Driving licence translation – certified for converting your licence in Germany

Key facts at a glance

• ✓Driving licences from the EU, the European Economic Area and Switzerland do not need a translation in Germany
• ✓Once you are resident in Germany, a licence from a country outside the EU and EEA remains valid for only six months – then it is time to convert it
• ✓Many driving licence authorities accept translations by court-appointed and sworn translators – ask beforehand
• ✓No-obligation quote with a fixed price and delivery date based on a photo or scan
• ✓For driving in Japan, you need a translation by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) – we cannot produce it

When do I have to have my foreign driving licence translated?

You need a translation if your driving licence was not issued in German and does not come from the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. This is set out in Section 29(2) of the Driving Licence Regulation (Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung, FeV). Also exempt are driving licences that follow the standard model in Annex 6 of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic and cases in which Germany has waived the translation requirement.

The deadline is crucial. As long as you do not have your normal residence in Germany, you may drive with your foreign driving licence within the scope of your entitlement. If you move to Germany, a licence from a country outside the EU and EEA remains valid for six months (Section 29(1) FeV). On application, the driving licence authority (Fahrerlaubnisbehörde) can extend this period by up to six months if you can credibly show that you will not be resident here for longer than twelve months. If you stay, you have your licence converted: the authority then issues a German driving licence on the basis of the foreign one.

Different rules apply to driving licences from EU and EEA countries: in principle, you may continue to drive with them even after moving to Germany (Section 28 FeV).

Who is allowed to translate a driving licence for German authorities?

According to Section 29(2) FeV, the translation must come from an internationally recognised automobile club of the issuing country or from a body designated by the Federal Ministry of Transport. The driving licence authorities name these bodies in their information sheets. The City of Cologne, for example, lists: German automobile clubs such as the General German Automobile Club (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club, ADAC), internationally recognised automobile clubs and official bodies of the issuing country, as well as court-appointed and generally sworn interpreters and translators.

Our translators are authorised by the court (gerichtlich ermächtigt). This is the term used for the admission of translators in North Rhine-Westphalia; interpreters there are generally sworn (allgemein beeidigt). A simple translation without certification, for example by friends or acquaintances, is generally not sufficient.

How does converting a foreign driving licence with a translation work?

You apply for the conversion at the driving licence authority where you live and submit the translation there together with your foreign driving licence. The licence must still be valid when you apply. Whether you have to take tests depends on the issuing country: if it is listed in Annex 11 of the FeV for your licence category, you are fully or partially exempt from the tests. For other countries, only the training requirements are waived – you then generally take the theory and practical tests (Section 31 FeV).

1. 01
   Ask the authority

   Check with your driving licence authority which translation it accepts and whether it needs a classification.

2. 02
   Send your driving licence

   photo or scan of the front and back via our enquiry form, by email or via WhatsApp.

3. 03
   Receive a quote

   fixed price and delivery date, without obligation and before any costs arise.

4. 04
   Submit the translation

   The certified translation arrives as an original by post or is ready for collection in Mülheim an der Ruhr. You submit it to the authority together with your driving licence.

For the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) or naturalisation, you often need further documents. We translate birth and marriage certificates as part of the same order – find out more on our pages birth certificate translation and marriage certificate translation.

Driving licence translation from the ADAC or a translation agency?

Whether you have your driving licence translated by the ADAC or by a translation agency depends on what your driving licence authority requires. The ADAC offers driving licence translations with classification through its regional clubs. RAGUNATHAN provides a certified translation by authorised translators. If your authority accepts it, this is particularly practical in the following cases:

• if you need to have other documents translated and want everything from a single source,
• if your driving licence was issued in a less common language or script – we work with over 1,000 language professionals for 170 languages and dialects,
• if you would like to drop off your documents in person and without an appointment in Mülheim an der Ruhr.

If your authority requires a classification, the ADAC, for example, is the right place to go. We will also tell you this openly if you ask us.

Do I need a translation of my German driving licence abroad?

For many countries outside the EU, the right document is not a translation but the International Driving Permit – it is issued by the driving licence authority, not by a translation agency. The International Driving Permit is only valid together with your national driving licence. If a foreign body nevertheless requires a certified translation into English or another language, we will be happy to produce it; however, it does not replace an International Driving Permit. For English translations at short notice, we offer our express certified English translation.

Special case Japan: translation only by the JAF

Japan does not recognise the German International Driving Permit. According to the German Embassy in Tokyo, anyone wishing to drive there without being resident needs a Japanese translation of their German driving licence and may then drive for one year from entry. You must carry the driving licence and the translation together. The translation is produced by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF); in Germany, you order it via the ADAC, which works with the JAF for this purpose. The German Embassy does not produce translations.

To be completely honest: we cannot produce this translation for you, because a certified translation from a translation agency does not replace it. We will gladly translate other documents for your stay in Japan, for example into English.

How much does it cost to have a driving licence translated?

The cost of a driving licence translation depends on the language, length, certification and delivery time – you receive a fixed price in advance in our no-obligation quote. A driving licence is usually a short document. More work is involved with non-Latin scripts, with many category entries and restrictions on the back or with additional certificates from the issuing authority. If you have several documents translated, you will receive a combined quote.

Request a quote for my driving licence translation

Why RAGUNATHAN?

• Since 1986

  Certified translations for driving licence, immigration and naturalisation authorities.

• Honest advice

  We tell you openly when a different body is responsible – for example for the translation for Japan.

• 170 languages and dialects

  Over 1,000 language professionals, including for rare languages and non-Latin scripts.

• ISO 9001:2015

  Processes certified by TÜV SÜD; the owner is a member of the BDÜ – the Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators.

Not sure which translation your authority requires? Call us on +49 208 99 04 77 (Mon–Fri 8:30 am – 4:30 pm) – we will advise you free of charge.