German Driver's License in the US?
 

Hello Folks,

I'm an American and have been living in Germany since 2008; last year, I got a German driver's license. This spring, I'll be in the US on vacation and will be driving.

I've seen many posts and recommendations that discuss how necessary/unnecessary it is to get an American driver's license translated when driving in Italy or France. Well, the chances that a French/Italian policeperson or rental agent will be able to read English is far, far better than the chances that an American officer or agent will be able to read German.

So, should I consider getting the German license translated into English? If so, who does it? ADAC?

I'm posting in the Europe Forum because I know there are German residents who post here frequently, and I'm not sure they will see this if I post it in the US Forum. So, for those who have used a German license in the US, how did it work?

Thanks much!

s

I have a Dutch licence and there is even less chance of that being understood in the U.S.
I haven't bothered with an IDP when I visit the States, and the ANWB (Dutch ADAC) says one is only needed for Florida.
If you feel happier with one then take a couple of passport photos to the ADAC and buy one. They don't cost much.

In 30+ visits to the US and Canada, I never ran into problems.
From what I know (which does not mean anything), Germany has full reciprocity with all 50 states for short-term stays. Only when you wanted to exchange your US DL into a German DL, it depends which state issued it.

But I must also admit that even after 100K or more miles on US roads, I have so far never been pulled over by the police. Or caused an accident.

The only times I showed my DL had been at rental car pick-up. And since the DL design and layout is uniform across the EU, all agents so far recognized the plastic card immediately.

And as the card itself has only icons to identify the different vehicle classes your license is valid for, there is not much to "read" anyway. The A classes show the motorcycle, B has the little car, C and D trucks and busses. So it is pretty easy to grasp the concept.

P.S. But as hetismij wrote, the costs for an IDP (from ADAC) are just a few euros. So if the IDP makes you worry less, it is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Thanks very much, hetismij2! I will be travelling through Floriday, so it's probably a good idea to get the translation. Thanks so much for confirming where to go for it!

Thanks to you too, Cowboy1968! I really appreciate your experience with drivers licenses! I haven't driven in 5 years, so . . . there is a possibility that there may be an encounter with the law . . . .! I used to be an excellent driver with quick reflexes and a nicely responsive BMW. Now, though, I'll be driving a rented pokey, and I'll be a bit tense.

I also appreciate the confirmation that ADAC is the place to get it done, and since it's an easy fix, yes, it's worth it for the peace of mind.

BTW, my TN license expired in 2010, so I had to pretty much get a German license from scratch.

Thanks again, guys!

s

S, there is no need for Germans to get an International Drivers License. I didn't get one for my US trip 2007. The rental car agency guy wanted to see it and I didn't run into any problems.

Did you check what the rule is for an American citizen with a German DL?

I tutor umpteen foreign students here and they all drive on their national license for the first three months legally with no translation requirement - in my state at least no problem.

as you speak American it could raise some questions if stopped but since there is no language barrier talking I would think no problem.

We have German driver's licenses and it has not been an issue renting cars. Mrs Sparkchaser was pulled over a few years ago in Vermont for something (knowing her it was speeding but I digress) and the officer asked where the IDL was. She said she didn't know she needed one and he let her go.

That's the end of the anecdote. I'm not sure if the moral is to get a IDL or not.

Thanks guys. However, since I'll be driving in Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida, I think I would rather be super cautious and get the IDL. I've lived in all of those places, have relatives or long-term friends there, and I know the stereotypes are not completely unfounded.

Ingo, I'm not sure what you mean -- is there a rule about Americans with a German license?

s

by the way.. since you said that you will be driving in Florida:
You may or may not know that many tolled interstates in FL have switched to ePass (or was it EZ Pass?) or SunPass - only.
If you need to drive a lot in Miami or Orlando (or on the Turnpike), you could check if the "all inclusive" offer by the rental car company (when you pick up the car in FL) could be good for you.
We paid around $50 flat for a rental period of 2 weeks and it covered the fee for the ePass device plus unlimited use of any FL toll road or bridge (only very few exceptions) .
$50 sounds like quite a lot, but as many sections around Miami are cashless /ePass only it was much more convenient and eventually cheaper than if we had paid-by-plate (or had avoided the tolled sections).

wow, thanks Cowboy1968! I don't think I'll be driving on any FL turnpikes -- just driving from Gadsden, AL (don't ask .. . ) to Pensacola, then flying to Sarasota and driving around locally.

Thanks for the heads up though!

s

Welcome home.

Good info from Cowboy about the toll roads--there are some times they are difficult to avoid!

Do find out from rental car company about how to proceed when you do run into tolls.

Yes, Tdudette, that was great information from Cowboy about the tolls, and I'll be sure to ask about them when I pick up the car.

Thanks for the sentiment, Gary_Mc! However, the USA is not my actual home; my home is in Germany. I've only lived in the USA for about half of my life, the other half as a child expat, a student overseas, or a soldier overseas. The USA never felt like home.

s

So, I got my international driver’s license. But not through ADAC, and not without some confusion. Here’s what happened.

About a week ago, I began the chore. I called the ADAC in Garmisch, but the lady was surprised at my question and had no idea how to get an international license. She said I needed to call the ADAC in Oberammergau. Hmmm. Ok.

I googled “ADAC Garmisch” to find the offices, and one place in Ohlstadt and one place in Oberammergau showed up. I called the place in Ohlstadt for about two days, but they never answered. I gave up and called the ADAC in Oberammergau, but the guy who answered had no idea what I was talking about.

It dawned on me that these ADAC offices had only two purposes – one type was a travel agency (to sign up for tours, hotel deals, etc), and the other type was for help with an auto accident or incident. There was no big office that offered all of the services.

So I thought I’d go to the original source and see what they advised – www.adac.de. I wandered around the site, using my rudimentary understanding of German plus, I admit, once or twice translating a page at google translation. Under “Info, Test, & Rat,” I found “Rechtsberatung” (legal advice), and under that, I found a button: “Gilt der deutsche Führerschein im Ausland?” Basically, information on using the German driver’s licence abroad.

When I clicked on that, I got the information for an international driver’s license. Under “Gut zu wissen” (good to know), they posted this information:

<<Sie können den Internationalen Führerschein bei den Straßenverkehrsämtern (Führerscheinstelle) beantragen. Sie sollten für den Antrag Ihren Deutschen Führerschein und ein aktuelles biometrisches Lichtbild mitbringen. Der Internationale Führerschein kostet ca. 15 Euro.>>

Ok, so the international driver’s license is dispensed by the Führerscheinstelle, the driver’s license bureau, and not the ADAC. Finally! I called them up, and the agent I talked to confirmed that they provide the license; he said I would need my passport, my German license, a photo, and 16 euro (costs have gone up!).

I took the bus to Farchant, where the bureau is located, found the office, took a number (only two in front of me), and had my license in my hand about 15 minutes later. They have a neat auto-teller thing for payment where the agent who is preparing the license gives you a plastic card with the charge; you feed the card into the auto-teller, and it tells you how much to pay. Then you pay with cash or credit card, and it dispenses a receipt. You take the receipt back to the agent, and s/he hands you your license. Neat.

Anyway, in the (very) unlikely event that anyone else will be in this situation, I thought I’d post the information and save some folks a few steps and frustration with ADAC.

Thanks for your input, everyone!

s

Glad to hear you got it sorted out.

Thanks, sparkchaser!

It was a real head-scratcher.

I think this is another good example of how differently Americans and Germans think and organize things. In the USA, I think the information would be listed under "Travel Information" rather than under legal advice.

s

Actually, your experiences made me look up the legal requirement for the first time.
And I was surprised that even the usual suspects of overseas destinations like the US, Canada and Australia only "tolerate" the EU drivers licenses but IDP is "recommended".
So much for answering questions with just a gut feeling but I think I never ever ran into that info when renting a car for the US..
http://www.berlin.de/labo/fuehrersch...ichtintfs.html

I know where I live in Fl there would be no problem but Al and Tenn are another kettle of fish. We have so many foreign students and international visitors that we see everything. Tampa does have some roads that are tag only readers if you don't have a sun pass. You can pick them up at many places in Fl.

That's interesting, Cowboy1968! I'm glad I went ahead and did it since it was so easy -- once I knew where to go!

Yes, flpab, AL and TN and GA are different entirely. I'll be driving to a small town in Gadsden where the elementary school is named in honor of the man who started the kkk. Those folks do not welcome outsiders. At all. Thanks for the tip about the tag-only roads!

s