I don’t think it’s very likely. The international driving &quotermit" is not a license. It simply translates the fact that you HAVE a valid license into a number of different languages. You have to have a valid license in some country in order to get the international one. I doubt it’s cheap or easy for a non-resident to get a drivers license anywhere in Europe.

If your Virginia license is still valid, you can probably take it to whoever issues International licenses in Germany and get an international permit – probably an auto club or travel agency. AAA is the authorized issuer in the US.

Ask if you can exchange (surrender) your VA license for DE license. Even though the Communistwealth of VA says you must not ever surrender your DL unless instructed to do so by a VA court, VA police official, or DMV, in Norway at least I had no choice—either fork it over or pay for driver training (very expensive) to get a new license in Norway… so I just got a duplicate VA license next time I was back in the C-Wealth. Assuming a similar policy in Germany, you will probably have to pay the fee for it to be issued, and provide a photograph.

quote:I’ve been living in Germany for five years now, but don’t have a German license(I have my Virginia one..)

You’re driving thus since 4,5 years in Germany WITHOUT a valid driving licence. If you have a serious accident you’ll be in ENORMOUS trouble with the state prosecuter and your insurance company. I.e. a suspended jail sentence and an insurance company refusing to pay.

A few quotes from
http://www.germany.i…

quote:Anyone who holds a valid driver’s license which has been properly acquired during a stay in the United States of at least 185 days is entitled to operate a vehicle in Germany temporarily — regardless of age. "Temporarily" means a maximum of six months. The six-month grace period begins when "ordinary residency" has been established in Germany. During this period, the driver is to carry a translation*), including the driver’s class, along with the actual license. The translation is issued for a fee by the ADAC (the German equivalent of the American Automobile Association) and other institutions.

*) translation = International Driving Permit

quote:To be able to continue operating a vehicle in Germany, the driver must convert his/her U.S. driver’s license into a German license within six months of establishing "ordinary residency" there.

quote:After the six-month grace period has expired, it is still possible to convert a U.S. driver’s license into a German license within a maximum of three years after establishing "ordinary residency." However, the license holder is not allowed to drive during the application process and as long as the conversion to a German license has not occurred. After the three-year grace period has expired, it is no longer possible to convert the U.S. driver’s license into a German license. Thus, to obtain a German driver’s license, the driver must complete a full driver-training program and then pass a theoretical (written) and practical (road) test.

As a Virginia licence holder you could have just converted this license into a German one for a small fee. But now it’s too late.

Forget the plans to "fool" around the given rules. With a nice story you can sell many things if it’s just a police control. If you are involved in a serious or expensive accident this won’t work.

quote:
….the Communistwealth of VA says….

quote:

quote:
….the Communistwealth of VA says….

Virginia is a Commonwealth, but state (Commonwealth) and local govt taxation authority can be invasive, thus many Virginians refer to their "state" as the Communistwealth of Virginia.

International Permits are valid for 1-year from sate of issue; but you have to show a valid D/L to buy one.

Years ago, I got an International Driving Permit (IDP) in Morocco. My U.S. State License was from Illinois. The IDP was valid in Europe even though, at the time, you couldn’t buy an IDP in the US.

as a canadian, with a valid canadian license, am i able to rent a car and drive it within germany (frankfurt – berlin) without getting an international permit?

  Probably yes — you absolutely have to have your valid Canadian license to rent a car and to drive in Europe.  Whether or not you need the permit varies from country to country and rental company to rental company.  I’ve rented cars in UK, France and Slovenia without the permit.  However, it’s a good idea to get one — it’s proof you actually have a valid Driver’s License that’s recognized in virtually any country.  It helps if you have an accident or get stopped by a police officer who might not believe your Canadian one is valid.  The answer to the “is this DL valid?” question may be to throw you in jail until the details are worked out.

Five States in the U.S. (and 1-Territory, I believe) are Commonwealths and are very proud of that historical designation. The States are:  Masachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Kentucky.  The Territory is Puerto Rico.

Technically, none of the 50 “states” are really states.  They are all part of a single state called the United States of America, albeit under federal administration.

The “states” should all be called commonwealths, regions, prefectures, departments, or provinces.  The term “state” is an archaic remnant from the 17th and 18th centuries when the 13 colonies operated as quasi-states within the early British Empire.  The 13 original “states” then fought a war for sovereignty from the British Empire, and united to form a greater state which within about a decade’s time, evolved into a single sovereign entity (nation-state) with the ratification of the US constitution by the constituent “states.”