Life in Germany

If you are only visiting, you need an International driver permit which you can apply for at the AA in South Africa

If you stay longer, you can drive legally for 6 months with your South African licence and an Internationallicense, after that you must convert your SA licence to a German one.
This might change so always check on the links we provide for the most relevant information or on your local traffic department’s website.

You do not need to take the test, you can just convert your SA licence to a German one.
Some states are now requiring a first aid course, so please make sure before you apply to convert your licence. It is always good to attend one anyway. Most Driving schools (Fahrschule) offer first aid courses
You will need to translate your licence into German, this can be done at your local ADAC office. Note – this will depend on the Bundesland or office so always make sure if you need to have your docs translated.
In recent months there have been reports that some cities are now requiring proof of “Confirmation of South African Driving licence”. An example of this is in Böbblingen. Rather be as prepared as you can be, and ask if they need it before you apply for a German licence. This Confirmation can be requested from the RTMC, see more info from DIRCO. You can also use companies to assist you, see our marketplace for more information. If you are still in South Africa, request one and bring it along with you.
The conversion is done either at the Bürgerdienste or the Führerscheinstelle of your town. You can search for Führerscheinstelle + Your Town, or search on Ortsdienst.de. Tip!! When you go to register at the Bürgerampt/Ausländerbehorde ask them where you must apply for your German driver’s licence.

Applying for Conversion of a Foreign Driver’s License

You need the following to apply to convert your South African license to a German driver’s license:

Passport and Permanent Residence card
Photo, the same type as for a passport photo
Your South African driver’s licence
German translation of your South African licence
Confirmation of your Anmeldung, if you do not apply in your home town
Application form
First aid course if required see above
Copy of excerpt/confirmation from the issuing driving license authority abroad with translation (Kopie Auszug/Bestätigung von der ausstellenden Führerscheinbehörde im Ausland mit Übersetzung ) – see above
Pay the Fees

International Drivers licence - issued in Germany

During your licence application in Germany, you will need to submit your SA license to the German authorities, which means you will need an International Drivers license to drive in South Africa.
According to regulation 110 of the National Road Traffic Act, a foreign license is only valid in South Africa if it has been issued in one of South Africa’s official languages.
The German license is therefore not valid and you should have an International license.

You can apply for an International license at the Führerscheinstelle of either the Stadtverwaltung, Bürgerampt, Rathaus, or Landratsamt, depending on where you live. It is recognised in 200 countries.
Here is a list of countries where you will need an International Licence once you have your German(EU) licence.

You can find the application forms online or at the office you apply
You will need a biometric photo and your German driver’s licence
In 2022 the cost is €16

Sie können den Internationalen Führerschein bei den Straßenverkehrsämtern (Führerscheinstelle) an Ihrem Wohnort beantragen.
Führerscheinstelle ist,

wenn Sie in einem Stadtkreis wohnen: die Stadtverwaltung
wenn Sie in einem Landkreis wohnen: das Landratsamt

Rules and reciprocal licence agreements for each country

Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz
Federal Ministry of Tansport, building and Urban Development
Fact sheet for holders of foreign driving licences – Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digatle Infrastruktur
Validity of foreign licences in Germany
Validity of German licences in other coutries

Renewing your SA drivers licence card

You need to renew your licence in person in South Africa.
Please take note that “your South African driving licence card is your valid proof that you have a South African Driving Licence.
When your driving licence card has expired, it does not mean that your driving licence has expired. Only your valid proof of such a licence has expired”

Applicants outside the borders of the RSA whose Driving Licence Cards have expired or were lost/stolen and who are not in a position to return to the RSA to have the licence renewed:

According to DIRCO – “The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), a corporation of the Department of Transport, is in a position to issue a confirmation letter should such an applicant have a valid licence.
This is established by verifying the applicant’s South African identification number on the National Traffic Information System.
The letter will serve as proof that the applicant has a valid licence and this will enable them to convert to a foreign driving licence in the country of current residence.
Please note:
The confirmation letter cannot be interpreted as a driving licence when produced to a law enforcement official.

You can send an email to dlconfirmations@rtmc.co.za.
Your request must include your contact numbers (including email address), a copy of your ID or a copy of your driving licence.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) will upon request, investigate, and print a copy of the licence required and a Letter of Confirmation of the licence. This letter reflects the date that the licence was first issued. Kindly note that the person collecting the letter must provide acceptable identification and may also arrange for a courier to collect it.
Location and Contacts/ Confirmation letters are facilitated at:
RTMC-NaTIS Facility, 13 Howick Close, Waterfall Park, Bekker Road, Midrand
+27 11 266-2000 (Telephone)
+28 86 415 9120 (Fax)
– You can ask someone to collect the original from their office in Centurion, or use one of the companies listed on our marketplace to collect, apostille and courier it to you, it can take around 2 months.

More info from DIRCO

Apostil

Get South African apostilles, police clearances, birth/marriage certificates, legalisations and much more quickly and efficiently through our legal service. We have helped thousands of people

Doc Assist

Embark on a hassle-free journey with our comprehensive document services. Whether you’re planning to travel, work abroad, or need vital documents, Doc Assist is here

Vocabulary

English	German
citizens’ office	das Bürgeramt
City hall	das Rathaus
Conversion of a Foreign Driver’s License	Umschreibung einer ausländischen Fahrerlaubnis
Driver’s License	der Führerschein
driver’s license office	die Führerscheinstelle
Driving School	die Fahrschule
first-aid course	der Erste-Hilfe-Kurs
Permanent Residence card	der Personalausweis
Translation	die Übersetzung

Resources on the web

Europa.eu
www.german-way.com
ADAC – officially the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (General German Automobile Club), is Europe’s largest motoring association. The object of the ADAC is “the representation, promotion and advocacy of motoring, motorsport and tourism interests

Car Insurance

You cannot register your vehicle without having insurance. There are basically three options for vehicle insurance – third-party, partial or comprehensive.Third-party liability insurance is compulsory,

Winter Tyres

The winter conditions in Germany can make the roads dangerous and slippery to drive on.Winter conditions are for example black ice, slippery snow, slush, slippery

Road Rules

Driving on German roads is very well regulated and if you don’t adhere to the rules you will get penalty points against your name

Where to find information

The Bundesamt für Justiz publishes the laws and regulations to a the Gesetze im internet website.
The main site is in German, but there are translations available, with the following notice “Translations of these materials into languages other than German are intended solely as a convenience to the non-German-reading public. Any discrepancies or differences that may arise in translations of the official German versions of these materials are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or enforcement purposes.”

For the English translations please visit this page, it covers the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany.
Your main source for the most up-to-date information should always be the website of the Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz.
The site is also available in English and is called “The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection.”

Federal State, districts and towns

Some laws and regulations are governed by the Federal state, the district or town. For more information visit the official sites of the Federal states, districts or towns

Good to know

Insulting someone can lead to fines and even imprisonment. More information here, and in German Abscnitt 14 Beleidigung

Apps

LX Gezetze for iPad
gesetze.io

Scams

Europol

The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation is the law enforcement agency of the European Union (EU) to handle criminal intelligence and combat serious international organised crime and terrorism through cooperation between competent authorities of EU member states.

Please take note of the notice by Europol regarding scam calls. Europol will never call you directly. There is also a link on their website where you can report such calls

Booking.com

The person receives messages from inside the Booking.com website/app, seemingly from the hotel they booked. The “hotel” tells informs them that their payment didn’t go through. The reasons can be your credit card details are old or are being declined. The scammer then says you have to make a payment within 24 hours else you will lose your booking. They ask for your credit card details and if this is declined, they ask for an IBAN payment or direct transfer (in this case it was a bank in the UK) to confirm the booking. They send you an external e-mail with the banking details. Do not do anything without consulting the hotel directly (not via the chat in Booking.com) or phone Booking.com. To phone them you will need the booking confirmation and pin code related to your booking.
Be very vigilant, everything seems legit.
What might be happening is that the specific hotel has been hacked, so the scammers have access to the chat window in the Booking.com app or website, as well as all your booking details. If this does happen to you, and you made a payment, contact your bank immediately, and I would suggest blocking your credit cards as well. Also, open up a criminal case at the police station and contact Booking.com. Remember your credit card might offer you extra protection in such cases, try not to make direct transfers.

Reporting a crime

In an emergency please use the 110 number to call the police or the 112 number which is the national emergency number. See the links below for a complete list of emergency numbers.
For non-emergencies, call your local police office or visit them. Even petty crimes like scam calls or petty theft should be reported and will be taken seriously by the police.

Most federal states have an “Online-Wache” page where you can report a crime online.

Vocabulary

Federal criminal police (Central office)	das Bundeskriminalamt (BKA)
Federal police force	die Bundespolizei
Every state also has a federal investigation bureau that help solve crimes on state level	das Landeskriminalamt (LKA)
Federal State Police	die Landespolizei. Each federal state has their own police force
Police force that handles public safety, general law enforcement and traffic enforcement	Schupo / die Schutzpolizei
Criminal investigation department	die Kriminalpolizei / Kripo
Traffic police	die Autobahnpolizei
Emergency number for the police	110

Emergencies – Assisting someone else

It is very important that you are aware that according to Section § 323c of the Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch) your are obliged to help a

Disaster preparedness

The Federal office of Civil protection suggests that you keep certain items in your house so that you can be prepared in a disaster situation.Such

Emergency Contacts

The following numbers can be dialled in an emergency, either from a landline or mobile phone. 112The national emergency number. This can be used for

Health insurance is mandatory for everyone visiting or living in Germany.
When living in Germany you can either take our private (privaten Krankenversicherung – PKV) or public (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung – GKV) health insurance. Your choice will depend on your age, salary and employment status.
To know:

It is extremely difficult to change from Private to Public insurance. The other way around is no issue
Contributions for public depends on your salary, contributions for private depends on your risk profile (age and health). Private insurance become more expensive the older you get
Private insurance – you pay expenses out of your pocket and claim them back
Public insurance – your claim is submitted and paid by the company
Only civil servants, the self-employed, students and employees whose salary exceeds the annual income limit (Versicherungspflichtgrenze) may take out private insurance. In 2023, this limit is € 66,600 gross per year.
For employees, the employer pays half of the premium (14.6% / 2) plus a statuary additional contribution (1.3%/2) , but only up to the maximum rate of a statutory insured person (Beitragsbemessungsgrenze). In 2023 the limit is €59850 or €4987,5 per month. That calculates to a max contribution of €384,58 per month

Resources on the web

An article from “How to Germany” about the different health insurance options
“Just Landed,” wrote an article about health insurance in Germany

Top up medical cover

You can top up your medical cover for example Dentist cover.
You can read more about it on the How To Germany Site. There is also a good article (German) from Focus about Zusatzversicherung

Tourist Health Cover (travel to Germany)

Tourist needs travel and medical insurance before they can apply for their Visa’s.
Some of the options are your medical aid or a company like TIC.
Please be aware of the requirements from the Embassy, not all credit card cover is accepted.
When you need cover for 6 to 12 months, you can look at Klemmer.

Cover for freelancers

At the time of writing, these two companies offer medical aid for freelancers in Germany.
Except for publicists and people working in the arts, all freelancers and self-employed should be privately health insured.
For Expats coming over, you will not be allowed to go onto Vol Privat Krankenversicherung (full private health insurance) until you have been in Germany for 2 years and held other health insurance for that time (keep in mind you will not qualify for public health insurance). You need a expat/travel health insurance (private health insurance) for those 1st two years.It also needs to meet the requirements of the Embassy for the Visa and the Behörde (not all do).

Cover for students and Au Pairs

You will need medical insurance to cover the whole period that you are in Germany. Good options are Klemmer or Dr Walter

Comparative websites

The following websites offer a comparison of medical insurance. Please always read the fine print before signing up through comparative sites

Medical insurance companies

Krankenkassse has a list of private and public health insurance companies.
PKV lists members of the Private Krankenversicherung (PKV)

Advisors listed on this site

If you are in need of assistance with your health insurance application, here is a list of competent and reliable professionals who are equipped to provide you with top-notch support throughout the entire process. You can rest easy knowing that these individuals are well-versed in all aspects of healthcare and have ample experience helping clients navigate the often confusing world of German health insurance. Don’t hesitate to reach out to any of the exceptional individuals on our list- they are more than happy to help you apply for the healthcare coverage you need!

Chad Joubert – Wealth Advisor

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