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Transfer of a foreign driving licence
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Transfer of a foreign driving licence

With a foreign driving licence, you may drive in Germany six months after your first registration. After that, you must transfer your driving licence.

Contact points & appointment

Course description

Important:

If you hold a driving licence issued in an EU or EEA country (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway), different requirements apply, which are described in detail under the heading ‘Applying for a conversion of an EU/EEA driving licence’.

You can submit the application in person. ​

Prerequisites

You are registered as having your main residence in Munich.

Required documents

For all foreign driving licences and licence categories:

  • Identity card or passport
  • Biometric passport photo
  • Original foreign driving licence (must still be valid at the time of conversion)
  • Translation of the foreign driving licence
  • Translations are available, for example, from motoring organisations or publicly appointed and sworn translators
  • Proof of how long you have held the foreign driving licence (not required if the duration of possession is stated on the licence itself)
  • Proof that you have passed the driving test, if this is required for the issue of the class(es) applied for
  • Confirmation of your first registration in Germany in the form of an extended registration certificate (not required if your first registration took place in Munich and you have been a permanent resident here ever since)

Additional documents for countries not listed in Annex 11

Important note: For driving licences from countries not listed in Annex 11 of the Driving Licence Regulation, further evidence and additional steps are usually required.

In many cases, the following is also required:

  • Confirmation from a driving school
  • Registration for the compulsory theory and practical tests
  • Further supporting documents depending on your driving licence category

Additional documents by driving licence category:

Categories A, A1, A2, AM, B, BE, L, T:

  • Eye test
  • First aid certificate

Categories C and CE:

  • Eye examination
  • Medical certificate confirming fitness to drive
  • First aid certificate​

Note on the validity period of certificates:

Must not be more than one year old at the time of application:

  • Medical examination to assess fitness for work
  • Medical examination to assess fitness for driving carried out by an officially recognised medical centre for driving fitness or by an occupational health doctor

Must not be more than two years old at the time of application:

  • Eye test carried out by an ophthalmologist or optician
  • Examination of eyesight by an ophthalmologist or an occupational health doctor

No time limit:

  • First aid training

Duration and costs

Processing time

The processing time currently takes up to 14 weeks from the date your documents are submitted in full. This period also includes the time taken by the Federal Printing Office to produce the driving licence. For online applications, you will receive a confirmation of receipt and can track the status via your online account.

Fees and charges

  • examination-free, without a probationary period: 37.50 euros
  • examination-free, with a probationary period: 38.30 euros
  • subject to an examination, without a probationary period: 45.10 euros
  • subject to examination, with a probationary period: 45.90 euros

Applicable questions can only be answered individually upon presentation of the driving licence.

Available payment methods

Questions & Answers

In Germany, converting a foreign driving licence issued by countries outside the EU and the EEA into a German driving licence requires you to pass both the theory and practical driving tests.

An exception to this applies to the so-called Annex 11 countries; if one of the countries listed in Annex 11 has issued a driving licence of a category listed there, a German driving licence can be obtained without having to sit any tests.

However, the intergovernmental agreement between the Annex 11 countries and Germany, and even the possession of a driving licence from one of these countries, is not in itself a guarantee of conversion without having to sit an exam.

A conversion is also not possible if the temporary driving licence has expired or if it was renewed whilst the applicant’s centre of life (‘ordinary residence’) was already in Germany.

Information on collection:​

    • You must hand over your foreign driving licence when you receive your German card-style driving licence.
    • If a theory or practical test is required, we will inform your driving school as soon as we have received the card driving licence. The driving school can then register you for the test. Once you have passed the test, you can collect your new driving licence from us.

    Legal basis

    Driving Licence Ordinance
    Road Traffic Act

    Links and downloads

    Contact Us

    Führerscheinstelle

    Make an appointment

    Internet address

    Phone number

    Postal address

    Führerscheinstelle

    Eichstätter Straße 2
    80686 München

    Fax: +49 89 233-68757

    Contact address

    Garmischer Straße 19-21
    81373 München

    Lagehinweis: 21

    By appointment only

    Availability

    • Barrier-free access
    • Parking for disabled people

    How to find us

    Public transport