International Driving Permit in Germany

🗓 Facts checked against Germany's road-traffic law and official sources. Research last updated: 28 July 2026. You may copy this information only if you provide a link back to this page.

⚠ This page is general information about driving rules, not legal advice. Rules change, and each authority applies its own — confirm your case with the relevant authority before you drive.

ℹ We are a private company. We are not a government body, a licensing or issuing authority, or a treaty organisation, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any of them. The International Driver's Document we sell is a translation of your national driving licence: it is not a driving licence, and it is not a government-issued document.

• Driving in Germany: key facts
• Do you need an International Driving Permit in Germany?
• What side of the road does Germany drive on?
• How long can you drive in Germany with a foreign licence?
• Is Germany a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?
• Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place
• Can you drive in Germany with your country's licence?
• Where to get an International Driving Permit
• Which countries can convert a licence in Germany without an exam?
• Driving rules in Germany tourists get fined for
• Read more about driving in Germany
• Sources

Driving in Germany: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Germany?

§ 29(2) FeV: the foreign entitlement is proven either by the valid national licence or by an International Driving Permit (Germany names all three types: 1926 Paris Art. 7 + Anlage E, 1949 Geneva Art. 24 + Annex 10, 1968 Vienna Art. 41 + Annex 7 — the 1968 IDP only together with the underlying national licence; the BMV Merkblatt repeats: 'Dieser internationale Führerschein reicht allein nicht aus'). An IDP is therefore never the only route: a national licence alone is sufficient if it is (a) in German, (b) issued by an EU/EEA state or Switzerland, (c) conforms to Annex 6 of the 1968 Vienna Convention, or (d) comes from a waiver state (Andorra, Hong Kong, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, Switzerland, Senegal). Any other national licence must be 'mit einer Übersetzung verbunden' — carried together with a German translation — and an IDP is the practical substitute for that translation. Note the schema lists 1949/1968; German law additionally accepts the 1926 Paris IDP (§ 29(2) S.1 FeV). Germany itself is not a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention (verified against the UN Treaty Collection status list, Ch. XI.B.1 — Germany absent), but that is moot for visitors: § 29(2) FeV accepts 1949-type IDPs by its own text.

• Tourists and short-term visitors: carry your national licence together with the document named in the row for your country of issue, in the table below — for most non-exempt licences that is an IDP.
• Car renters: Rental desks apply their own gates on top of the law: typically minimum age 21 (young-driver surcharge under 25), licence held ≥1 year, and many majors ask non-EU renters for an IDP or certified translation alongside the national licence.
• EU / EEA licence holders: no IDP needed — EU/EEA licences are valid with no time limit for visitors and for residents (no conversion duty; § 29(1) S.3 routes new EU-licence residents into § 28).

No specific penalty for driving without the required document was verified from an authoritative source. Official source.

What side of the road does Germany drive on?

Germany drives on the right-hand side of the road, and overtaking is done on the left. Cars in Germany are left-hand drive.

How long can you drive in Germany with a foreign licence?

No time cap for visitors: a foreign licence holder may drive in Germany for as long as they have no ordinary residence (ordentlicher Wohnsitz, § 7 FeV — broadly, where you live at least 185 days a year) here. The well-known '6 months' is a residence clock, not a tourist clock: it starts only when the holder of a non-EU/EEA licence establishes ordinary residence in Germany ('besteht die Berechtigung noch sechs Monate'), extendable by up to 6 further months on application if the stay will not exceed 12 months. Cross-border commuters (Berufspendler) who live abroad keep unlimited recognition (BMV Merkblatt). (§ 29 Abs. 1 S. 1 FeV (visitors), § 29 Abs. 1 S. 4-5 FeV (residence clock))

Planning to move to Germany? Different rules apply once you become a resident — see the residents section below.

Is Germany a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?

Germany is a Contracting Party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, but not to the 1949 Geneva Convention.

• 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: ratification on 3 Aug 1978.

Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place

Whether a foreign country accepts your driving licence hangs on a tangle of variables: three different road-traffic conventions signed decades apart (1926, 1949, 1968) — the oldest predates the United Nations itself, and only the latter two were concluded under it — countries at different stages of joining each (signed vs. accepted vs. ratified), licences printed in alphabets local police can't read, vehicle-category systems that don't line up between countries, document generations that may not meet a convention's format even when the country is a member, bilateral deals between individual states, and local laws that are looser in one place and stricter in the next. The same licence can be fine at one border and rejected at the next — even at the next rental desk. The International Driving Permit exists to cut through most of it: a standardized, multilingual presentation of your existing licence, with harmonized category symbols, that most officials can read at a glance. It doesn't replace your national licence or grant new rights — you carry both — and it doesn't guarantee acceptance: a handful of destinations still require a local permit alongside or instead of it, but for most it meaningfully improves your odds.

Can you drive in Germany with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Germany as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Germany accepts EU/EEA licences without any formality or time limit (§ 28 FeV). Every other foreign licence is also valid for visitors — with no tourist time cap: recognition lasts as long as you have no ordinary residence in Germany, and the famous '6 months' only starts once you move here (§ 29(1) FeV). A non-German-language licence must be paired with either an IDP (Germany accepts the 1926, 1949 and 1968 types) or a German translation — unless it is EU/EEA/Swiss-issued, conforms to Annex 6 of the 1968 Vienna Convention, or comes from one of 7 waiver states (Andorra, Hong Kong, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, Switzerland, Senegal). Driving on a licence Germany does not (or no longer) recognizes is a criminal offence, not a fine (§ 21 StVG); merely not carrying the translation/IDP is a €10 administrative fine (BKatV Nr. 168). Rules change — confirm with official sources before you travel. Last verified: July 2026.

Legend: "1949" — Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (IDP valid up to 1 year); "1968" — Vienna Convention (IDP valid up to 3 years).

What the Status column means on this page:

• National licence OK — the destination lets a visitor drive on the national licence itself. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the basis, and any period or condition that qualifies it.
• National licence OK — IDP advised — the destination does not require an IDP for this licence, but carrying one is advised. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the reason and any conditions attached.
• Treaty recognises licence + IDP — advised — the 1968 Vienna Convention obliges this destination to recognise a national licence conforming to Annex 6 of that Convention, and separately an IDP presented together with the national licence it belongs to; this row does not record whether your own licence conforms to Annex 6, and the licence-and-IDP pair is recognised either way, so carrying both is advised. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the basis.
• No convention basis established for your licence — IDP advised — no road-traffic convention basis for your licence could be established at this destination, so this row settles neither that the licence alone is enough nor that anything must be carried with it; carrying an IDP is advised as a practical translation of your licence rather than as a legal entitlement. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what could not be established.
• Not established — the record does not settle whether you may drive here on this licence; confirm with the destination's licensing authority before you rely on it. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what could not be confirmed.

Sources and notes for the table above

[1] § 29 Abs. 2 S. 2-3 FeV; waiver list: BMV Merkblatt (official-guidance tier)

[2] UN Treaty Collection, Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General — status of the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (chapter XI-B-1) and of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (chapter XI-B-19) — XI-B-1, XI-B-19

[a] Licence categories do not follow the convention A–E scheme — rental staff may ask for an IDP to map them.

Where to get an International Driving Permit

An International Driving Permit must be obtained before you travel, and only certain countries may issue one to you — you cannot buy an official IDP from an unrelated country. Under the 1968 Vienna Convention it may be issued only by the Contracting Party where you normally reside and which issued or recognizes your licence — by that Party's competent authority or by an association it has duly empowered. Under the 1949 Geneva Convention it is issued by the competent authority of a Contracting State, or by an association that authority has duly empowered. Which body that is varies by country: a government agency in some, an authorized motoring club in others.

• Travelling from Germany? Germany's official IDPs are issued by Local driving-licence authority (Führerscheinstelle / Straßenverkehrsamt). Official site.
• Travelling from another country? Ask that country's driving-licence authority which body it authorizes to issue IDPs — a government agency in some countries, an authorized motoring club in others.

Separately, IDA offers a digital International Driver's Document — a translation of your national licence that you carry alongside it. It is not an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 or 1968 conventions by the body your country authorizes for that purpose, and it is not a certified, sworn or otherwise official translation: no authority certifies it, and where a country requires an official or certified translation by law, our document does not satisfy that requirement. It is a private translation meant to make your national licence readable at rental desks and roadside checks.

Which countries can convert a licence in Germany without an exam?

On establishing ordinary residence, a non-EU/EEA licence stays valid for 6 months (extendable to max 12 if the stay is temporary) — after that you need a German licence and continuing to drive is the § 21 StVG crime. Conversion (§ 31 FeV): holders from states/classes in Anlage 11 FeV get the German licence without theory or practical exam (some entries with one test only); everyone else must pass both German exams, though driving-school attendance is waived for all converters (§ 31(2)). § 31(1) also waives the medical examination, eye-test rules and first-aid training for Anlage-11 holders (vision proof still required where footnote 7 applies). The foreign licence is surrendered on issue (§ 31(4)). EU/EEA holders never convert (licences valid until expiry).

Counted from the consolidated Anlage 11 FeV text: 25 state/territory-level jurisdictions of which 24 fully exam-free + Moldova (practical only; Albania has a second AM-row with practical test), plus sub-national tables: Australia 8/8 exam-free; Canada 12 listed (Nunavut absent); USA 39 jurisdictions listed = 37 states + DC + Puerto Rico, of which 28 exam-free and 11 theory-test. 13 US states are not on the list at all — AK, CA, GA, HI, ME, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NY, ND, RI, VT (incl. California, New York, New Jersey) — their holders take the full German theory + practical exam. US/Canada/Australia/NZ/Korea/Taiwan/Israel narrow-class entries convert to class B only (official footnote 1). Learner/provisional-only licences never convert; Washington 'Intermediate Driver License' only for holders 18+ (footnote 9). Official source.

Driving rules in Germany tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Warning triangle mandatory in every car (§ 53a Abs. 2 Nr. 1 StVZO); high-visibility vest per DIN EN 471:2003+A1:2007 or EN ISO 20471:2013 (§ 53a Abs. 1 S. 3) mandatory in cars, trucks, tractor units and buses (§ 53a Abs. 2 Nr. 3 StVZO); first-aid kit per DIN 13164 (Jan 1998 or Jan 2014 edition) mandatory (§ 35h Abs. 3 StVZO). Situational winter-tyre obligation in ice/snow conditions — Glatteis, Schneeglätte, Schneematsch, Eisglätte, Reifglätte (§ 2 Abs. 3a StVO, consolidated text).
• Drink-driving: 0.5 g/l blood (or 0.25 mg/l breath) — administrative offence, § 24a Abs. 1 StVG; 0.0 (alcohol and THC) for drivers under 21 or in the probation period (§ 24c StVG); from ~1.1 g/l (settled case-law threshold of absolute unfitness, not re-verified from a primary judgment) a crime under § 316 StGB. THC limit 3.5 ng/ml serum (§ 24a Abs. 1a, current text). BKatV Anlage Nr. 241/241.1/241.2 (current text): €500 + 1-month driving ban (first offence); €1,000 + 3-month ban (one prior entry); €1,500 + 3-month ban (multiple priors); statutory maximum €3,000 (§ 24a Abs. 3 StVG; €5,000 max for combined cannabis + alcohol, § 24a Abs. 2a / Nr. 243a: €1,000 + 1-month ban). THC ≥3.5 ng/ml: same €500/1-month scale (Nr. 242). Under-21/probation zero-limit breach: €250 (Nr. 243b).
• Speed limits: § 3 Abs. 3 StVO: 50 km/h in built-up areas; 100 km/h outside built-up areas for cars/vehicles ≤3.5 t (80 km/h with trailer, 60/80 for heavier classes). No general speed limit on Autobahnen and separated dual carriageways — instead a 130 km/h advisory speed (Richtgeschwindigkeit) under the Autobahn-Richtgeschwindigkeits-Verordnung 1978 (§ 1 text verified: 'nicht schneller als 130 km/h zu fahren'); exceeding it is not an offence but can increase civil liability after an accident.
• English-language licences are in practice largely tolerated without a translation ('Bei englischsprachigen Führerscheinen wird größtenteils auf eine Übersetzung verzichtet' — quoted from the ADAC page), but ADAC stresses there is no uniform federal rule — regional practice varies, so non-EU visitors are advised to carry an IDP or translation anyway.
• Rental desks apply their own gates on top of the law: typically minimum age 21 (young-driver surcharge under 25), licence held ≥1 year, and many majors ask non-EU renters for an IDP or certified translation alongside the national licence.
• Umweltzonen: many city centres (Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart etc.) require a green emissions sticker (Umweltplakette) on the windscreen — foreign-plated and rental cars included; driving in without authorization is a €100 fine (BKatV Anlage Nr. 153, Zeichen 270.1/270.2).

Read more about driving in Germany

• Auto insurance in different countries
• Getting a German driving license
• 10 best countries to visit in Europe
• 21 Travel Tips for Your Travel to Europe
• Driving in Germany: A Comprehensive Guide for Travelers
• 30 Interesting Facts About Germany
• Best places to visit in Germany
• What is Germany famous for?

Watch what driving in Germany looks like

A few minutes of real POV footage is the fastest way to feel confident before your first drive in Germany:

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. § 29 Abs. 1 S. 1 FeV (visitors), § 29 Abs. 1 S. 4-5 FeV (residence clock)
3. Resident licence conversion — official list
4. § 28 FeV — recognition of EU/EEA licences
5. § 31 FeV — German licence for non-EEA licence holders (conversion)
6. § 24a StVG — 0.5-Promille limit + 3.5 ng/ml THC limit
7. BKatV Anlage — fine catalogue (Nr. 168 carry-offence €10; Nr. 153 Umweltzone €100; Nr. 241-243b alcohol/THC)
8. § 3 StVO — speed limits
9. § 2 Abs. 3a StVO — situational winter-tyre obligation
10. Autobahn-Richtgeschwindigkeits-Verordnung 1978 (130 km/h advisory)
11. § 53a StVZO — warning triangle + hi-vis vest (incl. norm references)
12. § 35h StVZO — first-aid kit (DIN 13164)
13. BMV — Gültigkeit ausländischer Fahrerlaubnisse in Deutschland (official guidance, dated 02.03.2026)
14. BMV Merkblatt for holders of non-EU/EEA licences (PDF, incl. 7-state translation waiver)
15. ADAC — foreign licences from non-EU states (practice)
16. UN Treaty Collection Ch. XI.B.1 — 1949 Convention on Road Traffic status list (Germany absent = not a party)
17. Local driving-licence authority (Führerscheinstelle / Straßenverkehrsamt) — authorized IDP issuer in Germany
18. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
19. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic