You registered in Germany. You stayed a while. You’re still here. Now you want to exchange the driver’s licence from your home country for a German one. But… oh my… more than six months have gone by since you moved to Berlin (or Frankfurt, or Munich, or wherever). It says you are supposed to exchange it for a German one within 6 months of taking up residence in Germany. So will they refuse to exchange it?
Luckily this is a quick one to answer. No, they won’t refuse to exchange it. At best, you might get a dirty look or a lecture.
The six-month rule applies to your foreign license and whether you can continue to drive in Germany with it or not. Let’s say you have a valid Australian driver’s licence, set to expire in 2021. Let’s say you registered your address in January 2017 and didn’t get around to exchanging your car licence, and now it’s the end of 2018.
If you go back to Australia you can continue to use this license. You can even use it in other countries. It doesn’t lose its general validity after six months of you being in Germany. But since you’re a resident in Germany now, it won’t be recognised as valid in Germany by authorities after July/August 2017. So if you are still driving with this foreign licence well into 2018, you will run into troubles if you get pulled over by a cop. But the employee at the Bürgeramt responsible for exchanging your vehicle license for a German one can still do that for you. So do it ASAP, before you get pulled over by a cop. You can get help with the process here.
Need to get your driver’s license translated before you submit the application? Send us a scan.
Dear Kathleen,
Youv been so kind to help so many out there. really appreciate your social efforts.
I have a tricky question. While some resources/websites say the ‘6 Month validity is from entry Germany and few sites quote ‘6 months from residence status’. As you know the residence status takes another 1-2 months to establish after landing in the country so my question is that if clock starts from landing date or the one mentioned in the Blue card (registration date)
regards,
Singh
I am not 100% sure, but my educated guess would be “the date you registered your address in Germany” because that’s the date you became a German resident. Maybe your permit got granted a month later, but that probably won’t interest the police officer that pulls you over.
Thank you Kathleen. That helps and I would also visit the Bürgeramt to get their feedback. Appreciate your answer.
Hallo, Could you please help me. I have moved to Germany and am needing to change my drivers license, it’s from Queensland, Australia. Do I need any sort of paperwork from the Queensland transport department or is my physical license enough proof?
Your physical license is all you need from Queensland Transport, providing it’s still valid. Hello, fellow Queenslander! Cheers, Kathleen
Hello,
I come from India and I can drive 4 wheeler(Car) in India but I don’t have driving licence yet, I am thinking of going back to India and get driving licence in October 2019.
I came to Germany for studies in 2016 October, can i still exchange the drivers licence, since its already exceeding 6months ?
What is you suggestion and recommendation.
Hi Razz, you can’t exchange a driver’s license obtained overseas if you were registered in Germany when you got the license. You have to be overseas for at least 6 months. You can read more about this here. Cheers, Kathleen
Hi!
I applied for a driving license exchange last year and was given a paper that permits me to pass a theoretical exam. Unfortunately I have waited for too long and my driving license expires in one month. I will go to the theoretical exam before that and if I pass I should be give the permission for a practical exam, but I will be able to go to this exam already after the expiration date of my driving license. Will I still be able to get the German driving license in exchange of my old ones after this or I will have to apply all the docs and study anew as if to receive the German driving license from the scratch?
Thank you!
You can’t convert an expired driver’s licence. It has to be valid when you submit it for exchange. -Kathleen
Dear Kathleen,
Once I have exchanged/converted my foreign licence for the German one, I heard that the foreign licence will be sent back to its issuing authority. Is this true? If I decide to return to my country after let’s say 5 years of residence in Germany, how do I get back my foreign license (it has unlimited expiry)?
Thanks in advance!
Best regards,
Angela
Hi Angela,
You don’t get it back, you exchange it for the German one, which also has unlimited expiry. If you go back to your home country, you can exchange your German one for a new license when you get there.
Kathleen