Before heading to the Landratsamt, I did my homework about what was required for the application (I did NOT want to re-experience all of the chaos I dealt with when it came to applying for my visa!). I was told by Brian, and a handful of other expats, exactly what I needed to take with me and what paperwork was required. I was told that I would need a passport photo, my Michigan driver's license (which I was told that I would have to give to them), my driving record (which took about a month and many phone calls to the U.S. to get it faxed over here from Michigan), my passport/visa, and 35 euros. Once I had all of that situated and in hand, I headed over to the local Landratsamt (along with my friend, Gabi, who helped with translating).
I have to admit that I was literally shaking with anticipation as we walked through the doors of the Landratsamt... I was so worried that I was going to have to deal with a bunch of bureaucratic nonsense similar to what I had experienced at the Rathaus when I applied for my visa... Grrr! I think Gabi knew that I was a little nervous, so she basically took charge and walked me through the whole process... That was very nice! :)
Needless to say, the whole process took about 15 minutes! We walked into a small office, Gabi spoke with the woman at the front desk, she gave me a form to fill out, she took my passport, driver's license, and passport photo, and she then handed us a receipt for 35 euro and told us to go down the hall to the cashier's office to pay the bill... So far, so good. :) Gabi and I walked down to the cashier's office and paid our bill and then we headed back to the office that we had just come from. When we returned to the office, the woman handed my Michigan license back to me (hmmm??) and told us we were all set... At that point I realized that she hadn't taken my driving record... And, after all of the trouble I went to to acquire that thing, I wasn't about to just not give it to her! :) So, I handed it to her and I was informed that it wasn't necessary, but she would put it with my information just in case... Interesting, considering that everyone I talked to told me that my driving record was the most important document to bring! :) Anyways... The woman told me that it would take about 3 weeks for the paperwork to process (it has to be sent to some "FBI" type agency somewhere in Germany to check to make sure that my documents are accurate), and once the paperwork was processed, I would receive a letter in the mail telling me to come to the Landratsamt to pick up my license... So, now we wait... :)
The whole process went quite well, which actually makes me more nervous! :) I just found it interesting that the woman didn't take my Michigan license (which everyone told me they would do), and she didn't seem to think that my driving record was all that important (which everyone told me would be the MOST important document)... I just find it interesting in that I had different requirements than Brian did, and he had different requirements than another person did... There just doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to how things are done here sometimes... Nevertheless, it always makes for an interesting story! :) And, now I simply have to wait to see if getting the actual license goes as smoothly as the trip to the Landratsamt did... Let's keep our fingers crossed! :)
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