Fahrschule S.U.V. in Düsseldorf Oberbilk

Swapping your foreign licence for a German one in Düsseldorf

Whether you simply exchange your licence or have to take a test first depends on the country that issued it. We work out which applies to you and help you with whatever part of the process you need to do.

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Four languages: German, English, Arabic, Berber

The short version

What does converting a licence mean?

Converting means swapping your foreign driving licence for a German one. You hand your licence in at the driving licence office (Straßenverkehrsamt), and it issues you an EU photocard licence. Whether you need to take a test along the way isn't up to the driving school or the person handling your file. It depends on the country that issued your licence.

If you have a valid licence from the EU or the EEA, you don't need to do anything at all. You can drive with it in Germany for as long as it's valid, and you only need to exchange it once it expires or if you'd simply prefer a German one. A licence from outside the EU is different. In that case you have six months, counted from the day you take up ordinary residence in Germany.

Three situations, three routes

EU or EEA: stays valid for as long as the document does. You can exchange it, but usually you don't need to.
Country with special status: conversion with no test, with only a theory test or with only a practical test, depending on the country and the class
All other countries: a theory test and a practical test, but without the compulsory lessons
The deadline: six months from when you take up ordinary residence in Germany, if your licence isn't from the EU or the EEA
What's always the same: you apply through the driving licence office, not through the driving school
What we do: work out your case, help you get your documents in order and prepare you for any tests you need

Requirements

What you need to convert your licence

You apply at the driving licence office in Düsseldorf at Höherweg 101. The exact documents depend on the country that issued your licence, but you'll almost always need the ones below.

Your driving licence: The original. Bring it along when we first meet, because we can't assess your case without it. When you convert, the office usually keeps it.
ID and residence permit: Your ID card or passport, and your residence permit if you need one.
Eye test and passport photo: You'll always need a biometric passport photo. You'll need an eye test (Sehtest) from an optician if the country that issued your licence isn't on the country list in the Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung, the German driving licence regulations. For some countries on the list, the office still asks for an eye test.
Translation: Licences from outside the EU usually need a certified translation. This can be done by a sworn translator or by a recognised motoring club from the country that issued the licence.
First-aid course: You need a first-aid course (Erste-Hilfe-Kurs) if the country that issued your licence isn't on the country list in the Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung.
Language: The law allows the theory test in German or in 14 foreign languages. Which of them TÜV Rheinland offers in Düsseldorf is shown on TÜV Rheinland's website (Source: tuv.com, opens in a new tab).

Step by step

How converting your licence works

The first step decides everything that follows. That's why we don't start with a registration. We start by looking at your licence.

Step 01
We look at your licence
We check which country issued it, the class, the date of issue and whether it's still valid. That tells us whether a straight exchange is enough or whether you'll need a test. If your case is clear, we'll tell you straight away. If it isn't, we'll tell you that too, rather than guess.
Step 02
Getting your documents together
You get a list for your exact case: licence, ID, passport photo, eye test, and a translation and first-aid course if you need them. If you hand everything in at once, you won't need a second appointment at the office.
Step 03
Applying at the driving licence office
You make the application yourself at the driving licence office in Düsseldorf at Höherweg 101. Our page about the licence application explains how it works. The office decides on your case and, if a test is needed, asks the TÜV to test you.
Step 04
Preparing for any tests
If you need the theory test, you learn the German question catalogue with us. If you need the practical test, we give you as many lessons as you need and focus on what's different here from where you learned to drive.
Step 05
Your German licence
Once the office has made its decision, and you've passed any tests you needed, you get your EU photocard licence. The office usually keeps your old licence.

Theory

Theory only if you have a test to take

There are no compulsory lessons when you convert a licence. So instead of sitting through 14 double lessons, you only learn what you need for the test.

If you need the theory test, you'll be learning the German question catalogue. You'll know a lot of it from driving already, but some rules work differently here, and those are the ones that catch experienced drivers out: right of way at junctions without signs, giving way to traffic from the right in residential streets, low-emission zones, alcohol limits, the rules on keeping your distance and the fines (Bußgeld) for breaking them.

You're welcome to come to any of our theory classes, but you don't have to. If you'd rather learn at home with our learning app, you can just come in for the topics you're unsure about. The practice tests will show you which ones those are fairly quickly.

Before the test you take a mock test with us, and we only put you forward to the TÜV once you've passed it. The test itself doesn't have to be in German: the law allows 14 foreign languages, and TÜV Rheinland (Source: tuv.com, opens in a new tab) tells you which of them are available here.

Driving

As many lessons as you need, not as many as the rules say

If you already drive, you don't need to learn from scratch. When you convert a licence there are no required practice lessons and no mandatory drives (Sonderfahrten).

We start with a drive together. Afterwards your instructor tells you what you still need for the test, and for people who already drive that's often not much. It's usually the things the German test specifically looks for: checking your mirrors and over your shoulder, driving on roundabouts, junctions without traffic lights, parking and turning, and calm driving on the motorway.

The practical test lasts about 55 minutes and takes place in Düsseldorf traffic. Before that, we practise the instructions an examiner uses with you in the car. You don't need a language course for this, because it's only a handful of phrases that come up again and again.

What's different here

Right of way: traffic from the right goes first where there are no signs. Many countries don't have this rule in the same form.
Roundabouts: no indicating as you go in, but you indicate as you come out
Motorway: keep right, overtake on the left, keep a minimum distance, never overtake on the right
The test: about 55 minutes

The deadline if your licence isn't from the EU

Six months: you can drive with it for six months from when you take up ordinary residence in Germany
After that: the licence is no longer valid here. If you kept driving, you'd be driving without a licence.
Extension: possible up to twelve months if you can show that your stay is only temporary
So: start early. Processing at the office and a test date together take time.

What it depends on

Why two people with the same experience can face different rules

What counts is the country that issued your licence, not how long you've been driving. Germany keeps a list for this, and that list changes.

Licences from the EU and the EEA are recognised automatically, so they're valid here without anyone checking anything. For every other country there's an annex to the Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung that sets out, country by country and class by class, whether you can convert without a test, need only a theory test, only a practical test, or both.

That's why you won't find a country list on this page. It would go out of date at some point, and an out-of-date answer is expensive here. If you rely on old information, you plan for the wrong amount of time and, at worst, miss the six-month deadline. So we check the current version together with you, with your licence on the table. It only takes a few minutes and it's free.

What this means for you

No test: documents, application, then waiting. You don't need a driving school for this.
Theory test only: the German question catalogue and a test date at the TÜV. You don't need driving lessons.
Practical test only: a few driving lessons to prepare and a test date
Both tests: learning the theory, driving lessons and two tests. There are still no compulsory lessons.

How long

How long does converting a licence take?

Two things decide how long it takes, and neither of them is in our hands: processing at the driving licence office and the test dates at the TÜV.

Straight exchange: up to 12 weeks; That's the processing time the driving licence office in Düsseldorf gives itself. It can't be shortened, but complete documents stop it from starting all over again.
With one test: up to 12 weeks, plus preparation; On top of the processing time you have your driving lessons or your revision, and a test date at TÜV Rheinland. Your first drive with us shows how many lessons you'll need.
With both tests: allow several months; You learn the theory, take the theory test, have driving lessons and then take the practical test. If you fail a test, you have to wait two weeks before trying the same test again.

If your licence isn't from the EU, you have six months from when you take up ordinary residence in Germany. Work backwards from that date rather than forwards, and start too early rather than too late.

Costs

What does converting a licence cost?

That depends on whether you need to take any tests. Anything you pay us is on our price list.

What you pay us

Checking your case: We look at your licence and tell you what's ahead. Anything you pay us is on the price list.
Registration: only if you need a test and we're training you
Driving lessons: as many as you need. Each lasts 45 minutes.
Presenting you for the test: for the tests you need to take

What you pay elsewhere

Office fees: for the application and for issuing your new licence
Translation: to a sworn translator or a recognised motoring club from the issuing country, if a translation is needed
Eye test and passport photo: at an optician and a photographer
Test fees: paid to the TÜV, only for the tests you need

A straight exchange is just a matter of fees and paperwork. If you also need a test, we'll tell you after your first driving lesson roughly how many lessons to expect.

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Who'll prepare you

Our driving instructors

Cobain, Santana and Marzouk speak German, English, Arabic and Berber. When you're converting a licence, that helps in two ways: they can explain the rules that work differently here, and they can go through the German phrases you'll hear in the practical test.

Cobain
Driving instructor
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Santana
Driving instructor
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Marzouk
Driving instructor

Fahrschule S.U.V. GmbH, Mindenerstraße 106 in Düsseldorf Oberbilk, open since May 2026. The authority that supervises us is the Fahrlehrerstelle, the driving instructor office at the Straßenverkehrsamt Düsseldorf. More about us.

Reviews

What our learners say

5.0out of 5 on Google

60 people have rated us on Google, and 32 of them also wrote down what it was like. You can read every one of them here, word for word and with the reviewer's name. See the reviews on Google.

Source: Google, as of 15/09/2026.

Lakeisha A.

25/08/2026

Ich bin echt super zufrieden mit der Fahrschule und kann sie nur weiterempfehlen! Besonders mein Fahrlehrer Santana ist einfach top – für mich einer der besten Fahrlehrer überhaupt! 🙌🏽 Er nimmt sich wirklich Zeit, erklärt alles geduldig und verständlich und geht auf seine Fahrschüler ein. Dadurch fühlt man sich während der Fahrstunden direkt wohl und sicher. Auch bei Fragen ist er immer geduldig und hilft weiter. Vielen Dank für die tolle Unterstützung und die schöne Zeit!❤️

Swapping your foreign licence for a German one in Düsseldorf

What does converting a licence mean?

What you need to convert your licence

How converting your licence works

We look at your licence

Getting your documents together

Applying at the driving licence office

Preparing for any tests

Your German licence

Theory only if you have a test to take

As many lessons as you need, not as many as the rules say

Why two people with the same experience can face different rules

How long does converting a licence take?

What does converting a licence cost?

Our driving instructors

What our learners say

Questions about converting a licence

Do I have to convert my EU driving licence in Germany?

How long can I drive with a licence from outside the EU?

Do I have to take a test to convert my licence?

Do I have to do the compulsory driving lessons?

What language is the test in?

Do I need a translation of my licence?

Will I get my old licence back?

Check my case

More about getting your licence

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