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I am an Indian national and since I was working in the UK as a resident, I obtained a UK driving license. After that I moved to India, which means that now I am no longer a UK resident.

After 6 months I am planning to move to Germany. Can I use my UK driving license there without exchanging it to a German license until the validity of the UK license? And if I do have to exchange it, do I have to attend theory and practical tests?

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Official advice from German Ministry of Transport

In short: Your UK driving license is valid in Germany. German officials don't like it how some people get around the residency restrictions of the EU agreement, but there's no provision against it currently.

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  • In that case, the OP obtained it while residing in the UK, which is precisely how it's supposed to work.
    – Gala
    Commented Mar 2, 2018 at 7:50
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Since you have done your driving license in the UK, which is part of the EU, while living legally there, your driving license is both valid in Germany, and also you can exchange it to a German one without having to retake the exam (given it hasn't expired yet - if it has you might be out of luck). The only thing you should be required for the exchange is a doctor's examination (but see comments: it might not even be needed), which is the same you need to do if you would wish to extend a German license after its validity had ended.

Because of Brexit you might want to exchange it to a German one before 2019 however, as leaving the EU might mean your UK license becomes invalid, or it will become harder for it to be exchanged.

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    "The only thing you should be required for the exchange is a doctor's examination" - I exchanged my Full UK driving license for a German one last year. I didn't require a doctor's exam. (And it came complete with all the extra permissions that were covered by a full driving licence when I passed in the early 80's - small motorbike, caravan, minibus, etc).
    – Martin Bonner supports Monica
    Commented Mar 1, 2018 at 6:21
  • Renewing an expired license or even getting a brand new one without being able to present the original license (e.g. it was stolen) are also possible under EU law. I did just that in the Netherlands. Additional documentation might be needed (in particular to prove you did actually pass the relevant tests) but no new exam.
    – Gala
    Commented Mar 2, 2018 at 7:52

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