German driver's license rigamarole

It turns out that the State of California does not have an agreement with Germany concerning drivers' licenses. If you move here from some US States, you can get a German license right away. From States like California, however, this is not the case.

I found this out last week when I visited the German office dealing with such matters. The rigamarole I have to go through now is just incredible. Not only do I have to take the written test, thankfully in English, but I have to take the driving test as well. I also need an eye exam, an emergency course given by the Red Cross and have to have my California license translated by an official translator. The latter is so absurd to be almost ridiculous. The licence says nothing other than address, date of birth, social security number, etc.

The whole affair will probably cost around 300 Euros, about $400.