Indian Driving Licence in Germany: How to Convert It in Berlin (2026 Guide)

You have moved to Berlin for a job, a degree or with your family – and you have been driving in India for years. The question everybody asks us first: can I just swap my Indian licence for a German one? The honest answer is no. But it is also far less work than a full German driving course.

We convert Indian licences at Mo's Fahrschule more often than any other: in 2026 alone well over 100, about three times as many as Turkish ones. This guide sums up what we explain in every first consultation – with the legal basis, the real costs in Berlin and the mistakes we see most often.

Yes, but only for a limited time. Under § 29 of the German Driving Licence Regulation (FeV), a licence from a non-EU country stays valid for six months after you establish your ordinary residence in Germany. In practice the clock starts with your address registration (Anmeldung), not with your arrival or your visa.

If you can show that you will not live in Germany for more than twelve months in total, the licensing authority can extend the period by up to six months on request. For everyone who stays longer – a Blue Card holder, for example – the six months are final. After that, driving on the Indian licence counts as driving without a licence, which is a criminal offence in Germany.

Two cases are never valid: a learner's licence, and an Indian licence that was issued while you already lived in Germany. The German Embassy in India points out that you do not strictly need an International Driving Permit during the six months, but police or car rental staff may ask for a German translation – so carry an International Driving Permit from India or an official translation to be on the safe side.

Check your own situation in three clicks:

Germany keeps an official list of states whose licences can be converted without a test – Annex 11 of the FeV. It includes countries such as Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and South Africa. India is not on it.

For you this means: to get a German licence you take the theory and the practical test, for every class you want. What you do not need is the regular training. For conversions, § 31 FeV waives the mandatory lessons, the compulsory theory classes and the special drives on motorways, country roads and at night. You only take as many lessons as you need to pass – and you need a driving school, because the practical test is taken in the school's car with the school's instructor.

There is no deadline for the application itself, so you can convert even years later. But the six months of driving end regardless – which is why we recommend starting in your first weeks in Berlin. Our country check on the conversion page shows the rules for all other countries.

1. Register with a driving school. You need the name and address of the driving school and the test centre for your application, so this comes first. You can register online with us – conversion is already selected.

2. Eye test and first-aid course. Both are required for licences from countries without an agreement. You can do the eye test at our Reinickendorf branch, and the first-aid course with us as well.

3. Apply at a Bürgeramt or the LABO. Book an appointment at any Berlin Bürgeramt or at the LABO licensing authority (Puttkamerstraße 16–18). Your main residence must be in Berlin and you have to go in person. The fee with a test is €45.10. Missing documents can be handed in later.

4. Learn the theory. While the authority sends your test order to TÜV or DEKRA, you study the official question catalogue with a learning app – available in English. You may join our theory classes any time, free of charge; they are held in German.

5. Theory test. 30 questions on a computer, in English if you like. After passing you have twelve months to take the practical test (§ 18 FeV).

6. Lessons and practical test. After one or two assessment drives your instructor tells you how many lessons you need. We then present you for the test in our car – manual or automatic.

7. Collect your German licence. After passing you hand in your Indian licence and receive the German card licence, which is valid for 15 years.

According to Service Berlin you need: your passport, your residence permit, the original Indian licence (it must still be valid when you apply), one current biometric passport photo on paper, the eye test certificate, the first-aid certificate and the name and address of your driving school and test centre.

A translation is only required if your licence is neither in German nor in English. Indian licences are usually printed in English, so most of our students do not need one – if parts of yours are only in another script, the authority may ask for a translation during processing. An International Driving Permit is not converted: what counts is always the national Indian licence.

Tip from experience: bring your Indian licence card and, if you have it, any older licence or document showing when your licence was first issued. If your card was renewed after you moved, tell the authority – it decides how to assess the issue date.

The theory test is offered in German and twelve foreign languages – English is one of them. Hindi and other Indian languages are not available, but for almost all of our Indian students English is the natural choice.

Don't underestimate it. The questions are about German rules and traffic signs, many of them have several correct answers, and experienced drivers fail because they rely on intuition rather than the catalogue. Plan two to three weeks of regular practice with the app. If you fail, you can retake the test after a short waiting period – with a new test fee.

The practical test is held in German. The examiner gives short directions such as "links abbiegen" (turn left) or "an der nächsten Kreuzung rechts" (right at the next junction) – our instructors speak English and practise exactly these phrases with you.

Driving experience from India is a real advantage: you handle a car with confidence and stay calm in heavy traffic. What makes experienced drivers fail is rarely car control, it is German rules that work differently from what years of habit tell you:

There are no mandatory lessons for a conversion – and we don't sell packages you don't need. We start with one or two assessment drives. After that your instructor can tell you quite precisely how many lessons you still need.

From our experience: if you have driven regularly in India, usually 2 to 6 lessons. If you have had your licence for a while but hardly drove, or if you will take the test on a manual car after driving automatics, rather 8 to 10. In these lessons we practise right-hand traffic, right before left, trams and cycle lanes, and the routes around the Berlin test centres.

Manual or automatic? If you take the test on an automatic, your licence gets code 78 and is limited to automatic cars – unless you add 10 manual lessons and a short test drive under the B197 rule. Then your licence is unrestricted.

The fixed part is easy to calculate: €45.10 for the authority, €24.99 for the theory test and €129.83 for the practical test at DEKRA. At Mo's Fahrschule you pay a €149 base fee, €149 for the presentation for the practical test and €67.50 per 45-minute lesson. Theory classes cost nothing extra.

The big variable is the number of lessons. Move the slider to see your estimate:

Waiting until month five. Getting an appointment, the test order, the theory and the practical test take several weeks. If you start late, you lose the right to drive in between – annoying if you need the car for work.

Showing only the International Driving Permit. It is a translation, not a licence. The authority needs your original Indian licence.

Treating the theory test as a formality. It tests German rules in detail. Study the full catalogue in the app, not just the questions that feel unfamiliar.

Booking the test on an automatic without a plan. Without B197 you are limited to automatic cars for good. Decide before you start.

Bringing habits from home into the test. Using the horn, lane changes without a shoulder check, missing right before left – habits that work in Indian traffic cost points in Berlin. Assessment drives show exactly where you stand.

We have branches in Reinickendorf and Charlottenburg. Advice and lessons are available in English at both, plus Turkish and – in Reinickendorf – Arabic. You can do the eye test and the first-aid course with us, and we register you with TÜV or DEKRA.

Write to us with your issuing state, how long you have been driving and when you registered in Berlin – we will reply with a clear plan. Or start right away with the online registration.

Checked in October 2026. German summary of all conversion rules: Führerschein umschreiben in Berlin.