Before you start

A completed Anmeldung, which starts the six-month clock
Your original foreign licence, with a certified German translation if it is not in EU format
An eyesight test certificate from an optician
A first aid course certificate, required for most applicants

Step-by-step

1
Work out whether you need to drive at all
The Rheinbahn runs a dense tram, Stadtbahn and bus network, the city is flat enough that cycling works year-round, and the Deutschlandticket covers all local and regional transport nationwide for a flat monthly fee. Düsseldorf Airport is roughly twelve minutes from the Hauptbahnhof by S-Bahn. Parking in the central districts is expensive and scarce.
OnlineWho: You
2
Find your issuing jurisdiction on the federal exchange list
Anlage 11 of the Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung sets out, country by country and in several cases state by state, whether you exchange freely, sit a theory test, sit a practical test, or sit both. Two colleagues from the same country can face completely different processes. Check yours specifically before booking anything.
OnlineWho: YouWithin the first month
3
Apply inside the six-month window
A non-EU licence is valid for six months from taking up residence, counted from your registration rather than from your arrival. Applying before that expires preserves your exchange rights; letting it lapse can push you into the full German licensing process even where a simple exchange was available.
In personWho: YouWithin 6 months of Anmeldung
4
Get the translation, eyesight test and first aid certificate
Non-EU licences generally need a certified translation, usually from ADAC or a sworn translator. The eyesight test is a few minutes at an optician; the first aid course runs about nine hours and is offered every weekend by the Johanniter, the Malteser and the DRK.
In personWho: You
5
Apply at the Düsseldorf Führerscheinstelle and surrender the old licence
Submit the application with your documents. Your foreign licence is generally retained rather than returned. Processing takes weeks, and longer where the issuing authority abroad has to be asked to verify the document.
In personWho: YouSeveral weeks
6
Buy a green Umweltplakette before you drive in
Düsseldorf's low emission zone has been in force since 2009, was enlarged in 2013 and has required a green badge since July 2014. It covers the inner city — the old town, Pempelfort, Derendorf, Friedrichstadt and parts of Bilk, bounded by main roads and rail lines — rather than the whole municipality, so check the map against your actual route. It is bought once from a testing station, garage or registration office and stays with the vehicle. Driving in without one attracts a fine, and hire cars from outside Germany often lack it.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Foreign driving licence with certified German translation
Meldebescheinigung from your Anmeldung
Passport and residence permit
Eyesight test certificate
First aid course certificate
Biometric photograph

Things most newcomers don’t know

For US, Canadian and Australian licences the answer depends on the state or province, not the country.

Germany negotiated exchange arrangements individually with sub-national jurisdictions in federal countries. A licence from one US state may exchange with no test at all while a neighbouring state's requires both theory and practical. Colleagues compare notes, reach the wrong conclusion, and one of them ends up in a driving school. Look up your exact issuing jurisdiction in Anlage 11 rather than trusting anyone's experience.

Source: Anlage 11 Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung

The six-month clock starts at your Anmeldung, and missing it is the expensive mistake.

The window runs from taking up residence, which in practice means your registration date rather than the day you landed. Apply inside it and you keep whatever exchange rights your jurisdiction has. Let it run out and you can find yourself required to complete the full German licensing process — compulsory theory lessons, a minimum number of supervised practical hours including motorway and night driving, and two examinations, together costing thousands of euros.

Source: Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf — Führerscheinstelle

The buried motorway is why the riverfront works, and why through traffic is worse than you expect.

Düsseldorf put the Rheinufer road into a tunnel in 1993 and gained one of Germany's best urban waterfronts. The corollary is that surface traffic is funnelled onto a small number of Rhine crossings and radial roads, and the Rhine bridges are a genuine chokepoint at peak. Commuting by car from the left bank into the centre is reliably slower than the Stadtbahn running underneath it.

Source: community-reported

A car adds very little here and costs a great deal.

Central Düsseldorf residents mostly park on the street under a resident permit scheme with more permits than spaces, or rent a garage space at a meaningful monthly cost. Between the Rheinbahn network, a flat cycling city and the Deutschlandticket covering every regional train in Germany, most people who arrive intending to buy a car find within six months that they have not needed one.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming a country-level exchange rule applies when your US state or Canadian province is treated separately.
Counting the six months from arrival rather than from the Anmeldung date.
Driving into the city without a green Umweltplakette on the windscreen.
Booking driving school lessons before confirming whether any test is required at all.
Buying a car before checking what a resident parking permit actually gets you in a central district.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.