territories | Mostly class 5 (Ontario: G) | No | No | ### 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](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/fev_2010/__31.html) 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](https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/327537/). 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. - 1Check 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. - 2Register your address first The Fahrerlaubnisbehörde of your main residence handles the exchange. Berlin requires a main residence in Berlin before it accepts the application. - 3Collect 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. - 4Apply 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. - 5Take 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. - 6Swap 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](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/stgebo_2011/anlage.html), 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. GebOSt Anlage and service.berlin.de, both read 24 October 2026. | Item | Fee | | --- | --- | | Berlin, exchange without a test | EUR 37.50 | | Berlin, exchange with a test | EUR 45.10 | | GebOSt 202.2: issue on an EU/EEA or Annex 11 licence, no test | EUR 28.10 | | GebOSt 202.1: first issue of a licence | EUR 35.70 | | GebOSt 401.1: theory test, per test | EUR 11.10 | | GebOSt 401.3: surcharge for the theory test on a PC | EUR 9.90 | | GebOSt 402.3: practical test, class B or BE | EUR 109.10 | 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. ### An expired foreign licence Berlin requires the foreign licence to be valid when you apply. Renew it at home first if it is close to expiry. ### An International Driving Permit It is a translation aid, not a licence. Berlin does not accept it in place of the original. ### No translation Berlin needs one whenever the licence is not in German or English, and asks for it during processing. ### Waiting until month six Appointments and tests take time. If you need the full test route, start in your [first three months](/moving/first-3-months). 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. ## Related Guides [### Anmeldung in Germany The registration the licence authority expects first.](/moving/address-registration)[### Your First 3 Months Every newcomer deadline, including the six-month licence clock.](/moving/first-3-months)[### Work and Residence Routes The residence permit Berlin asks to see at the licence counter.](/moving/work-permit-routes)[### Steuer-ID and Social Numbers The other numbers that follow your registration.](/moving/tax-number-social-security-health-card) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How long can you drive in Germany with a foreign licence? A licence from outside the EU and EEA is valid for six months after you establish normal residence in Germany, under section 29(1) FeV. The Fahrerlaubnisbehörde can extend that by up to six months if you show you will live here no longer than twelve months. An EU or EEA licence has no such limit. ### Do you have to exchange an EU driving licence in Germany? No. Section 28 FeV lets holders of a valid EU or EEA licence who live in Germany drive within the scope of that licence. You may still exchange it voluntarily, with no test, no eye test and no first-aid course under section 30. Truck and bus classes follow the German validity limits. ### Can you exchange a US driving licence in Germany without a test? It depends on the state. Annex 11 FeV lists 28 US jurisdictions with no test, 11 where you sit the theory test only, and 13 states that are not listed at all, including California, New York and New Jersey. Those 13 need the full theory and practical test. Only a German class B licence is issued. ### Do you need driving lessons to convert a non-Annex 11 licence? No lessons are compulsory. Section 31(2) FeV says the training rules do not apply when you hold a licence from a state outside Annex 11. You still have to pass the theory and the practical test, and Berlin asks for the details of a driving school and test centre when a test is required. ### What happens if you drive after the six months? You are driving without a valid licence. Section 21(1) of the Road Traffic Act (StVG) punishes that with up to one year in prison or a fine. Nobody writes to warn you that the six months are over, so stop driving until the German licence is issued. ### Do you get your foreign licence back? Not while you hold the German one. Section 31(4) FeV hands over the German licence only against the foreign one. The authority returns it to the issuing state where an agreement exists, or keeps it, and gives it back only when you hand in the German licence. --- Source: https://www.guide-germany.com/moving/driving-licence-exchange Last updated: n/a Format: LLM-readable Markdown twin (.md) of the canonical HTML page.