If you hold a driving licence from a state that is not a member of the EU or the EEA, this licence will be valid for six months after you have established your normal residence in the Federal Republic of Germany. After this period, your driving licence will no longer be recognized.

If you wish to continue driving or riding a vehicle on domestic roads, you will then require a driving licence issued in the Federal Republic of Germany. The conditions governing the issuing of a German driving licence vary depending on which country you obtained your licence in. For more information on how to obtain a German driving licence, and the conditions that have to be met, you should contact your local driver licensing authority in good time. In exceptional cases, the driver licensing authority may, upon request, extend the deadline by up to six months if you can prove to their satisfaction that you will not have your normal residence in the Federal Republic of Germany for longer than 12 months.

Driving or riding a motor vehicle with a foreign driving licence that is not or no longer recognized here will be treated as driving without a driving licence and penalized accordingly.