Gray driving license abroad?

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Is your old, gray driver's license still recognized abroad? Depending on the state in which you are traveling, the authorities there may not know what to do with your driving license. Find out here how you can optimally prepare for trips abroad by car.

In some countries you need an international driver's license.
In some countries you need an international driver's license.

Gray driving license within the EU

  • Your gray driver's license must be accepted everywhere within the EU and EEA. This results from the EU Directive 91/439 / EEC, which was confirmed by the EU Commission in a decision of February 21, 2000.
  • In addition to the EU member states, the EEA also includes Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. In this area you can still use pink driver's licenses and old GDR documents.
  • All German driving licenses are valid without translation. However, if you want to avoid lengthy discussions in the remote corners of the EU, you should have a multilingual translation with you. One translation can be downloaded from the Internet.

Driving in the rest of the world

  • Outside the EU and the EEA, there are different regulations about the validity of German driving licenses in general and of course the acceptance of gray driving licenses.
  • Before you travel, it is best to find out about the regulations there on the website of the German embassy in the destination country.
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  • While you won't have any difficulties in Switzerland and Turkey, for example, you will need an international driver's license in many other countries. This multilingual translation of the driver's license is only ever valid in conjunction with your national driver's license.
  • You can get the international driving license easily and quickly from the driving license authorities if you already have an EU driving license.
  • If, on the other hand, you want to apply for an international driver's license with the pink or gray copy, you have to switch to the card driver's license at the same time. If your driving license comes from a different authority than the current application center, you will need a copy of the index card from the authority of origin. Furthermore, you must always present your passport or identity card with a registration certificate and a biometric passport photo.
  • The international driver's license is issued for three years, the fees are 14 euros (as of 2012).

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