How about Germans driving in the US, any special requirments?
 

We have a German business associate coming to the U.S. for a few days. Is his German driver's license good here in the U.S. or does he need some kind of international permit? My dad and I have different opinions on the issue.

From the US mission to Germany's website I got the information that my old German licence (big grey one!) is valid for 12 months in the US. However since I wasn't sure every policeman in Alabama would know about this regulation, I took a printed copy of the statement with me. I didn't get a chance to show it, since I seemd to be the only person NOT speeding in that state. Alamo couldn't care less which licence showed them!

I just had company here from Germany and in order to rent a car (in Texas) they had to have International Driving Permits but I'm not sure if that's necessary if they are not renting cars.

I would call the DMV.

An IDP the "International Drivers Licence" (this would be the correct translation from German, it's licence not permit) is called "Internationaler Führerschein" and can be obtained at their local Gemeinde or KVR. It's valid for 3 years, but you have to surrender your current German licence for a new one too. All this will take a few weeks. You can get a 1 year version too which will be faster to get but is as expensive as the 3 years license. However, since I hate to give them my nice old grey piece of paper with my photo hardly recognizable, looking young and long haired, I won't get an IDP if I don't have to! ;-)

>they had to have
The State Department says it's not needed for Germans but can you really trust them??? Don't know ;-)

I keep travelling to the U.S. every year at least once. I do rent cars - usually from Hertz and occasionally from Avis. I have never had to present an international licence, my German one has always been sufficient. I have also had to show it to the police and did not encounter any problems.

The reason - at least here in the US - for getting the International Permit is NOT that it's a license to drive in another country, but an ID document written up in different languages.

You present this document to someone who doesn't read English to let that person know that you are licensed to drive in your own country and, therefore, have a valid driver's license in your own country. By extension, you will be permitted to drive in the other country.

Your permission to drive in that other country is based on a valid license in your own country, NOT on the International Permit. confusing, isn't it?

So, since I expect ANY american to know the word "Führer" there shouldn't be a problem with my "Führerschein" at all. It's clear, it's some paper that says that I can "lead" or "guide" (a car) ;-)

If the guy still has one of the red licenses that were issued in Germany until about two years ago (Germany has a lifetime licence concept, no need for renewal), it also contains English language. So no problem at all.

Hello kelliebellie, this has been my experiences. I have friends that come to visit me here in California from Italy. I want them to be able to drive my vehicle. I have several times contacted our local PD as well as the State Dept. of Motor Vehicles and each and every time not one person has seemed to know about any required International Permit or License.

I don't know about all the other states in the US..but that has been my experience. Let me add however that not once has any friend from Italy been stopped by the police, thank goodness, so I can't say what would happen if they had been. They always have their Italian Drivers License with them.

All the law requires is a German lic for a tourist. However, you should note that if he rents a car he needs to take full insurance coverage - since european charge cards don;t provide car rental coverage like US ones do.

Driver's licenses are a matter of state law not federal law, so unless we know what state you are talkng about, a blanket statement that "all the law requires is" is too general to be useful. Any US Mission's website is NOT the final word on this, only each state can decide what they will accept. Have you contacted the Dept of Motor Vechicles and/or the police in your state and/or the states in which he will be driving?

I also think that to be prudent he should have an IDP. I am a US citizen but don't currently hold a US drivers license (I live outside the US) and so I have a UDP for my Swiss and Hong Kong drivers licenses for when I am in the US. I never get asked about them by car rental companies, but want to have them in case I get involved in an accident or am stopped for speeding. They are very easy to get, should not take him more than a few minutes to get one from his local geimende.

The poor guy! After being spoiled by driving in Germany for 2 weeks, driving in San Deigo was just lawless chaos. I don't know what drivers are like in your area but you should give him a heads up.

Well thank you all for your replies. I guess this is a confusing issue!

The Internationaler Führerschein might be something different from the International Driving Permit.

By international agreement, the IDP is only valid for one year and you do not give up your regular license to get one. The IDP is a translation of your regular driving license, and you have to carry both in countries that require an IDP; e.g., Austria and Italy.

Note that if you are renting a car in a country that requires an IDP, the rental company probably won't care about seeing the IDP with your regular license--they'll only want to see your credit card.

> valid for one year and you do not give up your regular license to get one
In order to get an Internat. Führerschein, you also get a seperate new German Führerschein (plastic card), the 3 year IDP version of course is better. It WILL take a few weeks to get the 3 year version. The fine print says: "This driving license is not valid in the territory of the Federal Repub. of Germany".

Rufus, you correct! I don't have much time now to look closer into it, but there is NO German IDP, Germany hasn't signed the treaty. Germany has signed the treaty of 8.November 1968 on International road traffic on which the Internat. Führerschein is based. The USA didn't sign this treaty. There is no way the IF is valid in the USA plus you can't get an IDP in Germany. But also your IDP is NOT valid in Germany!

It seems to me people just don't care and tolerate eachothers licenses and IDPs nevertheless?

I am an American with a German driver's license. I live in Europe. I fly to the states twice a year. I rent cars with my German license. Period.

Diana

Diana,

amen!

While this forum is really helpful in general, sometimes things tend to be complicated here.

Not even German consolidators like DERTOUR and airours through whom cars from Avis, Hertz et. al. may be rented require people to carry an international permit of whatever legal nature.

To quote from DERTOURS' booking conditions: "The driver needs to be in possession of a valid national licence [...]. Carrying an international permit is recommended but not mandatory [...]. The national licence must have been issued more than 1 year ago if renting from Avis. This is not conditional for rentals from other companies [featured by DERTOURS]."

They arrange car rentals throughout the U.S., so state law must be uniform in this respect.

The visitors of the OP will be fine with just a German driver's licence - and they will be completely on the safe side if they have held it for more than a year.

Period, too.

Cicerone has it right: driving in the US is regulated by each state, so there is no national requirement for a drivers license. Usually, rental companies just say you need a "valid license" to rent a car. Then it's up to the company to decide what's valid. Usually, they accept any license that's not expired.
BTW, I'd guess there are about a million tourists a year from Germany and England who go to Florida and rent and drive cars w/o any sort of documentation other than a home-country license.