Though a driver’s licence may not be an official travel document, having a driver’s licence and the permission to operate vehicles is important no matter where you go. Picture: Unsplash
There are many costs associated with emigrating to another country and if you’re planning to permanently leave South Africa and seek residence in Germany, having a South African Driver’s License could come in handy.
According to German journalist, Johanna Rudiger, and South African expat living in Germany, Nonhle Beryl, you should be prepared to pay between €2600 to €3500 (R53079,16 to R 71452,71) if you’re looking to get a German Driver’s Licence.
@nonhleberyl #stitch with @Johanna Rüdiger - Journalist Get your driver’s license in South Africa BEFORE you move to Germany because getting a driver’s license in Germany is extremely expensive!!! #travel #lifeabroad #expatlife #immigrantlife #lifeineurope #lifeingermany #southafricansabroad #southafricansineurope #southafricansingermany #southafricatiktok #germantiktoker #hamburgtiktoker #foryou #fyp ♬ original sound - Nonhle | Travel & Life Abroad
Beryl and Rudiger, who are content creators, shared on TikTok the costs associated with acquiring the official government document while Beryl also offered advice on how South Africans can mitigate this financial challenge.
“If you’re a South African and you’re planning to move to Germany, I strongly advise you to do your driver’s licence in South Africa before you move to Germany,” said Beryl.
As a South African expat living in Germany, Beryl revealed that when she moved to the country, she already had her South African driver’s licence and submitted it to the German Licensing Department for it to be converted to a German driver’s licence.
She highlighted that converting her South African driver’s licence ended up costing far less, between €22 to €25 at the time and didn’t even require her to do a driver’ test.
“When I first moved to Germany, I already had my driver’s licence and I could convert it to a German driver’s licence by handing my South African driver’s licence to the German Licensing Department and I paid, I think it was €22 or €25,” said Beryl.
Beryl emphasised that having your South African driver’s licence before you make the move is crucial for this process to work because you can’t move to Germany then come back to South Africa to get your licence done if you didn’t have one.
According to Global Apostille Legislation, a South African driver’s licence is valid for six months in Germany and after six months you’ll have to exchange it for a German driver’s licence.
“This is done by obtaining a driver’s licence confirmation letter from the South African Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), which attests that your South African driver’s licence is valid, with this letter, you can then convert your SA driver’s licence with a German one,” said Global Apostille Legislation.