Massachusetts Driver's License

[zauberblume 0]

In the Massachusetts Driver's Handbook, German and Swiss drivers are granted special privileges.

"The Registrar has determined that Germany and Switzerland enforce standards of fitness of operators 18 years old or over, substantially as high as those prescribed and enforced by this Commonwealth, and that they grant to properly licensed residents of this Commonwealth the privilege of operating a properly registered motor vehicle of a type that he or she is licensed to operate with his or her Massachusetts license. Therefore, pursuant to MGL c. 90 S10, the Registrar grants to residents of Germany and Switzerland who are 18 years old or over the privileges of operating in this Commonwealth, provided such nonresidents have complied fully with the laws of their home countries and have valid operator's licenses in their possession or in their vehicles in some easily accessible place."

In our recent experience (12/23/06), my German husband went to Boston and essentially got his German license converted to a Massachusetts one without having to take the written or road tests. He had to bring the following materials:

1) German license

2) German license certified translation by the German Consulate in Boston (Fee: $20)

3) Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (Central Register of Traffic Offenders CTR) Driving Record

4) Proof of Residence in Massachusetts (utility bill)

5) SS card or denial letter

6) Passport

The fee was $90.

I'm posting this for other Swiss or German driver's license holders who will reside in Massachusetts. The process is very simple. My husband received his license about five days after he went to Boston. Boston's Registry of Motor Vehicles is the only place where this license conversion can be processed. This office is located in the Dept. of Transportation building, which is different from the normal RMV office in Boston.

There's a contact number for the Dept. of Transportatio RMV. It's: (671) 973-8860

Good luck!

Edited January 2, 2007 by zauberblume

[Jenn! 918]

Thanks for sharing. That's interesting. Do you know if that's a recent change? I remember checking out the rules for converting foreign licenses to MA licenses, and it said that a road and written test was required unless you were from Canada or Mexico.

Strange that the information you provided doesn't seem to be available on the RMV website.

[zauberblume 0]

I'm not sure if it's a recent change.

At first, I thought the conversion of a foreign license was only for Canadian or Mexican driver's licenses holders...

But then there's that peculiar little paragraph in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised as of 04/2006)... So we called the phone number I provided. They will convert a German or Swiss license to a Massachusetts one.

Thanks for sharing. That's interesting. Do you know if that's a recent change? I remember checking out the rules for converting foreign licenses to MA licenses, and it said that a road and written test was required unless you were from Canada or Mexico.

Strange that the information you provided doesn't seem to be available on the RMV website.

[Mary G. 0]

Zauberblume,

I'm just curious: what did you submit for a utility bill? Do you know whether they'd accept a cell phone bill?

My sister lives in Massachusetts, and we're trying to figure out whether we can stay with them for a few weeks so that Daniel can get a Massachusetts license. After that, we'll be moving to Vermont where he would have to take the written test and the driving test to get a license. If we could somehow work it out so that he could get a Massachusetts license, then we would just pay to convert it to a Vermont license once we're settled.

Thanks for your help!

Mary

In the Massachusetts Driver's Handbook, German and Swiss drivers are granted special privileges.

"The Registrar has determined that Germany and Switzerland enforce standards of fitness of operators 18 years old or over, substantially as high as those prescribed and enforced by this Commonwealth, and that they grant to properly licensed residents of this Commonwealth the privilege of operating a properly registered motor vehicle of a type that he or she is licensed to operate with his or her Massachusetts license. Therefore, pursuant to MGL c. 90 S10, the Registrar grants to residents of Germany and Switzerland who are 18 years old or over the privileges of operating in this Commonwealth, provided such nonresidents have complied fully with the laws of their home countries and have valid operator's licenses in their possession or in their vehicles in some easily accessible place."

In our recent experience (12/23/06), my German husband went to Boston and essentially got his German license converted to a Massachusetts one without having to take the written or road tests. He had to bring the following materials:

1) German license

2) German license certified translation by the German Consulate in Boston (Fee: $20)

3) Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (Central Register of Traffic Offenders CTR) Driving Record

4) Proof of Residence in Massachusetts (utility bill)

5) SS card or denial letter

6) Passport

The fee was $90.

I'm posting this for other Swiss or German driver's license holders who will reside in Massachusetts. The process is very simple. My husband received his license about five days after he went to Boston. Boston's Registry of Motor Vehicles is the only place where this license conversion can be processed. This office is located in the Dept. of Transportation building, which is different from the normal RMV office in Boston.

There's a contact number for the Dept. of Transportatio RMV. It's: (671) 973-8860

Good luck!

[Anna C. 4]

Utility bill to proof residency in state. Read what they want - maybe a normal bill is good enough (just reroute the credit card bill). Try it to get it converted in MA - at least in NC people have been a pain in the neck and now that we're moving to CA I'll be doing the license anyway there (now that I have all documentation our registration from CA has elapsed..... they won't let me take the test with the car!). CA has strict rules too but at least I have everything ready now....

[ruebergemacht 0]

My husband and I just got our MA licenses through this procedure this morning (11 Feb 2008). The trooper who helped us said it was started as a pilot program in the 1990s and just never discontinued. He said only Germany, Canada and Mexico are eligible, so any Swiss license holders who read the quote in the post above might want to confirm that the conversion is possible for them.

The translation of the German dr. lic. cost us $22 each, but this changes as it is based on the EUR/$ exchange rate (no, you can't pay in Euros at the consulate).

One important addition is that the paperwork (from the KBA and the translation of the license) may not be older than 30 days when you apply for the conversion. The KBA will send you the statement in English (I think if you have it sent to an American address they automatically provide it in English).

Although the form you fill out at the office says you must surrender an out-of-state license when converting, we got our German licenses back.

The day of the appointment you get a temporary license; the real one is sent to you by mail in about 7 days.

Cost is still $90 for a regular car license (passenger) (car + motorcycle is more).

Any US citizens with German licenses - you can do this, too, and you can register to vote at the same time.

The German consulate page with info on this conversion says you need to bring a current passport photo - not true; they take their own picture of you.

I'm not sure if it's a recent change.

At first, I thought the conversion of a foreign license was only for Canadian or Mexican driver's licenses holders...

But then there's that peculiar little paragraph in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Driver's Manual (Revised as of 04/2006)... So we called the phone number I provided. They will convert a German or Swiss license to a Massachusetts one.

Thanks for sharing. That's interesting. Do you know if that's a recent change? I remember checking out the rules for converting foreign licenses to MA licenses, and it said that a road and written test was required unless you were from Canada or Mexico.

Strange that the information you provided doesn't seem to be available on the RMV website.

[zauberblume 0]

I haven't been to VJ in a long time...

Glad to know that this license conversion process is still available!

(Mary G, sorry I didn't see your post last year. I don't remember what we used for proof of residence. At the time, we probably had a cable bill. I was also enrolled at a local university so I probably used that too.)