How to exchange Pakistani driving license into Danish driving license in Denmark?

If you are from Pakistan and have started working/studying in Denmark, perhaps its time to consider getting a driving license in Denmark as your Pakistani driving license is not valid here.

Photo by Jaromír Kavan on Unsplash

Do you have a Pakistani local driving license from any city? For example a driving license issued by Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP). Please note that I am not talking about an International Driving License!

If the answer is Yes, then this article is useful for you. If not, sadly, you will have to take admission in a Danish Driving School and take certain theory and practical lessons before appearing for a theory and a practical driving exam.

Note: This article is based on the personal experience of exchanging Pakistani driving license to Danish driving license and information collected form the official website regarding various groups of countries.

I will answer the following questions in this article to make the process of license conversion super clear for you. Later at the end I will share my experience of going through this process.

1. What are the requirements?
2. What is a step-by-step process of conversion?
3. How long does it take?
4. What to do after approval or rejection?
5. How to prepare for the theory test?
6. How to prepare for the practical test?
7. How much does it cost?

1. What are the requirements?

• Your Original Pakistani Driving License ( Note: Make sure to keep a copy or a picture of your license with you )
• Medical Certificate (You need to book an appointment with your GP Doctor to get a medical certificate specifically for the purpose of B type driving license). The doctor will check your eyesight, and will ask some other medical related questions. Getting this certificate will cost you around 450 DKK.
• Passport Size Photos (2–3 photos should be enough)
• Valid Residence Permit
• Translation — if the driving license is not in English

2. What is a step-by-step process of conversion?

• Book an appointment at your local Kommune, e.g., Aalborg Kommune if you are living in Aalborg. You can visit this page to book an appointment at Aalborg Kommune.
• Visit your Kommune at the booked appointment with all of the above mandatory documents.
• The Kommune will charge you around 280 DKK fee for registering for conversion of your driving license.
• The Kommune will issue you a temporary driving license valid for 3 months. You can drive using this temporary driving license in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries. You can renew this temporary driving license every 3 month for free until your application is in process.
• You will be asked to wait for the approval of conversion in the form of a letter from the Danish Police. This process can take approximate 3 to 6 months.
• While your license is in the process of approval for conversion, you may receive an email from the police in your e-boks asking for a proof of authenticity of your license. You can visit the website of your Pakistani driving license issuing authority to verify it, e.g., ITP (if your driving license is from Islamabad Traffic Police).
  You should find the website for your city’s driving licensing authority on Google. Print the verification document and also create a document explaining how did you verify it. Send both documents in reply to their email in the e-boks.

3. How long does it take?

• Usually it takes around 3–6 months to get an answer from the Police stating if your license is approved for conversion to a Danish Driving License or not. However, in some cases it can take a bit long such as 6–9 months.
• Once you have received an approval letter from the Police, you are given 6 months to attempt a theory and a practical test. Until then you can keep renewing your temporary driving license every 3 months.

4. What to do after approval or rejection?

• You will receive a letter from the Danish police having an answer for the conversion of your Pakistani driving license into Danish driving license.
• If the answer is YES:
  You must appear for the theory and practical test within 6 months. I recommend register for the theory test as soon as possible. You can not register yourself for the theory test. This is what I recommend if you live in Aalborg/Aarhus. If you live in any other city, you should look for the driving schools in your city.

Contact Jens from AalborgKoreskole at +45 40 53 40 93. He will register you for the theory and practical test.

• If the answer is No:
  Then you should read the letter you have received very carefully and look for the clause/option to file an appeal against their decision if you are unsatisfied with the decision.

5. How to prepare for the theory test?

• Prove.dk is your best chance.
  - Take a monthly subscription
  - Watch all the videos
  - Read the book
  - Practice the available tests for specific categories, then attempt all the given practical tests
  - Make notes while studying for the theory test to avoid confusion.
• Teoriklar.dk is also an alternative, it is not mandatory, once you have done all the tests of prove.dk, you should attempt a given free test on this website. If you can pass this test in the first attempt, you are ready for the test. No need to buy this subscription then!

6. How to prepare for the practical test?

• No matter how wonderful driving skills you have, it is highly recommended to see a driving instructor in your city and get 2–3 sessions at least.

If you live in Aalborg or Aarhus, I recommend a highly skilled instructor named Jens from AalborgKoreskole.
You can contact him at +45 40 53 40 93.

• You should practice parallel parking, reverse parking, and 3 point turn following the rule book yourself.
• You should make habit of checking the blindspot everytime you turn left or right ( as it is a Danish law).

7. How much does it cost?

It is going to cost around 3500 to 4000 DKK in total. The cost breakdown is given below:

1. Medical certificate cost: 450 DKK
2. Conversion fee charged by Kommune: 280 DKK
3. Theory Test:
   - If you pass the theory test in the first attempt: 0 DKK
   - If you fail it in the first attempt, every next time it will cost 850 DKK
   - Prove.dk subscription fee for one month: 100 DKK
4. Practical Test:
   - Renting a school car for the test: 800 DKK
   - Hiring a Translator if you don’t speak Danish: 550 DKK
   - One practice session with the instructor: 500 DKK
   — usually it is recommended to take 2–3 practice sessions.

My Experience:

Theory Test

• I prepared for the theory test by reading the book and attempting all the tests given on the prove.dk. I was able to pass the available free test of Teoriklar.dk after passing all the tests of prove.dk.
• I got 23/25 in the theory test conducted in Aalborg.

Some of the questions from the test I remember were as follow, just stay focused during the test. Most of the questions are like this. So don’t stress too much. :D

1. A traffic sign showing that you can drive through left or right.
2. You are driving on a road outside built-up area and there is a deer crossing the road, also, there is a bike right behind you. What will you do in this situation?
3. There was a question about turning right, and there was a situation you had to access.
4. A question about dimmed light at night.
5. A question about parking, that if you can park at the continuous yellow line.
6. Other questions about Right hand give way duty, Absolute Give Way duty, etc. etc.

Practical Test

• I took 3 practical sessions from Jens. He is an amazing and highly skilled instructor. He taught me so many new things which I never knew about driving before. You can blindly trust this man, he is very caring and helping. You will for sure pass your test if he is your instructor.
• I was practicing for parallel parking myself in my free time as well. Just drive in the city during the evening and you will find many spots to practice your parallel parking skills. Just be careful.

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