Driving licence
How long your US licence is valid
If you take up your ordinary residence in Germany, a licence issued outside the EU/EEA remains valid for six months (§ 29 (1) FeV). On request the licence authority can extend by up to six months if you show that you will stay no longer than twelve months (§ 29). A US licence needs a translation or an international driving permit (§ 29 (2) FeV); there is no exception for the US.
We found no fixed later deadline in § 29 or § 31 for conversion; after six months you may not drive on the US licence. Convert early.
Conversion (§ 31 FeV, Anlage 11)
For states listed in Anlage 11 FeV there is no driving school and no practical test; whether you need a theory test depends on the state. Only the car class (B) is converted from the listed classes. Learner permits are not converted.
| Group | US states (as listed in Anlage 11) |
|---|---|
| No tests (apart from paperwork) | 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, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming |
| Theory test, no practical test | Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee |
| Not listed | Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont |
- Eyesight proof is still required for Indiana, Minnesota, Oregon and Texas (footnote 7 of Anlage 11).
- Not-listed states: as we read § 31 (2), the driving-school requirement is waived but you must take the theory and practical test. Confirm with the authority.
- You hand in the US licence; it is stored or returned. Stored licences may be destroyed after three years (§ 31 (4)). You also declare that the licence is still valid (§ 31 (3)).
- The licence may not be a learner or provisional licence (§ 29 (3)).
- Authority in Berlin: the licence office of the Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO); check appointment, fee and documents on service.berlin.de.
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