Driving

Using a drivers licencse from another country in Germany

    • Driving licences from the US:
      • After 6 months of driving in Germany, you must be issued a German driving license (German license is 42.60 euros).
        During these 6 months, do carry with you a translation and a classification of the licence (offered by the ADAC main office in Saarbrücken).
        To be issued a German driver's license, please see:

Ordnungsamt
Großherzog-Friedrich-Straße 111
66111 Saarbrücken
Tel.: 0681 905-3501
Fax: 0681 905-3579

      • and present a notarized German translation of your driving license, a photo and the residence's registration you got from the Bürgeramt (registration office).
      • For all other US states, the German license can be issued without an exam if the following requirements are fulfilled (This exemption costs 30 euros plus license fee) :
        • you should be in possession of your US-driving license for at least 5 years
        • you should live in Saarland
        • your place of employment should be located in this region
        • you must have driven in Germany without causing a car accident for at least half a year
        • you mustn't have more than some points at the German Central Card Index for Traffic Offences
        • and the driving and traffic situation in your home country must be comparable to the German one
    • Driving licenses from Canada: Please see here.
  • If you stay in Germany longer than 3 years, you have to take theory courses to get a German driving license.

    For all other nationalities, if not longer staying in Germany than 3 years, the following documents are needed for the conversion of your licence into a European one (it is recommended to convert it into an international one but of course the fee is than higher):

      • a photo (4,5 x 3,5 cm)
      • your passport
      • an eye test done by an ophthalmologist
      • a certificate of participation in a first aid course "Ersthelferausbildung". These courses are offered by the local red cross, take 16 hours and cost 25 euros (held in German)
      • German translation of your driving license from a translator authorized to work for the local authorities
      • certificate from the Office of Foreign Affairs stating the date of your first entry to Germany
    The office will then send your driving licence to the local police station for review (please allow a 8 weeks for this). In the meantime and depending on your driving license's date of issue, you are given a temporary driving permit. If the police approve your driving license, please see a local driving school with this affirmation and do a theoretical and practical test (the theoretical test can also be done at the TÜV Saarland in Sulzbach on Fridays at 8 a.m without an appointment. Please bring with you: passport, letter of affirmation from Ordnungsamt and 21 euros for fees.Tel. 06897/5060). Some of the local driving schools offer examination questionnaires in English or even Spanish (90 euros charge for the documents), but they can also be found in the Internet (www.my-fuehrerschein.de).

    If you are from Egypt: Please note that the "Ordnungsamt" does keep your original (national) driving licence and does not return it to you while you are still in Germany. So, if you visit your home country meanwhile there is no way of getting it back, only when your stay here ends.

More useful information please see here. Buying a Car

The process to acquire a car in Germany is as follows:

    • Check ads in the local newspapers or online
    • Diesel is normally cheaper than gasoline, but a diesel car costs 306 Euro more to register than one that runs on gasoline. Also, a car that does not have a catalytic converter (G-kat) will cost 153 Euro more to register (a tax for the polution produced by the excess in carbon monoxide emissions). All cars produced before 1989 probably do not have one and all cars produced after 1993 probably have one. Car ads should specify whether a car has a diesel engine and whether it has a G-kat.
    • Make sure that the car owner has documents for Tüv (certification of its mechanical condition) and ASU (certification of exhaust quality). Without these two documents, the car may be in drivable condition but would not be street legal (uncertified brakes, exhaust quality, etc).
    • Once you agree with the car owner on the price, and after you pay for the car (by, for example, doing a direct transfer at the bank - you should avoid paying in cash as that is not traceable), he will give you the following documents:
        • The Fahrzeugbrief (literally, vehicle document).
        • The Tüv document.
        • The ASU document.
    • At this point, and even though the car belongs to you (pending adding your name as the current owner on the Fahrzeugbrief ), you may not drive the car away since you do not have insurance and the car is not registered ( angemeldet ). One cannot register a car without insurance. You will have first to get insurance, to register the car, and to get license plates that show that it is registered (the two semi-colorful stamps on the license plates). You would then be able to drive the car away after putting the license plates on.
    • Contact a few insurance companies and ask for rates. If you can provide documents of an accident/claim-free driving record, this will considerably reduce your insurance rate. Make sure you tell them that you are an öffentlicher Dienst (in the public service in Germany) as that will reduce your rate. Having children and/or having a parking garage at home reduce your rate further. an insurance offer (Versicherungsangebot - Versicherung = insurance, Angebot = offer) sounds appealing, ask the company to send it to you. You will typically receive an offer on the following day by mail.
    • The insurance company you choose will have sent a card for temporary insurance coverage - with which you can then register the car - along with their written offer. To register, go to the Rathaus downtown or to the Saarbrücken Landeshauptstadt at the Dudweiler Markt bus station a few minutes from campus (just above the Woolworth).
    • You will need the following documents to register the car:
        • An ID (passport, for example).
        • A temporary insurance card from the company you selected.
        • The Fahrzeugbrief.
      You will then receive a Fahrzeugschein (car registration document) and the license plates. The license plates cost 28.57 euros. The Fahrzeugschein will also cost 28.57 euros for a car with a gasoline engine and a G-kat. You will later receive a bill by mail for the car tax, which amounts to about 10 euros for every 100cc of the engine.
    • Important: You should leave the Fahrzeugbrief at home. If you drive with it and the car is stolen, any one who has the Fahrzeugbrief may register the car in his name! Likewise you may buy a car from anyone who has its Fahrzeugbrief (without, even asking for identification, though it is wise to write down some personal information about a person before giving him money).
    • To drive the car, you must have the following documents with you at all times to show on demand to police officers:
        • A Fahrzeugschein (registration card that proves the car is yours).
        • A valid Tüv sticker on your license plates.
        • A valid ASU sticker on your license plates.
        • Your driving license plus a translation of it from the AAA in the US, the CAA in Canada, or the ADAC in Germany.
        • In addition, the car must have license plates to show that it is registered.
    • Mail the insurance contract to the company with bank details for payment of monthly/quarterly fees.
    • To be able to enter the campus by car, you need to present your University Card (provided by the MPI-INF for 20 euro deposit).