Estonia seems to be the same as Austria:
They have replied - although the reply clearly falls in the category “not helpful” (as expected…):
Dear Mr Zuiop,
Thank you for your email.
Driving licences are the purview of individual EU Member States and the rules regarding the exchange or not of licences in Taiwan are based on reciprocity. The EETO is therefore unable to intervene. We suggest you contact the German Institute here in Taipei to find out if they are able to assist you in any way.
Kind regards,
1 Like
The “kind regards” at the end is a nice touch.
Guy
Why not whizz back through Germany and get your German license back?
As far as I know, it can take up to 14 working days to get a new driving license in Germany, for example if it has been lost.
14 working days at the office? Or you go to the office and apply. Write down a mailing address and then wait 14 days? (If so… why no give them a Taiwan postage address? or get family to send to Taiwan?)
Actually I read could also be up to 6 weeks.^^
But express process and delivery could be possible, for extra fee of course.
That requires moving to Germany and registering a household there (which might have tax implications as the tax office is informed).
Also, I was told by the responsible department that the process of exchanging back a license can take between 3-6 months (ridiculously long compared to the one day it took to exchange my German license for a Taiwanese one…) . So not 14 days…
As I said: Without having a registered household in Germany, they won’t change back the license (I am actually thinking about hiring a lawyer to check whether that is really the case or just some excuse. But lawyers in Germany are also quite expensive unfortunately, so that’s definitely not something to do for a one-week vacation…).
1 Like
The whole process from application until one can have the new license in hand.
This was just in case of lost license. The change back license may be different.
Yeah, apparently, that is an entirely different process…
Do they really send the back the German license?
German authorities know that one did change driving license in TW?
I wonder what if one pretend to have lost the German driving license?
I am not sure if some did like this before, Maybe they have become more strictly about it.
Yes, that’s my understanding.
If you’ve lost a driver’s license in Germany, you need to make an affidavit. Lying can carry a prison sentence of up to three years.
Ich habe meinen deutschen Führerschein im Ausland umgetauscht und möchte ihn jetzt wieder zurückhaben. Was muss ich tun?
Im Ausland umgetauschte deutsche Führerscheine werden in der Regel über das Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA) an die deutsche Fahrerlaubnisbehörde (Straßenverkehrsamt) zurückgeschickt, die den Führerschein ausgestellt hat. Das KBA behält daher keine Führerscheine.
Wenn Sie Ihren Hauptwohnsitz wieder in Deutschland haben, wenden Sie sich für den Umtausch der ausländischen Fahrerlaubnis an die für ihren aktuellen Wohnort zuständige deutsche Fahrerlaubnisbehörde. Es ist nicht zulässig, mehrere gültige Führerscheine gleichzeitig zu besitzen.
Translation:
I exchanged my German driver’s license abroad and would now like to have it back. What do I have to do?
German driving licenses exchanged abroad are usually returned to the German driving license authority (road traffic office) that issued the license via the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA). The KBA therefore does not retain any driving licenses.
If you have your main place of residence in Germany again, contact the German driving license authority responsible for your current place of residence to exchange your foreign driving license. It is not permitted to hold several valid driving licenses at the same time.
2 Likes
Maybe I would try to double check this again and confirm it with the relevant traffic authority. They probably know what it takes to get the German license back, if that’s what you want.
Ok seems like the residence address is needed for that.
English news about this:
2 Likes
You seem not to understand one thing: operating a vehicle on public roads is not a right, but a privilege. You are free to travel, but if you so choose to travel with a private vehicle which you want to operate autonomously, that’s a privilege.
Administrative recognition of foreign licence is also a matter of sovereignty and each country chooses autonomously or in conjunction with a counterparty country if to recognise such licences.
They forgot what the word international meant
True true but I thought civil nations want to be civil with each other and not spend time erecting barriers with no good reason
I wonder if there are some arguments at the Austrian car rental stations right now^^
I would be interested to hear that.
a person is reasonable, people are fearful and petty. Nations are made by the people and led by people appointed by people… too many extractions… the nations are people at the fourth power!