Certainly, Alabama is, so is New Mexico. New York is not and so on:

http://www.verkehrsportal.de/fev/anl_11_usa.php

The Afgani can make us of his license for three month as a result of this 1926 treaty. Otherwise international tourism and business would become very difficult.

However: RESIDENTS are are not visitors. And as TFM correctly said: He could not get a CA license based on his German license and understands this as pretty normal. Î got my first license at the age of 17 from the wonderful State of Texas and I was able to drive a pick up with automatic gear in a rural area without parking problems, traffic lights and German traffic. This little card was not worth a lot when coming back to Germany and I understand pretty well the reason why.

I don't need explanations about the rules/laws; I already knew all that. Thanks.
My remarks were just about how, from a logic perspective, nothing makes sense.
And, if I may add, I have nothing against Germany or the Germans (I married one).^

Oh well.
I figured out that in France all one has to do, is to fill out an application along with passport, DL copy and a recent rental contract to get a EU DL. This does include all EU countries and even Australia.
Personally, this just shows how consistant EU is and in regards to the regulations in Germany, one better gets used to live in a Bananenrepublik

I had an indian (MH) DL and had to go thru the whole spiel in Germany. Learning to drive again at 26 was great in retrospect because I'm a much better driver now. I took a trial test with the driving school and we worked on the mistakes I made over 3-4 lessons. I used the instructor to learn more difficult moves (like turning 180 with the handbrake and snow driving). Total cost 1200DM.

In Michigan they just 'comped' me based on my german license. My wife with her swedish license had to go thru the whole ordeal of testing.

Oz has a provison of DL transfer with the UK. If you have a relative there, you could use his/her address and transfer it to the EU via that route. All my aussie cousins who came to Germany got an EU license that way about 5 years ago. YMMV.

Resident foreigners in germany who only have a one year staying permit can extend the 6-month tenure to one year once.

Okay - german tax law�s are not easy. But - my colleague was succesfull by claiming that to "Sonderausgaben" - back in 2002 - maybe it was just luck or the rules may have changed or there are special rules for foreigners, becoming German residents and passport-holders. Don�t know - you may ask me anything about soccer-rules but German tax-law? That seems to be your part

Michael

The french thing might be not so very legal.

So I picked-up a CD today for learning thoses rules. Man, some of those are extra-extra weird. Hope I will pass the first time.

The DL in Germany is ridiculous expensive but at least after you went through driving school and all the testing, you know basics to drive a vehicle properly, even in difficult situations. I am certainly glad that you can not just get a cheap license somewhere and show up in Germany and they will match it right away so that the applicant was able to save all the "hassle" to go through learning to drive. Once you have been on the Autobahn or in a "sign forest" (Schilderwald), you will be happy that you learned how to drive properly. Each country drives differently and I am always happy to get some guidance if I stay there for a longer period of time. Of course, just for vacation, it doesn't matter that much

Well, the people who get their license in the US and other places also know how to drive a car properly, don`t they?
In Germany there is an industry making quite some money from those who want to obtain a DL.
In my opinion its not so much about safe driving and finding your way through the "schilderwald" (whic is yet another thing tax payers money is wasted upon), but rather a sophisticed way to ripp-off the young adults.
Or why is it cheaper at other places around the globe???

Also, since I have been driving without any accident ever how come that after 6 months in Germany I " donn`t drive safe /or don`t know how to drive anymore"? As a tourist I might not have known all the rules, but obviously this is not an issue for 6 month. There is no logic with those regulations!!

The logic is difficult, however easy if you understand what a "License" in public law (not restricted to driving) is. It is a permission granted to you by a state or territory. The driving license will allow you to drive, the alcohol license will allow you to produce alcohol and a the power station license allows you to operate a power station. However: As the power of a state is limited by its borders, a license is only valid in the country granting the license.

Having said this, a driving license is only valid for driving in the county or territory issueing the license. This result would make life for the most of us very difficult. Acknowledging this problem, a bunch of state agreed on the mentioned 1926 treaty agreeing that a driving license would be acknowledged under certain circumstances. However, non of these states wanted to waive any of its own rights and the result of this was that foreign licenses would only be acknowledged for short periods of time and special restrictions would apply for residents of the own state or territory using foreing licenses.

You can like it or dislike it: Without this treaty you could not make use of your driving license outside the country which had issued ist (notwithstanding bilateral treaties or the EU). Nobody will ever touch this again as it would become to difficult to find a new agreement.

I folund this website
http://www.drivingliberty.com/eu/en/index.html

is this a scam

It is in a grey area and I would not trust that eg a Hungarian license issued while you are not living in this country for a certain period will be accepted if it comes to real problems. We know this way pretty well in Germany and in particular travels to Poland and the Czech Republic are very popular to get a license for notorious offenders. However, unless you have lived there for a period of (to my recollection) six months these licenses might not be accepted in Germany.

And they even give you the answer:

Q I have been banned (licence revoked) in the UK or elsewhere, can I drive legally in the UK or other countries with one of these licences.

A. No

Q. Why haven't you been shut down by the Police?

Please read the website again, we are NOT doing anything illegal. We are representatives of the applicant only and not responsible if the applicant lies or makes a false declaration! That's the clients business! We do not condone illegal activity. We follow the procedures as dictated by the foreign licensing authorities. Should these procedures change in the countries we operate in, there are another ten Eastern European countries that recently joined the E.U to explore. All with their own unique procedures. Please don't ask us to break laws. Follow the options. Everything is possible.

I will say I am glad I only had to do the written test for my license in Germany. This is due to the NATO Status of Forces agreement at Geilenkirchen (and the same US one at US bases). The test is not easy. The first time fail rate is nearly 50%. Now that I have my Italian license I don't need the German one but it is still valid until 2011.

Oddly enough I was pulled over by the Dutch in lat 07, and had to pay an one the spot fine of 43 Euros for speeding. I did not have the cash so I hd to drive to a money machine and leave them my license until returning. They didn't "like" my official German license (it looks different than normal ones as it is a green and white card in English and German), they didn't want my Texas license or passport, they wanted my AAA international license, which is easily replaced.

As an aside FlyingLawyer your posted link of US states rules in Germany does not list Texas.

In Italia it was easy getting my license. It is all about who you know LOL.

Ciao,
FH

I did both tests in Germany, it is nearly 600 Euro just to "exchange" the license, and is by far one of the most expensive, maddening, and frankly unnecessary hoops that the German authorities make foreign residents go through. I'll say that the written test is a good idea, but the driving lessons, etc. are utterly stupid.

It is one thing if all this is required and is 30 Euro, like it is in the U.S., but another thing to go through a driving school, and pay this firm money to go through all of this.

The license is, however, without an expiration date.

I lost a fair amount of respect for Germany and the Germans going through this process.

There are further 15 states (inter alia New York) not listed because their licenses are as well as a Texas license according to this not acknowledged. You are free to use it for the known period but afterwards you need to do the full test (or get eg a New Mexico or Arizona license which is full acknowledged and does not require any test).

This is nothing but a reciprocity thing. Germany has exempted several US state license holders from the requirement of a written and/or a practical test as long as German license holders are exempted too. In certain states, eg. New York, Germans have however to do practical and written tests:

It should be not a big surprise that New Yorkers need to do the full exercise in Germany. This exercise is not anyhow different from the exercise a German in Germany has to got through. The US imposes harsher rules on citizens of its friends and allies from year to year (not to mention these passport and forms and ESTA nonsense for European passport holders) and US citizens cannot be really be surprised if similar procedures are introduced for them.