Convert your driving licence
Converting a non-EU/EEA driving licence to a German one is called Umschreibung and is handled by your local driving-licence authority (Fahrerlaubnisbehörde, often called the Führerscheinstelle) under Anlage 11 of the Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung (FeV). Anlage 11 is a country list: for each listed third country it states whether a licence can be exchanged with no test, theory only, practical only, or both. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh do not appear on that list at all. All three are therefore treated identically as unlisted third countries, and you must pass BOTH the German theory and practical exams to convert. If you have read that India enjoys a partial, state-by-state exchange, that is not correct — India is absent from Anlage 11 exactly like the other two. The rule for driving after arrival is also the same for all three: 6 months, extendable once to 12.
Exchange agreement: None. India is not listed in Anlage 11 FeV.
An Indian licence cannot be swapped for a German one, and it does not qualify for a partial exchange either. Because India is absent from Anlage 11, converting it requires passing BOTH the German theory exam (Theorieprüfung) and the practical driving exam (praktische Fahrprüfung). The German Federal Foreign Office puts it plainly: holders "will be asked to pass a full theoretical and practical driving test". This is a federal rule, not something an individual office decides. The one genuine relief is that the statutory minimum number of Fahrschule lessons is waived — you still register with a driving school, but only for the exams and whatever practice you actually want.
Under §29 FeV, a non-EU/EEA foreign licence — Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi — is valid for driving in Germany for 6 months from the date you take up ordinary residence (ordentlicher Wohnsitz), which generally means your Anmeldung, not your date of entry. That window can be extended ONCE by up to a further 6 months, to a maximum of 12, if you apply to the Führerscheinstelle and credibly show your stay will not exceed 12 months. During the valid window you must carry your original foreign licence together with EITHER an International Driving Permit (IDP) OR an official certified German translation (ADAC/ACE, a home-country authority, or a sworn translator — vereidigter Übersetzer); police and car-rental staff do ask for it. Once the window expires your foreign licence is no longer valid on German roads regardless of its printed expiry date, and you need the German licence — which for all three countries means having passed both exams. Start the Umschreibung early: appointments and exam slots routinely take longer than the window itself.
The §29 FeV clock starts the day you take up ordinary residence, which in practice is your Anmeldung — not the day you landed.
Documents vary by city, the two exams do not. The list below is the one every Führerscheinstelle asks for. Wait times, appointment systems and the odd extra form differ between offices — check your own city’s page before you go, and take the checklist with you.
You have to pass the theory exam — start it now, it is free
30 questions, 45 minutes, scored in Fehlerpunkte: you fail above 10, and two wrong 5-point questions fail you even at exactly 10. Our trainer has 350 original practice questions with explanations, all 150 road signs in English, and a mock that enforces both fail rules. No login, progress saved in your browser.
The process
- 1Register your address (Anmeldung). Your Indian licence lets you drive for up to 6 months from establishing residence, extendable once to 12. Carry an International Driving Permit or a certified German translation.
- 2Before that window expires, apply for Umschreibung at your local Fahrerlaubnisbehörde / Führerscheinstelle.
- 3Submit the shared documents plus a certified German translation of the Indian licence confirming validity and categories.
- 4Complete an Erste-Hilfe-Kurs (first-aid course) and a Sehtest (eye test).
- 5Enrol with a Fahrschule to be registered for the exams. You are exempt from the compulsory minimum lesson hours, so you take only as many lessons as you want.
- 6Pass the theory exam — 30 questions at TÜV or DEKRA, available in English in most states.
- 7Pass the practical driving exam with an examiner.
- 8On passing both, surrender the Indian licence and receive the German one.
Documents
- Valid original foreign driving licence
- Photocopy of the foreign licence
- Certified German translation of the licence (ADAC/ACE or a sworn translator — vereidigter Übersetzer) confirming validity and categories
- Valid passport or national ID card (or German residence permit)
- Meldebescheinigung / Anmeldebestätigung (proof of registered German address)
- Recent biometric passport photo (35 × 45 mm)
- Sehtest — eye test certificate from an optician or eye doctor
- Erste-Hilfe-Kurs — certificate of a completed first-aid course
- Application form for the Fahrerlaubnisbehörde / Führerscheinstelle, plus your appointment confirmation
- Conversion fee of roughly 35–45 € (commonly cited: 37,50 €), plus separate TÜV/DEKRA exam fees and Fahrschule fees — all three countries incur these, because all three require the two exams
India is not in the test-exempt or partial-exchange group of Anlage 11 — it is not in Anlage 11 at all. Both exams are required, for everyone.
The "state-by-state variation" story (Bavaria strict, Berlin sometimes waives the theory) does not hold. Wait times and paperwork differ between offices; the two-exam requirement does not.
The claim that Indian Armed Forces licences are recognised without testing has no basis in Anlage 11 and could not be confirmed in any official German source. Treat it as incorrect.
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey and every other unlisted third country are handled the same way (source: ADAC).
The real relief is exemption from the statutory minimum Fahrschule hours — no compulsory night or motorway lessons — not exemption from either exam.
Where this comes from
- india.diplo.de — German Federal Foreign Office, India: Indian licences are not simply exchanged; holders "will be asked to pass a full theoretical and practical driving test"; 6-month rule
- gesetze-im-internet.de — official Anlage 11 FeV Staatenliste; India, Pakistan and Bangladesh do not appear
- buzer.de — full Anlage 11 text; confirmed none of the three is listed
- adac.de — ADAC: unlisted third countries must take both exams; mandatory Fahrschule hours waived; 6-month validity with a one-time 6-month extension
- bmv.de — German Federal Ministry of Transport: validity of foreign licences and the §29 FeV 6+6 month rule
- bmv.de — BMV fact sheet for non-EU/EEA licence holders (Anlage 11 categories)
- stuttgart.de — Stuttgart official Umschreibung service page
- service.berlin.de — Berlin official Anlage 11 / Drittstaat Umschreibung service page
- hamburg.com — Hamburg official: non-EU licence transfer, document list, validity rule
Last updated: 2026-08-03
Both exams means the theory exam. Start it now.
The theory test is the part you can prepare for free, today, before you have an appointment or a Fahrschule. It is 30 questions scored by error points, sittable in English, and it gates the practical exam. With a 6-month clock running from your Anmeldung (§29 FeV), it is the wrong thing to leave until you have the paperwork.
Common questions
Is an Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi driving licence valid in Germany?
All three are, for six months from the day you take up ordinary residence (§29 FeV), carried together with an International Driving Permit or a certified German translation. That window can be extended once by up to six more months. After it expires the foreign licence is no longer valid on German roads whatever its printed expiry date, and only a German licence will do.
Do I have to take both exams to convert my licence?
Yes, for India, Pakistan and Bangladesh alike — none of them is listed in Anlage 11 FeV, so all are treated as unlisted third countries and both the theory and the practical exam are required. The relief is that the statutory minimum number of Fahrschule lessons is waived: you register with a driving school to be entered for the exams and buy only the lessons you need.
What does the Umschreibung cost?
The conversion fee itself is roughly 35–45 € (about 37.50 € is the figure most Führerscheinstellen quote). On top come the TÜV/DEKRA exam fees, the Fahrschule's registration and lesson charges, a first-aid course and an eye test. Budget for the exams, not just the paperwork.
Conversion rules verified against Anlage 11 FeV, §29 FeV, ADAC and the German Federal Foreign Office. Theory-trainer content verified 2026-08-03. Every euro figure on this page is an indicative fee published by Führerscheinstellen, TÜV/DEKRA and Fahrschulen rather than a statutory amount — last verified 2026-08-03, and your own Behörde’s Gebührenbescheid is the binding number.
Original practice questions — not the amtlicher Fragenkatalog. Every question, sign description and scenario here is written by us and covers the same StVO rules as the official Klasse B test. We are not TÜV, DEKRA or a Fahrschule, and we do not reproduce the official catalogue. Road signs themselves are amtliche Werke (StVO Anlage 1–3). Rules checked against StVO and FeV on 2026-08-03.
Last updated: 2026-08-03