I am dedicating an own post for this topic because when I was looking for guidance, there was no up-to-date information about the most recent requirements and the timeline of exchanging a driving license from the UK into a German one.
What I did differently (and what I would do again)
Before I write about the current requirement and share my timeline, I want to start with what I did differently. Your foreign driving license has to be exchanged within 6 months after your address registration/Anmeldung. I waited for 3 months after my address registration to start dealing with the license exchange, hoping 2–3 months would be sufficient.
I should have started this process straight after the Anmeldung. After you are registered in Germany for 6 months, you cannot legally drive with your foreign driving license. My 6th-month anniversary was on the 6th of November, and I could pick up my license only next year, on the 20th of January.
This was rather inconvenient because I needed to ask my wife to drive me everywhere. If you don’t want to run out of time… start this process right after you settle here.
Documents you will need (UK → German driving license exchange)
You will need the following documents for exchanging the British driving license:
- Identity card (Passport)
- Original driver’s license
- Official translation, e.g., from ADAC (€65, pick up in person only!)
- Biometric passport photo (can be done in most Drogerie Markt (DM) – €8)
- ~€35 cash exchange fee to bring for the appointment
My timeline in Düsseldorf (2025/26)
02–03th September 2025 – Emailed the fuehrerscheinstelle@duesseldorf.de and asked for confirmation of latest requirements and received the answer with the above list. Ordered my driving license translation on the ADAC website (all can be done online with attaching a picture of your card).
04th September 2025 – I registered for an appointment at the Fahrerlaubnisbehörde in Düsseldorf (Fahrerlaubnisbehörde, Höherweg 101, 40233 Düsseldorf).
Appointments can only be booked via this website under “Umschreibung ausländische Fahrerlaubnis / Dienstfahrerlaubnis” (Anlage 11 FeV) for UK licenses.
Appointments are rarely shown and you must be quick. Only 1 appointment is shown at a time. It took me 2 days to book an appointment. I kept trying at random times, around 15–20 times a day. I managed to book my appointment on a Thursday at 10:40am. Some websites suggested 6am, but I could not see any appointment at that time.
The only available appointment on the 4th of September was shown on the 9th of October!
13th September 2025 – Picked up my driving license translation at the ADAC centre in Düsseldorf.
9th of October 2025 – Showed up on my appointment on the 2nd floor in the building. There was no waiting time. The lady was helpful and friendly at the Fahrerlaubnisbehörde. I paid the fee, and she said she is returning my license because the process may take some time, so I can drive with it until the 6th of November. She said she is hopeful it will be all done by the end of October.
10th October – 19th November 2025 – WAITING. Exchanged numerous e-mails and I got updates like this:
“Please accept my apologies for the longer processing time. We are still waiting for official confirmation before we can process your application further; we are checking in regularly. You will be notified as soon as your driver’s license is ready for collection.”
28th November 2025 – An other update received.
“Unfortunately, we have not received a response to date. We submitted another request today.”
This was the point when I let go of stressing about it and lost hope.
10th January 2026 – A letter was waiting in my letterbox: the card is ready! I went online to book an appointment. The pick-up appointment was not so challenging; I managed to book it in a few minutes.
20th January 2026 – Picked up my card, my shiny, new German Drivers license! Picking up was available on the ground floor opposite the entrance—after about 20 mins waiting.
Final thoughts
I hope this post helps you if you are British and arrived to Dusseldorf/Germany, needing to exchange your drivers license. If you need any more information I may not have shared, message me and I’m happy to help. Please also share your experience.
