Germany on an Indian Licence — the Autobahn, the Side Switch & the Green Sticker
India
Germany
Carry an IDP or a German translation with your Indian licence (FeV §29). Switch to right-hand traffic, keep right on the Autobahn, and check for the green sticker in Umweltzone cities.
Germany’s roads are excellent and its drivers disciplined, but an Indian visitor has three adjustments to make, and they arrive in a set order: the paperwork, the side of the road and the Autobahn.
Paperwork first
German law (FeV §29) requires a licence like yours to be carried with an International Driving Permit or a German translation. Your RTO issues the IDP; take it with the Indian licence and your passport. If you later take up residence, the Indian licence stays valid for six months from that date.
Left to right
India keeps left; Germany keeps right. The danger is in reflexes rather than on the open road: leaving a petrol station, joining a roundabout that now runs anticlockwise, glancing over the wrong shoulder. Spend the first hour on quiet roads rather than in central Munich or Berlin.
The Autobahn
Where no sign sets a limit, the Autobahn has only an advisory 130 km/h, so cars close from behind very quickly. Keep right except to overtake, never pass on the right, check the mirror twice before pulling out and move back as soon as you have passed. Many sections are signed lower for junctions, roadworks or weather, and those limits are enforced: up to 10 km/h over costs EUR 30 in town and EUR 20 outside. Ordinary roads outside towns run at 100 km/h, towns at 50.
City stickers
Cities with an Umweltzone admit only cars with the green Umweltplakette, and entering without it costs EUR 100. German hire cars normally carry one. From 1 October 2026, a car with a German E-plate, or a foreign-registered electric car with the blue E badge, is exempt. Our emission zones guide lists the zones.
Alcohol, winter and numbers
The limit is 0.05%, and zero for drivers under 21 or in their probationary period. In wintry conditions (black ice, snow, slush) the car must have winter or all-season tyres marked with the alpine symbol. Emergencies: 112; police: 110. The full rulebook is on our Germany driving guide.
Sources
- Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung (FeV) §29 (foreign licences; translation or international permit; six months after residence): gesetze-im-internet.de
- Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung §2(3a) (tyres in wintry conditions) and §3(3) (50 km/h in towns, 100 km/h outside): gesetze-im-internet.de
- Bußgeldkatalog-Verordnung, annex (speeding fines) and no. 153 (EUR 100 Umweltzone fine): gesetze-im-internet.de
- Straßenverkehrsgesetz §24a (0.5 per mille) and §24c (zero under 21 and in the probationary period): gesetze-im-internet.de
- BImSchV, Annex 3 no. 11 (E-plate and blue E badge exemption from 1 October 2026): gesetze-im-internet.de
- WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Germany profile (0.05 g/dl; 50/100 km/h): who.int
Speed limits, fines, equipment & license requirements
Your home country driving rules for reference
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Winter tyres in Germany — 2026–27 season
Winter tyres are required in Germany whenever conditions are wintry — Situational (when conditions require: ice, snow, slush, black ice).
- Tread minimum: 1.6 mm — Germany sets no separate winter figure.
- Accepted marking: 3PMSF only — the M+S transitional rule no longer applies to cars (StVZO §36(4))
- Studded tyres: banned
- Penalty: EUR 60 + 1 point; EUR 80 if you obstruct traffic; EUR 75 for the vehicle owner
In German the rule is Winterreifenpflicht, and snow chains are Schneeketten — that is the wording on signs, in hire-car paperwork and on any penalty notice.
Checked against national legislation, 1 Oct 2026 · Full Germany tyre law · Compare all countries
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, as long as an International Driving Permit or a German translation goes with it; German law (FeV §29) requires one of the two. If you move to Germany, the Indian licence stays valid for six months after you take up residence.
Where no sign sets a limit, the Autobahn has only an advisory 130 km/h. Many sections are signed lower, and those limits are enforced. Up to 10 km/h over costs EUR 30 in town and EUR 20 outside.
In cities with an Umweltzone, yes: the green Umweltplakette, or a EUR 100 fine. German hire cars normally carry it. From 1 October 2026, a car with a German E-plate, or a foreign-registered electric car with the blue E badge, is exempt.