Before you start

A completed Anmeldung, which starts the six-month clock
Your original foreign licence with a certified German translation where required
An eyesight test certificate
A first aid course certificate for most applicants

Step-by-step

1
Check whether the region's transport already covers your life
The VGN network spans Nuremberg, Fürth, Erlangen and out into Franconia on a single fare system, the U2 and U3 run driverless at high frequency, and the Deutschlandticket covers every local and regional train in Germany for a flat monthly fee. A large share of the region's commutes — including to Erlangen and Herzogenaurach — work without a car.
OnlineWho: You
2
Find your exact issuing jurisdiction in Anlage 11
The federal list sets out, country by country and state by state for federal countries, whether you exchange freely, sit only a theory test, sit only a practical, or sit both. Colleagues' experiences are unreliable unless they held a licence from the same jurisdiction.
OnlineWho: YouWithin the first month
3
Apply inside the six-month window
The clock runs from taking up residence, in practice your registration date. Applying within it preserves your exchange rights; letting it lapse can put you through the full German licensing process, which is among the most expensive in Europe.
In personWho: YouWithin 6 months of Anmeldung
4
Assemble the translation, eyesight test and first aid certificate
A certified translation from ADAC or a sworn translator, an eyesight test at any optician, and a first aid course of roughly nine hours run every weekend by the DRK, Johanniter and Malteser. Simple individually, several weeks collectively.
In personWho: You
5
Apply at the Nuremberg Führerscheinstelle
Submit the file and surrender your foreign licence, which is generally retained. Processing takes weeks, and longer where the issuing authority abroad must confirm the document.
In personWho: YouSeveral weeks
6
Carry a green Umweltplakette
Nuremberg operates a low emission zone covering the inner city and requires a green environmental badge on the windscreen. It is bought once from a testing station, garage or registration office and stays with the vehicle. Hire cars from outside Germany frequently lack one.
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 state or province decides, not the country.

Germany negotiated exchange arrangements individually with sub-national jurisdictions in federal countries, so one US state exchanges with no test while its neighbour requires theory and practical. Two colleagues from the same country regularly get opposite answers, and the one who trusted the other's account ends up in a driving school. Look up your own issuing jurisdiction in Anlage 11 before booking anything.

Source: Anlage 11 Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung

Missing the six-month window is the most expensive avoidable error a driver makes here.

The clock starts at your Anmeldung, not your arrival. Apply within it and you keep whatever exchange rights your jurisdiction has. Let it lapse and you may be required to complete the full German process — compulsory theory lessons, a minimum number of supervised practical hours including motorway and night driving, and two examinations — costing thousands of euros for a licence you already held for decades.

Source: Stadt Nürnberg — Führerscheinstelle

The VGN region is one fare zone system across three cities, which changes where you can afford to live.

Nuremberg, Fürth and Erlangen are effectively one urban area on a single transport network, and the Deutschlandticket covers all of it plus every regional train in Germany. That means working at Siemens Healthineers in Erlangen while living in Fürth, or at adidas in Herzogenaurach while living in Nuremberg, is a normal commute rather than a compromise — and it widens your flat search enormously.

Source: Deutschlandticket / VGN

Nuremberg runs Germany's only driverless U-Bahn lines.

The U3 opened in June 2008 as Germany's first automated underground line, and for its first eighteen months it shared track with driver-operated U2 trains in a mixed operation nobody else in the world had attempted; the U2 was converted to full automation in January 2010. The U2 and U3 remain the only fully automated U-Bahn lines in Germany. In practice it means very short headways at peak and a reliable service late at night, which is part of why car ownership rates here are lower than the region's automotive culture would suggest.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming a country-level exchange rule when your US state or Canadian province is listed separately.
Counting the six months from arrival rather than from the Anmeldung date.
Driving into the inner city without a green Umweltplakette on the windscreen.
Buying a car for an Erlangen or Herzogenaurach commute the VGN network already covers.
Booking driving school lessons before confirming whether any test is required at all.

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