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Swapping your licence in Germany: the six-month clock and the Anlage-11 shortcut

By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026

Germany's rules sit in the Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung (FeV). Per § 29: a foreign licence lets you drive in Germany while you have no ordinary residence here — but once you take up ordinary residence, a non-EU/EEA licence stays valid only six more months (the authority can extend up to six further months on application). EU/EEA licences continue under § 28 with no exchange needed. For conversions, § 31 lets holders of licences from Anlage-11-listed states skip the theory and practical tests and the medical checks.

The six-month clock

FeV § 29 states the sequence: holders of a foreign licence may drive in Germany wenn sie hier keinen ordentlichen Wohnsitz haben — while no ordinary residence exists here. The moment residence is established, an EU/EEA licence keeps working under § 28, but for any other licence besteht die Berechtigung noch sechs Monate — six months of validity remain, extendable by the licensing authority by up to six further months on application. Miss the window and you're driving unlicensed in German law's eyes.

Source: FeV § 29 — gesetze-im-internet.de, read 11 September 2026.

The Anlage-11 shortcut

§ 31 is the good news: for licences issued by a state and class listed in Anlage 11, the conversion drops the heavy machinery — the medical examination rules, the theory and practical examinations (die Befähigungsprüfung nach Maßgabe der Anlage 11) and the training requirements are expressly disapplied. Listed states (many US states among them, class-dependent) swap paperwork for paperwork; unlisted ones mean German theory and practical tests, in German or via interpreter, before the Fahrerlaubnis issues.

Source: FeV § 31 — gesetze-im-internet.de, read 11 September 2026.

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Running the exchange, and the matrix abroad

The application runs through your local Führerscheinstelle: identity documents, residence registration, the foreign licence (translation where demanded), biometric photo, and — outside Anlage-11 comfort — test bookings through a driving school. Start early inside the six-month window. The same exercise elsewhere: Portugal's 90-day exchange clocks, Spain's canje, and the UK-licence rules in France — with the IDP only ever a translation aid, never a substitute. Once you hold the German licence, the TÜV rhythm takes over the car side.

Source: FeV §§ 28–31 — gesetze-im-internet.de, read 11 September 2026.

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Common questions

How long can I drive in Germany on a foreign licence?

Without German residence: within your licence's scope. After taking up ordinary residence: EU/EEA licences continue under § 28; all others keep six months' validity per § 29, extendable up to six more on application.

Do Americans have to retake the driving test?

Depends on the issuing state: Anlage-11-listed states and classes skip the theory and practical tests and medical checks under § 31; unlisted states mean full German testing.

Does an International Driving Permit change the deadline?

No — the IDP is a translation companion to the underlying licence and doesn't extend the § 29 six-month clock after residence.

What happens if I miss the six months?

The foreign licence stops being valid for driving in Germany; you're then in application-and-testing territory rather than exchange territory, and driving meanwhile is an offence.

Keep reading

Licence exchange in PortugalSpain's canje de permisoTÜV in Germany