Getting a German driving license can be tricky for expats, but Jeff and Karen Smith had done their homework, and they were on top of it. They knew their Michigan licenses were only valid in Germany for six months, giving them that long to exchange them for Fuehrerscheine, so they went about taking care of business soon after they arrived.

Until they tried to apply for the licenses. One office sent them here, another there. Two weeks, a dozen trips to half-a-dozen offices and a couple of hundred euros later, they still hadn't got their Fuehrerscheine, the first aid courses turned out to be unnecessary, and their Michigan licenses, mailed between offices, went missing.

Speaking of the Fuehrerschein fiasco, Karen puts it mildly: "I had no idea it could be this hard."

Well, it doesn't have to be. I live in Baden-Wuerttemberg, and to trade my Colorado license for a Fueherschein all it took was EUR 35 and two trips (one to apply, the other to pick up my new license) to the Burgeramt (sorry, Jeff and Karen).

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Different countries, different rules

So why was I so lucky? Good question, frustrating answer. Like with many bureaucratic procedures in Germany, what you need to do to get your Fuehrerschein depends on where you live, and where you're from.

EU citizens read no further; your license is unconditionally valid in Germany. Americans, Canadians, and South Africans? Relax; in most cases you can trade licenses easily. Everybody else: You'll need to do it the hard way, but take heart - you can do it (mostly) in English.

But let's start with the universals. Wherever you come from, you can drive legally in Germany with your home license for six months. And if you're certain you'll stay here less than a year, you can petition at your local Fuehrerscheinstelle to extend that period to cover your stay. Just bring a certified translation of your home license (see below) and proof of your intended length of residency; like a plane ticket, or a work contract.

If you'll be staying longer than a year, though, you need a Fuehrerschein to drive in Germany after your first six months in country. If your home country (or American state) has a license exchange agreement with Germany, you have up to three years to swap - after that, you've got to do it like the Germans do.

Canadians and South Africans can trade with ease. So can many Americans; but if your license is from one of these states - Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon and Tennessee - or D.C., you're required to pass the written Fuehrerschein test (more on that in a second).

Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont have no exchange agreements with Germany.

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