driving licence conversion GB D

[jason1788]

Hi All,

I'm getting closer to going "full German" with my bike, mostly because there is no Stuart Collins type insurance available. I can get it registered and TUV'd at my local Suzuki dealer easily enough, but I dont know if I must convert my licence from GB to D in order to get insurance with a German insurance company.

help appreciated!

[Thud_Mcguffin]

Hi, you won't need to get a German license as your UK one will be ok. However if you do get a German one it's pretty easy to do and the added bonus is that it doesn't expire. My wife's UK license was expiring so she went ahead and filled out a couple of forms at the town hall to get a German one. No problem.

[jason1788]

Hi TM, thanks for the reply. Did you find it makes any difference to your insurance premium, if the licence is UK or D?

[Thud_Mcguffin]

We didn't see the insurance premium change, it just stayed ridiculously high

When you buy insurance, the German insurance companies take UK no claims discount in account. This helped ease the pain for us. You just need proof of the no claims discount from something like a renewal letter.

[JMGS4]

Don't forget you'll have to get your GB license translated for the dumb german beamten. I did this (in 1974) and having little german then didn't realise they'd not translated it correctly, they'd missed off completely the HGV and bike sections (there used to by 26 different groups, I had 25 of them).

I later found out when riding my bike, luckily I still had my "old" GB license with me and the trafpol let me off, but it took over a year and almost a court case against the ADAC translator, to get it rectified!!!

Of course it may now be easier with the EU burocracy, although I doubt it!

[jason1788]

Thanks for the info guys!

Next stupid question: Once I have my bike "legit" - ie all original parts back on, and a LHD headlight, do I get a TuV before I go for the registration process? If so do they use the GB reg no, or VIN, or what? Or does the registration come first, then the TUV?

[pipnjones]

By the way... The change to a German License takes no effort whatsoever. I was pushed into it by the expiringi UK license, too, and just went to the Car and License Center and told them I wanted to change. You need to prove you are registered in Germany, and take your UK license, and take a photo, if I remember. The rest was a doddle.

By the time you need to change, you should, hopefully, have a smattering of German under the belt.

[JMGS4]

jason1788 said:

Thanks for the info guys!

Next stupid question: Once I have my bike "legit" - ie all original parts back on, and a LHD headlight, do I get a TuV before I go for the registration process? If so do they use the GB reg no, or VIN, or what? Or does the registration come first, then the TUV?

TüV/ASU first as everything else hinges on that. When you reregister, you'll need the TüV, the insurance, the old vehicle paperwork including the EU cert of conformity, proof of address (i.e. registration), ID, and then you can register, buy the plate, get the plate stamped with TüV and town/county, and then away you go..

[jason1788]

Thanks for the info!

NEXT stupid question: where can I get a certificate of conformity if I don't have one? (we never get them in Blighty)

[JMGS4]

jason1788 said:

Thanks for the info!
NEXT stupid question: where can I get a certificate of conformity if I don't have one? (we never get them in Blighty)

The EU Certificate of Conformity is (must be)issued with every new vehicle that conforms since 2005, IIRC. You should speak to the company who sold you the vehicle or the manufacturer
PERHAPS this is handed to the DLVR to get the V5 or logbook?

Edited by JMGS4 on Thursday 8th March 19:21