One of the great advantages of moving to Germany as a South African is that you can convert your South African driver’s license without needing to take a theoretical or practical test. It still takes time and a bit of admin, but the process is relatively straightforward and costs under €100 — well worth doing early on.
Here’s how my process went, step by step.
🗓 Making the Appointment
I booked my appointment on the Berlin service portal on the 6th of March. At the time, the earliest available slot was for the 5th of May, so expect a bit of a wait — make the booking as early as possible.
📝 Getting the License Translated
After booking, I used Lingoking to get my South African driver’s license officially translated into German. The cost was €50, and I received the translated license by post within about 10 days.
📁 The Appointment at the Bürgeramt
I attended the appointment on May 5th. The process was smooth overall, but there was one unexpected hiccup: they told me I needed to include an eye test result. Fortunately, they still accepted my application and just asked that I send the eye test as soon as possible.
👁️ Doing the Eye Test (For Free)
The next day, I went to my nearest Fielmann (an optician chain in Germany). After a short 10-minute wait, they did the eye test free of charge. Just make sure to bring your passport, as they’ll need it for identification.
I then emailed the test result, along with the confirmation slip I got during my appointment, to this address: 📧 post.fahrerlaubnis@labo.berlin.de
⏳ Waiting for the Response
After that, I didn’t hear anything for a while — so don’t stress if it goes quiet.
Then, on June 19th, I received an email confirming my appointment to collect my German license on July 15th.
✅ Final Thoughts
From start to finish, the process took about four months. I highly recommend starting the conversion process as early as possible after arriving in Germany — especially if you plan to drive.
There’s no test required, the cost is low, and once it’s done, you won’t need to worry about driving on an international license or renting cars under restrictions.
If you’re a South African in Germany, this is one of the smoother bureaucratic wins — take advantage of it.