Getting a German driving license cheaply
March 28, 2018 6:09 PM Subscribe
I'm moving to Germany in October. My state (California), does not have reciprocity with Germany for driver's licenses. Which means I'll have to spend upwards of €2000 to obtain one. Are there any legal ways that I could get a license from a state that does have reciprocity?
You are not my lawyer. Nothing you say here constitutes legal advice.
Having a driver's license from a state with reciprocity means I will just have to pay basic fees, and won't have to take any tests.
The relocation specialist I'm working with (in Germany) suggested that I would have a better time of things if I could get a license from a state that has reciprocity (see the list halfway down here. She kind of implied that she's worked with people who have done it, but won't give details.
I could establish residency in another state, but I don't know what the tax implications would be. I would also still need to live here in CA. Are there any states that allow you to get a license if you are not a resident? Does anyone have any advice on how I could this?
You are not my lawyer. Nothing you say here constitutes legal advice.
Having a driver's license from a state with reciprocity means I will just have to pay basic fees, and won't have to take any tests.
The relocation specialist I'm working with (in Germany) suggested that I would have a better time of things if I could get a license from a state that has reciprocity (see the list halfway down here. She kind of implied that she's worked with people who have done it, but won't give details.
I could establish residency in another state, but I don't know what the tax implications would be. I would also still need to live here in CA. Are there any states that allow you to get a license if you are not a resident? Does anyone have any advice on how I could this?
Do you know anyone living in any of those states? Depending on the state (but inmost) you need valid gov I’d and then can use mailed bank statements for proof of address. This should be fairly easy to do (plus a dmv trip). However I have no clue about tax implications and you might need to retitle your car (or deal with changing insurance) which may end up being a wash in cost and hassle to the €2000. If you don’t own a car I can see this being worth it.
posted by raccoon409 at 6:52 PM on March 28, 2018
posted by raccoon409 at 6:52 PM on March 28, 2018
Response by poster: The link you posted says that you have to have had a license from a state with reciprocity for at least 185 days and perhaps up to five years. I suspect you're out of luck.
My official first day in Germany is Oct. 29, which is 215 days away. So there’s some wiggle room.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 7:54 PM on March 28, 2018
My official first day in Germany is Oct. 29, which is 215 days away. So there’s some wiggle room.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 7:54 PM on March 28, 2018
AZ licenses don’t require proof of address, that’s why they aren’t going to be valid for airport travel once the full real id kicks in.
There is a real id compatible license in AZ which does require address proof (and an extra fee) so I suppose it’s possible the reciprocity only works with that version.
posted by nat at 9:23 PM on March 28, 2018
There is a real id compatible license in AZ which does require address proof (and an extra fee) so I suppose it’s possible the reciprocity only works with that version.
posted by nat at 9:23 PM on March 28, 2018
Best answer: I was in this same situation a handful of years ago. Got an ‘international’ driver’s license from AAA ‘cause we maybe weren’t going to stay. Year plus later it looked like we were staying and we kinda ignored the license thing until my wife lost the right to drive for a combination of the license thing and a speeding ticket.
We transferred to a state with reciprocity but then they wanted to see our old licenses to check we hadn’t been driving two months - mine had expired and so I’d (stupidly) thrown it away. My wife hadn’t. I had to pass the written and practical tests.
I think it cost me about 500euro (books, fees and instructor)- I drove with the instructor for an hour before the test so he was confident I’d pass. The written test is undeciferable and after going through the whole online course and then failing the written exam, I did what they suggested and simply memorized all the questions and answers (CD with sample tests makes it possible to take the test 100 times). BUT I learned a lot going through the bloody textbook. It was worth it. Driving in Germany is fundamentally different than in the US - it is a privilege and you have to be a grown-up about driving and you’re responsible in a far more consequential way than in the US. And now, knowing all the variations of who has right of way when I don’t get honked at any more and I’m generally more comfortable. Which is worth it if you’re staying for more than a year or two.
1. It’s not necessarily 2000euro, but it’s not cheap.
2. It is worth it, actually, for peace of mind and avoiding crashes/ near misses.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:14 AM on March 29, 2018 [12 favorites]
We transferred to a state with reciprocity but then they wanted to see our old licenses to check we hadn’t been driving two months - mine had expired and so I’d (stupidly) thrown it away. My wife hadn’t. I had to pass the written and practical tests.
I think it cost me about 500euro (books, fees and instructor)- I drove with the instructor for an hour before the test so he was confident I’d pass. The written test is undeciferable and after going through the whole online course and then failing the written exam, I did what they suggested and simply memorized all the questions and answers (CD with sample tests makes it possible to take the test 100 times). BUT I learned a lot going through the bloody textbook. It was worth it. Driving in Germany is fundamentally different than in the US - it is a privilege and you have to be a grown-up about driving and you’re responsible in a far more consequential way than in the US. And now, knowing all the variations of who has right of way when I don’t get honked at any more and I’m generally more comfortable. Which is worth it if you’re staying for more than a year or two.
1. It’s not necessarily 2000euro, but it’s not cheap.
2. It is worth it, actually, for peace of mind and avoiding crashes/ near misses.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:14 AM on March 29, 2018 [12 favorites]
Best answer: Seconding From Bklyn that the rules of the road in Europe are significantly different from the US, especially right-of-way. The signs are also pretty different, and (at least to me) they were not particularly intuitive. If you do figure out a way to transfer your US license over there, it's still worth doing some serious self-study or even taking a few hours of driving lessons with an instructor.
posted by Cimrmanova at 5:29 AM on March 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Cimrmanova at 5:29 AM on March 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Thirding the "just take the courses and pass the license in Germany." An American woman I know who moved to France as an adult was going to skip doing this, but her French husband insisted that she take the driving courses there. She felt ridiculous as a forty-year-old in class with seventeen-year-olds, but she admitted many years later that the better instruction and intimate knowledge of the rules of the road had saved her life many times.
posted by Liesl at 6:42 AM on March 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Liesl at 6:42 AM on March 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: You know, I never thought about it from the perspective of, "driving is going to be a very, very different thing in Germany". And I think you all are right. I think it will be smarter for me to go through the education process. Especially if the cost is less. Thanks for turning me around on this.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 10:08 AM on March 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 10:08 AM on March 29, 2018 [5 favorites]
I'm an American who has driven in France, Italy, the UK, Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Germany, and Austria, without anything more than my US driver license, which I passed in Michigan at 16 and then had transferred to Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, Vermont, and back to Massachusetts without ever taking a road test (since I passed the summer driver ed course in Michigan as a 15-year-old, so at most I had to take a written test). I've spent over 5 years of my adult life living in Europe.
I have had no problem driving competently in any of those countries, even in unfamiliar rental cars in places where they drive on the left side of the road. However, I'm also an avid road cyclist, so I've also cycled in most of those countries, and I'm the kind of driver who makes comments about other drivers in the US along the lines of this: "OMG, did you see what that ****** just did? They could have killed us all!" I always use my turn indicators, I scan the road for anything unusual, I never use my phone while driving, etc. I turn off the radio or tell my passengers to shut up when driving gets difficult. In 34 years of driving I have had one speeding ticket (when snow drifted over a speed limit sign on Route 7 going down into New Haven, Vermont), and the only moving accident I've been involved in was the fault of the driver behind me. If I'm tired or frustrated, I get off the road until I've rested or recovered. If I'm not sure where to go and I miss a turn, I just continue until it's possible to turn around, instead of making sudden, unpredictable lane changes that might faze other drivers.
If that's how you drive, you should be fine once you've learned the signs and the local customs. (In France, priority to the right unless you're on a road that has priority is the biggest bugaboo.) If you drive like the stereotypical American, though, a German driving course would be useful. And in any case, you should familiarize yourself with the rules of the road, which do differ from the US. (E.g., when traffic is stopped completely on a highway, both lanes have to pull to the side to create a corridor for emergency vehicles.) It's also important to know the local laws if you are a cyclist, by the way: for example, to be street legal, a German bicycle must have generator-powered headlights and taillights, unless it's a racing bike that weighs under 10 kg (22 lb.), in which case battery lights are OK but required off of the race course—and the police will weigh your bike if they doubt your story.
posted by brianogilvie at 7:57 PM on March 29, 2018
I have had no problem driving competently in any of those countries, even in unfamiliar rental cars in places where they drive on the left side of the road. However, I'm also an avid road cyclist, so I've also cycled in most of those countries, and I'm the kind of driver who makes comments about other drivers in the US along the lines of this: "OMG, did you see what that ****** just did? They could have killed us all!" I always use my turn indicators, I scan the road for anything unusual, I never use my phone while driving, etc. I turn off the radio or tell my passengers to shut up when driving gets difficult. In 34 years of driving I have had one speeding ticket (when snow drifted over a speed limit sign on Route 7 going down into New Haven, Vermont), and the only moving accident I've been involved in was the fault of the driver behind me. If I'm tired or frustrated, I get off the road until I've rested or recovered. If I'm not sure where to go and I miss a turn, I just continue until it's possible to turn around, instead of making sudden, unpredictable lane changes that might faze other drivers.
If that's how you drive, you should be fine once you've learned the signs and the local customs. (In France, priority to the right unless you're on a road that has priority is the biggest bugaboo.) If you drive like the stereotypical American, though, a German driving course would be useful. And in any case, you should familiarize yourself with the rules of the road, which do differ from the US. (E.g., when traffic is stopped completely on a highway, both lanes have to pull to the side to create a corridor for emergency vehicles.) It's also important to know the local laws if you are a cyclist, by the way: for example, to be street legal, a German bicycle must have generator-powered headlights and taillights, unless it's a racing bike that weighs under 10 kg (22 lb.), in which case battery lights are OK but required off of the race course—and the police will weigh your bike if they doubt your story.
posted by brianogilvie at 7:57 PM on March 29, 2018
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posted by postel's law at 6:42 PM on March 28, 2018