Driving instructor license; application for recognition of a foreign professional qualification

Legal remedy

Administrative court action

Procedure

You submit an 'Application for a driving instructors license' to the competent authority (district administrative authority).

The responsible office will then check whether you meet all the requirements.

An important requirement is the professional qualification. To check the equivalence of the foreign professional qualification, the competent authority involves the Government of Upper Bavaria, which is centrally responsible for this in Bavaria. The government of Upper Bavaria compares your professional qualification from abroad with the German professional qualification and informs the competent authority of the result of the examination. If your professional qualification is equivalent, it will be recognized.

You must also fulfill the other requirements and provide proof of your language skills. You will then receive the driving instructor license as a written document.

If your professional qualification is not equivalent, it will not be recognized. You will then receive written notification of the differences in your professional qualification.

If your professional qualification is not equivalent, you can choose between an aptitude test and an adaptation period to compensate for the differences.

In the aptitude test, only the differences identified by the competent body are examined. The aptitude test consists of a written and oral examination. You must also take part in theoretical and practical driving lessons.

The adaptation period is a practical post-qualification course and lasts a maximum of 3 years. During the adaptation period, you must complete written exercises and give theoretical and practical lessons.

If you complete the adaptation course or pass the aptitude test (and meet all other requirements), you will receive the driving instructor license as a written document.

You can take legal action against the decision of the competent authority. The decision will then be reviewed. Details can be found in the information on legal remedies at the end of your decision. We recommend that you first speak to the responsible office before taking legal action against the decision.

Notes

Freedom to provide services

You can also work temporarily and occasionally as a driving instructor in Germany. In this case, a corresponding note will be entered in your driving instructor license. In this case, the competent authority will also check whether your professional qualification from abroad is equivalent to the training and examination required in Germany. If significant differences are found and public safety is endangered as a result, the issue of the permit may be made dependent on an aptitude test. The above requirements apply equally.

You must also report your work to the competent authority before your first job and then annually. The competent authority will inform you in detail about the procedure.

Procedure for late repatriates

As a late repatriate, you can go through the recognition procedure either in accordance with the law mentioned here or in accordance with the Federal Expellees Act. You can decide for yourself. Your responsible office will advise you on this.

Processing time

If the documents are complete, the procedure usually takes a maximum of 3 months.

Required documents

Required documents, Bavaria-wide: The responsible office will tell you which documents you need to submit.

Important documents are generally

Proof of identity (identity card or passport)

officially certified copy of your proof of qualification to work as a driving instructor

Valid driving license for the corresponding driving license categories

If working as a driving instructor is not regulated in your home country: a certificate stating that you have worked as a driving instructor for at least 2 years in the last 10 years

Proof of your personal reliability. This proof must be from an authority in the country of your professional qualification. This can be an extract from the criminal record or a Certificate of Good Standing. (The proof should be a maximum of 3 months old at the time of application).

Proof of your mental and physical health from the state of your professional qualification. The certificate must prove that you are suitable to work as a driving instructor. (The proof should be a maximum of 3 months old at the time of application).

Your home country may not be able to issue proof of your personal reliability or your mental and physical health. In this case, you can replace these documents with a declaration in lieu of an oath. The competent authority will inform you of this.

The responsible office will tell you which documents you need to submit in the original or as a copy. If your documents are not in German, you must submit German translations of your documents. The translations must be made by translators who are publicly appointed or authorized.

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