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If you have landed on this article, then you might have already driven on the German Autobahn or you want to drive on it. That feeling of driving without any speed limit is something out of this world. In order to get this feeling, you need a German driving license.
Today, we will explain everything you need to know about a German driving license. If the driving license from your country is valid in Germany or not. If it is not Valid then how you can convert your license or maybe make a new one from the scratch. Beside all these steps, we will also tell you how much all this costs in Euros.
If you are from a country that follows the reciprocity agreement with Germany, you can simply exchange your foreign license with a German one.
Take the appointment and visit the driving license office in your registered city.
Make sure to take necessary documents with you i.e., photographs, foreign license, German translated license, etc.
Submit the document and get your German license. In case you are from a country that doesn’t follow the reciprocity agreement, you will have to get admitted to a driving school, take a first aid course and eye test, and submit the necessary documents.
After verification of your documents, you will have to take theoretical and practical driving exams. Once you pass these exams, you will get your German driving license. However, the procedure is quite costly as you will have to pay the high fees of exams and driving school as well.
Before taking a driving exam, you need to learn driving from a driving school. Make sure to find the best one to get yourself well-prepared.
While searching for a driving school, make sure to check some necessary things about the school. Check on the school ratings and reviews. You can use google to read the customer reviews about the school. Most important of all, check whether they are offering teachings in English or not.
Also, check how much cost will you have to pay for the lessons. Is the cost affordable to you?
Keep these things in mind and find the best driving school in your city to get enrolled.
Before going through the procedure you need to follow to get a German driving license, make sure that your budget allows you to follow it. You need to have a good amount of money in your pocket if you want to get a German driving license. Particularly if you are not able to follow the reciprocity agreement, the exam will cost you very high. Including the training and exam pay, the Germans typically have to pay 1500 to 2500 euros.
However, the cost varies with the area. If you are residing in the northern part of Germany, you will have to pay less. The southern part of Germany is a bit more expensive. Following is a rough estimate of the total administration cost you will have to pay for getting a German driving license.
Driving school fee is separate and this will depend on the school you will choose to get admission to.
Here is the quick guide for how to use this calculator
Note: Ensure numerical inputs and remember that the calculator does not save data upon refreshing or leaving the page.
| Administrative Cost | Unit Price | Total | |
| Registration at the Führerschein Stelle | X | € | € |
| First Aid Course | X | € | € |
| Eye Test | X | € | € |
| Total Administrative Cost: | € | ||
| Driving School Cost | Unit Price | Total | |
| Basic Fee including Learning App | Quantity X | € | € |
| Special Driving Lessons | Hours X | € | € |
| Normal Driving lessons | Hours X | € | € |
| Total Administrative Cost of School: | € | ||
| Theory Exam Cost | Unit Price | Total | |
| Thoery exam TÜV Fee | Attempts X | € | € |
| Introduction to theory exam (School) | Attempts X | € | € |
| Total Thoery Exam Cost: | € | ||
| Practical Exam Cost | Unit Price | Total | |
| Practical exam TÜV Fee | Attempts X | € | € |
| Introduction to Practical exam (School) | Attempts X | € | € |
| Total Practical Exam Cost: | € | ||
| Total License Cost: | € | ||
| Refresh this page for reset | |||
The validity of a foreign driving license in Germany varies from country to country. Spot your country from the following categories to follow the relevant procedure.
If you have a license from any of the EU/EAA countries, then you don’t need to read this article at all. Germany validates your license until its date of expiration. However, the renewal of this license can’t take place in Germany. It can only be renewed in the country it was issued.
In case you have a driving license from a non-EU/EAA country, you will have only six months to use your previous driving license in Germany. Once you get your registered address in Germany, you will have six months to use your foreign license.
If you are from one of those countries that follow the reciprocal agreement, then you can exchange your foreign license easily with a German one. There will be no need to take a driving exam at all. All you need to do is to hand in your previous license to authorities and get a class B German driving license. Many countries follow the reciprocity agreement with Germany. These countries include Japan, Israel, Canada, Namibia, New Zealand, Switzerland, South Africa, and many others.
If you are from the US, then the state you belong to will decide the procedure you need to follow to get a German Driving License. Some states of the US follow partial reciprocity such as Florida, Indiana, Oregon, Mississippi, and Nebraska. In this case, you will only have to take the theoretical driving test. In this case, you will only have to take the theoretical driving exam. There will be no need for the practical one.
The other case is you are from a US state with full reciprocity i.e., Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Ohio, etc. In this case, you can simply get your old license exchanged with the new German driving license.
If you are from a country or a US state that doesn’t follow the reciprocal agreement, you need to take a driving exam (theoretical and practical). A lot of your time and money is required in this case.
You can get your German driving license in two ways depending upon the previous driving license you have. Both of these methods to get a German driving license are elaborated here in detail. Choose the one that applies to you and follow it to get your driving license in Germany.
