What the USAREUR licence actually is
The USAREUR-AF driver's licence, often called the AE Form 190-1F, is the permit that lets SOFA-status personnel drive in Germany on their stateside licence. AE Regulation 190-1 governs it. It is not optional: Stripes Europe's July 2026 driving guide puts it in the first sentence, and the garrison pages say you cannot legally drive a rental, a borrowed car or your own POV without it. It is valid for five years (AE Regulation 190-1, paragraph 2-4), and it follows you, not the car.
Step 1: the online course, before you fly
The course lives on Joint Knowledge Online (JKO): "USA 007, U.S. Forces Driver's Training Program for Europe", followed by the exam USA 007B (course and exam numbers per the USAG Bavaria driver's licence page). It is free, it takes a few hours, and it covers German signs, right-of-way, the Autobahn and the points system. You can do it from anywhere with a CAC or a JKO login.
Step 2: the testing station
With the JKO certificate, a valid stateside licence, your ID and orders, you go to the drivers testing station at your garrison. The fee is $30. In Stuttgart that is Bldg 2913, Room 301 on Panzer Kaserne, open 7:30 to noon and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. with Thursday mornings closed, and they take check, money order or card. The garrison drivers testing page also says testing there is by appointment only, so book before you drive over.
In Bavaria the testing stations for Grafenwoehr, Vilseck, Hohenfels and Garmisch are run by the Logistics Readiness Center and listed on the AFSB Europe page linked below. We have not verified their current hours ourselves, so check the page or call before you drive over. Ansbach has its own station on Katterbach Kaserne; ask at the vehicle registration office in BLDG 5810.
About the "answers", "quizlet" and "pdf" searches
Five of the ten most common autocomplete phrases for this test are people looking for the answer key. We get it. Here is the honest case against it: the test is the only formal teaching you get before you drive on roads where the priority rules are the reverse of what you grew up with. The right-before-left rule at unmarked junctions, the meaning of the yellow diamond, the fact that you must stop for a pedestrian who is still on the kerb at a zebra crossing: these are the things that put Americans into German cars in their first month. Learn them. The practice site usareurpracticetest.com exists for exactly this and is free. The pamphlet AE Pam 190-34 is the study guide the course is built from.
After you pass
- The licence is valid five years. Renewal is a visit to the testing station, not a new course, unless the rules change.
- Germany runs a points system for USAREUR licences too. A first seatbelt violation is a seven-day suspension, per AE Regulation 190-1, paragraph 2-8.
- An international driving permit for trips outside the SOFA countries is issued by the German Führerscheinstelle, not the Army. In Bavaria the USAG Bavaria driver's licence page lists Eschenbach (Karlsplatz 29, €28.40 in exact cash, appointment required), Amberg (Beethovenstraße 7) and the Landratsamt Neumarkt, depending on your CMR.
- Converting to a German licence is possible for longer stays and goes through the same Führerscheinstelle.
What this means for a car from us
A subscription removes registration, insurance and the resale problem. It does not remove the licence. We will not hand keys to anyone without a USAREUR licence, and neither should anyone else. The sensible order: JKO course in your last weeks stateside, testing station in your first week here, car the same week.
Questions people ask
How long is the JKO certificate for the USAREUR test valid?
Sixty days. The Stuttgart drivers testing page states it directly. If you finish the online course too early, you repeat it before you can test.
How much does the USAREUR driver's licence cost?
$30 at the testing station, payable by check, money order or card in Stuttgart. The licence is then valid for five years.
Do I need an appointment at the drivers testing station?
In Stuttgart, yes: the garrison drivers testing page says testing is by appointment only. In Bavaria the stations are run by the Logistics Readiness Center, so check the AFSB Europe page linked below or call before you drive over.
Can I rent a car in Germany without a USAREUR licence?
Under SOFA status, no. Some off-post rental counters will still hand over keys against a stateside licence because they treat you as a tourist, which puts the legal risk on you. SubYourCar requires the USAREUR licence at handover.
Where do I take the USAREUR test at Grafenwoehr?
At the LRC Bavaria drivers testing station. The station list is on the AFSB Europe page linked on this page. We have not verified current hours, so check the page or call before you go.
Sources we checked
- USAG Bavaria driver's licence (army.mil)
- USAG Stuttgart drivers testing (army.mil)
- USAG Bavaria motor vehicles (MilitaryOneSource)
- Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) course USA 007
- Drivers Testing Stations, LRC Bavaria (AFSB Europe)
- Driving in Germany (Stripes Europe, July 2026)
- AE Regulation 190-1, Driver and Vehicle Requirements (PDF, army.mil, 11 Jan 2019)
Or skip the whole thing: SubYourCar cars arrive registered and insured. From €1,229 a month.
Insurance, German registration, road tax, maintenance and seasonal tyres are in one monthly number, with 3,000 km a month and a PCS clause. You still need your USAREUR licence, and a subscription is not cheaper than a €2,000 hoopty. What it removes is the waiting, the buying, the registering, the insuring and the reselling. Pickup in Weiden is free. Delivery costs €399 within a 150 km radius of Weiden (straight-line distance). Farther bases: Places farther away we deliver on request only, and we quote the price by email beforehand. See all 12 locations.