The short answer
Converting means a foreign licence is turned into a German one — with a test, depending on the issuing country. Exchanging means an old German or EU licence is swapped for the current card, with no test and no driving school. The exchange is handled solely by the licensing authority.
The two words get swapped constantly, and that is unhelpful, because whether you need a driving school at all hangs on it.
Exchange: just a new document
This concerns anyone still holding a grey or pink paper licence, or an older plastic card. The licence itself — the entitlement — is unchanged; what is swapped is the document, for an EU card valid for 15 years. No test, no eye test, no driving lesson.
The exchange is compulsory but staggered: for paper licences your year of birth decides, for card licences the year of issue. The last deadline runs in January 2033. Which date applies to you is something the licensing authority will tell you — and that is where you go with it, not to us.
Missed the deadline?
Then you are driving with an invalid document, but not without an entitlement. It is a minor administrative offence with a small fine — no points, no ban, and you do not lose your right to drive because of it.
Conversion: from abroad to Germany
This concerns anyone holding a licence issued abroad and living in Germany. Here it is not about the document but about the entitlement itself — and whether a test is needed, and which, depends on the issuing country.
EU and EEA
- Directly valid in Germany — you may drive straight away
- No test, only the exchange of the document
- Voluntary but recommended; compulsory after 15 years at the latest
- Applies to all EU countries plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein
Outside the EU
After you register your residence in Germany the licence stays valid for six months; after that conversion is compulsory. Whether a test is required is decided by the country list in annex 11 of the driving licence regulation — for some countries none at all, for others the theory, for others both.
Which case applies to you we clarify in the first consultation, before you sign up. Everything else is on the conversion page, and what is actually required is a post of its own.