Before you start

Completed Anmeldung establishing your residence
Your foreign licence, with certified translation if not in German or EU format
An eyesight test certificate
A first aid course certificate for most applicants

Step-by-step

1
Test whether you need a car at all
Stadtbahn line 16 runs from Bad Godesberg into Cologne and line 18 from Bonn Hbf, both inside the VRS network and both covered by the Deutschlandticket. Line 66 reaches Siegburg for the high-speed line, from where Frankfurt airport is about forty minutes. A car in Bonn is mostly for the Eifel at weekends.
OnlineWho: You
2
Find your country on the exchange list
Germany maintains a country-by-country list: some exchange freely, some require a theory test, some a practical, some both. For the United States, Canada and Australia the treatment depends on the individual state or province.
OnlineWho: YouBefore the six months expire
3
Act inside the six-month window
A non-EU licence is valid for six months after you take up residence. Applying before it expires preserves your exchange rights; letting it lapse can push you into the full German licensing process.
In personWho: You
4
Check whether an accreditation changes your position
If you are accredited through an international organisation rather than holding an ordinary residence permit, the driving-licence rules that apply to you may differ from the standard resident's. Ask your organisation's HR and the Führerscheinstelle rather than assuming the six-month rule applies to you in the same way.
In personWho: You
5
Get a translation, eyesight test and first aid certificate
Non-German licences generally need a certified translation from ADAC or a sworn translator. An eyesight test and a short first aid course are standard requirements.
In personWho: You
6
Get the green badge for the Umweltzone
Bonn operates a low emission zone and only green-badge vehicles may enter. Buy the Plakette at a testing station or garage before your first drive into the city, and check current rules before buying an older diesel.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Foreign driving licence and certified translation
Meldebescheinigung from your Anmeldung
Passport and residence permit or accreditation document
Eyesight test certificate
First aid course certificate
Biometric photograph

Things most newcomers don’t know

Bonn and Cologne are one transport system, which changes where you can afford to live.

Stadtbahn lines 16 and 18 run the whole way between the two cities inside a single fare network the Deutschlandticket already covers, and regional trains do it in about twenty minutes. Living in Cologne and working in Bonn — or in one of the smaller places along the line, most of which are also inside NRW's rent cap — is entirely ordinary, and it is usually the answer to a Bonn housing search that has stalled.

Source: VRS — Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg

The ICE does not stop in Bonn, it stops at Siegburg.

Newcomers book high-speed tickets to Bonn Hbf and find themselves on a slow regional service. The Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed line calls at Siegburg/Bonn, twenty minutes out on the 66, and from there Frankfurt airport is about forty minutes. Knowing this changes how you plan every long trip.

Source: Deutsche Bahn

For US, Canadian and Australian licences the answer depends on your state or province.

Germany's exchange arrangements with federal countries are negotiated per state. One US state may exchange with no test while its neighbour requires both theory and practical. Look up your specific issuing jurisdiction rather than your country.

Source: Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr — Anlage 11

Letting the six months lapse can cost thousands.

A non-EU licence is valid for six months from establishing residence. Applying within that window preserves exchange rights; letting it expire can put you into the full German process — theory, practical and compulsory driving school, which routinely runs past EUR 3,000.

Source: Bundesstadt Bonn — Führerscheinstelle

Common mistakes to avoid

Booking an ICE to Bonn Hbf when the high-speed line calls at Siegburg.
Assuming your country exchanges freely without checking the state or province-level list.
Letting the six-month window lapse and losing your exchange rights.
Driving into the city without a green Umweltplakette.
Buying a car before testing whether the Stadtbahn to Cologne covers your life.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.