A number of US states and territories have full or partial reciprocal driver’s license agreements with Germany, allowing a US license to be exchanged for German and vice-versa. Among these are:
| Alabama | Iowa | New Mexico | Utah |
| Arizona | Kansas | Ohio | Virginia |
| Arkansas | Kentucky | Oklahoma | West Virginia |
| Colorado | Louisiana | Pennsylvania | Washington |
| Delaware | Maryland | South Carolina | Wisconsin |
| Idaho | Massachusetts | South Dakota | Wyoming |
| Illinois | Michigan | Texas | Puerto Rico |
California, notably, is not on the list. I believe the current status is as follows.
- California Vehicle Code §12804.9 does not allow the DMV to negotiate reciprocity agreements with foreign governments, only with US territories.
- There have been several attempts to update the Vehicle Code to allow this, most recently CA AB 639 in the 2023-2024 legislative session — which was passed out of committee but ultimately not voted on in the House and died at the end of the 2024 legislative session.
- In the prior legislative session, AB-723 in 2021-2022 made it through several committees and the first few steps of a vote of the House, but was also not acted on before the end of the term.
- AB-629 of the 2019-2020 session passed in one committee but did not proceed further.
- The earliest such bill I can find came in the 2017-2018 session, and appears to also be the one which made it the furthest. SB-1360 passed the California Senate and through several committees in the House, but was not brought to a vote in the full House before the end of the legislative session.
The Experience in Washington State
The state of Washington passed a law allowing negotiation of reciprocal driver's licenses in 2005, in RCW 46.20.125. The full text of the change is considerably simpler than the proposed changes in California law, which additionally requires a consular letter and driving history.
Washington state and Germany signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2005 relatively soon after passage of the enabling legislation. It was renewed in 2019, which notes the agreement as having been in place for 14 years.
Next Steps in California
The sponsor of the most recent Assembly Bill 639 was Representative Evan Low, who will not be returning to the state congress next year. I wish him well. I am writing to several other state representatives to encourage an effort in the next legislative session.
I believe framing this as a positive approach to mutually beneficial immigration would be productive.
There is recent momentum within the United States in this area. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators publishes a guide of best practices for foreign driver’s license reciprocity, last updated in 2021 after its initial publication in 2009. It includes the treaty and legislative background for such agreements, and samples of a Standard Operating Practice and a Memorandum of Understanding. It also includes survey data of the number of agreements signed each year, which shows consistent interest over time.
If you live in California or are registered to vote in California from abroad and interested in advocating for this change in the California Vehicle Code, please get in touch: denton.gentry@gmail.com. I'm writing to representatives of how it might be carried forward.
