Using and exchanging a foreign driving licence in Germany (with the Berlin procedure)

Before you start

• Your main residence (Hauptwohnsitz) is registered in Berlin. See the guide to registering your address.
• You hold the original foreign licence, and it is still valid when you apply.
• The licence is a full licence, not a learner or other provisional licence.
• You obtained the licence before moving to Germany, or during a stay of at least six months abroad.

Documents you need

• Passport or national ID card

  required

• Residence permit (non-EU/EEA citizens)

  optional

• One current biometric passport photo, printed on paper

  Berlin offices do not print photos on site.

  required

• Original foreign driving licence

  Must be valid when you apply (for EU/EEA licences, an expired one is accepted). An International Driving Permit alone is never exchanged.

  required

• German translation of the licence

  In Berlin needed when the licence is not in German or English. The authority decides in case of doubt and can request it later.

  optional

• Eye test certificate (Sehtest)

  Always required for car and motorcycle classes from countries not in Annex 11; usually not for Annex 11 countries unless a footnote in the list requires it.

  optional

• First-aid course certificate

  Only for licences from countries not in Annex 11.

  optional

• Name and address of your driving school and of the testing organisation (Prüfstelle)

  Needed if you must take a test. You cannot change the testing organisation once you have been admitted to the test.

  optional

• Medical certificates for lorry and bus classes (C and D)

  Only if you want to keep these classes. Bus classes also need a certificate of good conduct for official purposes.

  optional

• Registration certificate

  The federal fact sheet lists proof of registration; bring it in case the office asks.

  optional

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Work out which group your licence belongs to

   Check the issuing country against the official Annex 11 list. For each country it shows which licence classes qualify and whether a theory or practical test is needed. In summary (2026):

   • No tests, all or most classes: Albania, Andorra, French Polynesia, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Japan, Jersey, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, New Caledonia, North Macedonia, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom.
   • No tests, limited classes: Bosnia and Herzegovina (A1, A, B), Israel (A1, A2, A, B), Namibia (licence issued at least two years before applying), New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan (car class).
   • Practical test only: Moldova.
   • Australia: all states and territories, car and motorcycle licences, no tests (some need an eye test).
   • Canada: all provinces and the Northwest Territories and Yukon, car licences, no tests.
   • United States: car licences from the states named in the list. Most need no tests; Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon and Tennessee require the theory test. States not in the list, such as California, New York, New Jersey and Georgia, are treated like any other third country, so both tests are needed.

   For US states, Canadian provinces and Taiwan, the exchange gives you the German car class B. If your licence is from a country that is not on the list and not in the EU/EEA, you will need both tests.

2. 2

   Step 2: Know your deadline for driving on the foreign licence

   Non-EU/EEA licences. As long as you only visit Germany, you can drive on a valid foreign licence. Once you take up normal residence here (broadly, where you live for at least 185 days a year), you may drive for six more months. After that the foreign licence is no longer recognised, and driving on it is treated as driving without a licence and penalised accordingly.

   The six months cannot normally be extended. The only exception: if you can show from the start that you will live in Germany for no more than 12 months, the authority can extend the period by up to six months on application, for a fee.

   While you drive on a foreign licence, you must carry it, and most national licences must be accompanied by an International Driving Permit or a German translation.

   EU/EEA licences. These stay valid until their own expiry date. There are two important limits: lorry and bus classes (C, CE, D, DE, D1, D1E) are valid in Germany for only five years after issue, and C1/C1E only until your 50th birthday. To keep driving those classes you exchange the licence and submit medical certificates.

3. 3

   Step 3: Gather your documents, including a translation if needed

   See the document list on this page. Points that often cause delays:

   • The foreign licence must be the original and still valid when you apply. An International Driving Permit is not a licence and cannot be exchanged.
   • Translation. Berlin asks for a translation when the licence is not in German or English. Translations can be made, for example, by German motoring organisations or by sworn translators; if the office has doubts, it decides whether a translation is needed and can request it after you apply.
   • You may be asked for proof that you obtained your first licence before moving to Germany, for example if your current card was issued later.
4. 4

   Step 4: If you need tests, prepare before you apply

   For licences from countries not in Annex 11 (and for Annex 11 entries that require a test):

   • Choose a driving school. You do not have to complete the mandatory training hours that first-time learners take, but the practical test is taken in a driving-school car with an instructor present, and the instructor only puts you forward once you are ready. You can take a few lessons to prepare and to learn German road rules.
   • First-aid course and eye test (Sehtest) at an approved provider; both are required for third-country licences.
   • Note the driving school's name and address and the testing organisation (Prüfstelle) it works with. You give these with your application.

   Test languages. The theory test can be taken in German or in English, French, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Croatian, Spanish, Turkish, Standard Arabic, Kurmanji or Ukrainian. Ask your driving school about the language of lessons and of the practical test.

5. 5

   Step 5: Book an appointment and apply in Berlin

   Book through the Berlin appointment system for the service that matches your licence:

   • Exchange of a licence from a non-EU/EEA country (third country or Annex 11)
   • Exchange of an EU/EEA licence

   You can use any participating citizens' office in Berlin or the LABO driving licence authority (Puttkamerstr. 16–18, 10969 Berlin). Bring all documents in person; if something is missing, you can usually hand it in later.

   Fees (Berlin, 2026): €37.50 for an exchange without a test, €45.10 with a test, paid when you apply.

6. 6

   Step 6: Wait for processing and take any tests

   The licence authority processes applications in order. LABO publishes the dates of the applications it is currently working on: at the end of September 2026, it was processing third-country exchanges submitted in early August and Annex 11 exchanges submitted in late August. Berlin gives an average processing time of between two weeks and three months, and there is no separate notification of progress, so check the current processing dates yourself.

   If tests are required, you receive written admission to the tests once your application has been processed. Then you take the theory test and the practical test through your driving school.

   Manual or automatic. If your foreign licence is restricted to automatic cars, the German licence will be too. If you take the practical test in an automatic car, the licence is restricted to automatics (code 78) unless you also have proof of at least ten 45-minute lessons in a manual car, which gives you code 197 and lets you drive both.

7. 7

   Step 7: Collect your German licence

   When everything is complete, you are asked to collect the German licence from the driving licence authority. You hand over your foreign licence at the same time; it is sent back to the issuing country or kept by the authority.

   The German card licence for cars is valid for 15 years and is then simply renewed as a document, without new tests or medical checks for normal car classes. It is generally also valid abroad.

When a foreign licence is not recognised at all

Lost EU licence or exchanging without a reason

Professional drivers and special licences

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Relying on an International Driving Permit. It is only a translation that must accompany the national licence and cannot be exchanged.
• Assuming every US state is in Annex 11. Licences from states such as California and New York require both tests.
• Forgetting the paper biometric photo. Berlin offices do not print photos.
• Waiting until month five to start. Booking an appointment, a first-aid course, an eye test and driving-school slots all take time.
• Taking the practical test in an automatic car without proof of manual lessons, then being restricted to automatics.

Tips

• Download the federal fact sheet for non-EU/EEA licence holders. It is available in English, French, Spanish and Russian.
• If you hold an EU/EEA licence and only drive cars, there is usually no need to exchange it.
• If you need tests, ask your driving school for practice material for the theory test in your chosen language, and take a few lessons before the practical test.
• Keep a copy of your foreign licence and translation before you hand the original in.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Official links

In your plan

• Exchange a non-EU driving licence before six monthsAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 2 Feb 2027.