Living in Berlin without a drivers license

[LeonG]

Meh. Visited my son in Texas some years ago, went to the DMV and got a license for $15 using his address. My Virginia one was expiring. Now I have a German one so I can drive in the U.S. or if necessary in DE.

A lot of things have changed though. Everything was easier some years ago. Texas now requires you to show that you have lived there for 30+ days and you need two documents like utility bill, rental agreement or something.

[bethannbitt]

Sorry I had no idea. But taking a more difficult test in a different state being illegal is kind of funny! The other way round I get. x

Reciprocity with DE isn't tied to the difficulty of a state's driving test. Political and economic considerations during such negotiations are/were often at play.

[Fraufruit]

Meh. Visited my son in Texas some years ago, went to the DMV and got a license for $15 using his address. My Virginia one was expiring. Now I have a German one so I can drive in the U.S. or if necessary in DE.

A lot of things have changed though. Everything was easier some years ago. Texas now requires you to show that you have lived there for 30+ days and you need two documents like utility bill, rental agreement or something.

What if you rent a room from someone and the bills are in their name?

[LeonG]

What if you rent a room from someone and the bills are in their name?

Apparently they will accept these:

Utility Bills: Electric, water, gas, internet, cable (within 90 days).
Financial/Housing: Deed, mortgage statement, rental lease, property tax bill.
Vehicle/Insurance: Texas vehicle registration/title, auto insurance policy.
Other: Voter registration card, W-2/1099, medical/health card, or a Texas Residency Affidavit (DL-5) if you lack standard documents.

I suppose you could go with the affidavit. It may be a bit illegal to lie on an affidavit though.

[alison]

Sounds like living in Berlin without a drivers license is not hard. Thanks to everyone for the advice! I'm going to sell my 21-year-old car here in the US and hope to never drive again!

Best wishes,
Alison

[Fraufruit]

I use Uber a few times each month along with the public transport in Munich. You'll be fine.

[bethannbitt]

We moved here partly for the myriad of transportation options available. Saw it and said, we wanna live that way, especially as we age. One of the best decisions we’ve ever made.

[john_b]

I'll add my voice to those saying that you can easily function in Berlin without driving. Public transport, whilst it has its downsides, is used by everyone. Cycling is also pretty easy - it's a very flat city, apart from anything else and there are a lot of cycle lanes. If you do sort out the license issue, then there are a myriad of apps which mean you can easily find and use a nearby vehicle if you need to schlepp something across the city or, for that matter, travel outside the city limits to the many lakes in the region.

Overall, you'll be fine. Welcome!

[LukeSkywalker]

I would love to simply stop driving when I move to Berlin, but am wondering about buying new furniture there. Presumably IKEA or equivalent will deliver it?

I bought once a sleeping sofa and mattress at Höffner and it was delivered to my home free of charge. They also took my old sofa and mattress. Free of charge as well. I don’t think IKEA offers similar service.

[Robinson100]

I bought once a sleeping sofa and mattress at Höffner and it was delivered to my home free of charge. They also took my old sofa and mattress. Free of charge as well. I don’t think IKEA offers similar service.

Ikea does do deliveries, but at a price.

[kaffeemitmilch]

I 'moved' to a friend's place in CT before coming here, too. Sadly that only exempted me from the practical test - still had to do written, which I passed... on the 3rd try

Just change your address with your bank online, and voila.

[snowingagain]

TBH I think everyone (including me) should have to pass the written test.