Germany on an Australian Licence — The Side Switch & the Autobahn

Can you drive in Germany on an Australian licence? Yes, but not on the card alone. Under FeV §29, a licence like yours must be carried with an International Driving Permit or a German translation, and Smartraveller tells Australians to get the IDP before they travel. Bring the plastic card, because a digital licence may not be accepted, and note that you must be 18 to drive. Then comes the part that needs real concentration: Germany keeps to the right.

What goes in the glovebox

Smartraveller’s list is short and specific. While you drive, keep your licence, insurance and vehicle documents in the car. Add the IDP and your passport. If you settle in Germany, the rules change, with a six-month window after taking up residence; for a visitor there is no fixed time limit. The car itself must carry a first-aid kit, a warning triangle and high-visibility vests. Rental cars should have all three, but look before you drive off.

Swapping sides after a lifetime on the left

Smartraveller notes that German road conditions are similar to Australia’s while some basic rules differ, and the side of the road is the biggest of them. Expect the slips at low speed: leaving a car park, entering an anticlockwise roundabout, turning left across traffic. Collect the car outside the city centre if you can, and drive the first stretch on quiet roads before tackling Munich or Berlin.

Cyclists come first

This catches visitors more than the Autobahn does. Bicycles have right of way over vehicles turning into side streets. Many roads have a cycle path, usually coloured red, running between footpath and roadway, often with its own traffic lights. Before any right turn, check over your shoulder for a bike approaching fast in that lane. E-scooters are common in the cities too.

The Autobahn and its advisory 130

Where no sign sets a limit, there is only an advisory 130 km/h, and Smartraveller warns you to be ready for very fast traffic. A car you saw as a dot in the mirror can be on your bumper seconds later. Stay right except to overtake, never pass on the right, and check twice before pulling out. Many sections carry posted limits for junctions, roadworks or weather, enforced by camera. Ordinary roads outside towns run at 100 km/h, as at home; towns at 50.

What German tickets cost

German fines are lower than Australian ones for small excesses, and rise in steps:

A handheld phone costs EUR 100. A red light is EUR 90, or EUR 200 and a one-month ban if it had been red for more than a second. No seatbelt is EUR 30. The speeding fine calculator covers the other bands.

Tyres when the weather turns

German law requires winter (mud and snow) tyres whenever there is snow, ice or frost on the road. There is no fixed date, but Smartraveller says you will usually need them between October and Easter, varying by region. Check the tyres before accepting a rental car: the wrong ones can bring a fine, and your insurer may reject a claim.

Alcohol, sticker zones and calls

The limit is 0.05%, the same as in Australia, and zero for drivers under 21 or on probation. Cities with an Umweltzone admit only cars with a green sticker, which German hire cars normally display; from 1 October 2026 a German E-plate car is exempt. In an emergency, dial 112 for ambulance or fire and 110 for police.

At airports, taxi drivers touting for business may charge more; use an official rank, or a rideshare, which is legal. The Germany driving guide has more, and the driving permit checker helps if the trip continues into Belgium or Switzerland.

Sources

• Australian Government, Smartraveller, Germany (minimum age 18; documents in the car; digital licences; IDP before travel; first-aid kit, triangle and vests; winter tyres; cyclists and red bike paths; e-scooters; taxis; 110 and 112): smartraveller.gov.au
• Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung (FeV) §29 (foreign licences; translation or international permit; six months after residence): gesetze-im-internet.de
• Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung (StVO) §3(3) (50 km/h in towns, 100 km/h outside): gesetze-im-internet.de
• Autobahn-Richtgeschwindigkeits-Verordnung (130 km/h recommended speed)
• Bußgeldkatalog-Verordnung, annex (speeding fines): gesetze-im-internet.de
• Straßenverkehrsgesetz §24a (0.5 per mille) and §24c (zero under 21 and in the probationary period): gesetze-im-internet.de
• StVZO §53a (warning triangle, vest) and §35h (first-aid kit): gesetze-im-internet.de
• 35th BImSchV, Annex 3, item 11 (E-plate exemption from 1 October 2026): gesetze-im-internet.de
• WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Germany and Australia profiles (0.05 g/dl): who.int, who.int