Traffic rulesGermany

There is no single fixed total cost. Driving schools set their own prices, and the final amount depends on the region, learning materials, the number of practical lessons required and whether examinations must be repeated.

Additional costs normally include the driving-licence application, a biometric photograph, an eyesight test, first-aid training and the official theory and practical examination fees.

The normal minimum age for a category B driving licence is 18 years.

Under accompanied driving from age 17, known as BF17, categories B and BE may be granted at age 17. Until the driver turns 18, category B and BE vehicles may be driven only with an authorised accompanying person.

Accompanied driving from age 17, usually called BF17, allows a person to obtain categories B and BE at the age of 17 after completing the normal training and examinations.

Until the age of 18, the young driver may use those categories only in Germany and only with an accompanying person whose name appears on the examination certificate.

You must register with an authorised driving school and apply for the driving licence through the competent local driving-licence authority.

You must complete the required theory and practical training, provide the necessary documents, pass the theory examination and then pass the practical examination. The licence can be issued only after the authority has approved the application and all requirements have been met.

Yes, for a first category B driving licence. The legally required theory and practical training must normally be completed through an authorised driving school.

Private practice with a parent or friend does not replace driving-school instruction and is not permitted on public roads unless the learner already has the necessary driving entitlement.

You normally need a valid identity document, a biometric photograph, an eyesight-test certificate and proof of first-aid training.

The local authority may require additional documents depending on the applicant, such as parental consent for a minor or proof relating to residence or an existing foreign licence.

Yes. A first-time applicant must normally provide proof of completing recognised first-aid training.

The course must contain at least nine teaching units of 45 minutes each. Earlier qualifying first-aid training or certain recognised medical and emergency-service qualifications may satisfy the requirement.

Yes. Applicants for category B must complete an eyesight test at an officially recognised eyesight-testing centre.

The eyesight-test certificate must be no more than two years old when the application is submitted. If the applicant does not pass the standard test, an examination by an ophthalmologist is required.

For a first driving licence, category B normally requires 12 double lessons of general theory and 2 double lessons of category-B-specific theory.

Each double lesson lasts 90 minutes. Reduced general-theory requirements may apply when category B is being added to an existing driving licence.

There is no fixed legal number of ordinary practice lessons. The number depends on the learner’s experience, progress and ability to drive safely and independently.

The driving instructor decides when the learner has reached the required standard. The prescribed special driving lessons must also be completed before the practical examination.

A category B learner must complete five 45-minute lessons on rural roads, four 45-minute lessons on motorways and three 45-minute lessons at dusk or in darkness.

These twelve special lessons are additional to the ordinary practical lessons needed to learn vehicle control and safe driving in everyday traffic.

For a first category B licence, the theory examination normally contains 30 questions.

These consist of 20 questions from the general material applicable to several licence categories and 10 questions specifically relating to category B.

You may normally receive no more than 10 error points.

The examination is nevertheless failed if you answer two questions worth five error points each incorrectly, even when the total is exactly 10. Questions carry between two and five error points according to their importance.

Yes. In addition to German, the examination may be taken in English, French, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Croatian, Spanish, Turkish or Modern Standard Arabic.

German audio assistance is available, and deaf candidates may use an approved sign-language interpreter.

The theory examination may normally be taken no earlier than three months before reaching the minimum age for the requested category.

For BF17, this means it may be taken from three months before the candidate’s 17th birthday.

After passing the theory examination, you have 12 months to pass the practical examination.

If the practical examination is not passed within that period, the theory result loses its validity and the theory examination must normally be taken again.

The complete theory examination must be repeated. A failed examination may normally be retaken after a waiting period of at least two weeks.

There is no fixed maximum number of attempts, but the application and examination order must remain valid, and a new examination fee is payable for each attempt.

An examination involving deception is treated as not passed.

The authority may set a longer waiting period before another attempt; in cases of cheating, the period can be extended to as much as nine months.

The official examinations are conducted by recognised examiners at the technical testing organisations, principally TÜV and DEKRA.

The local driving-licence authority sends the examination order and the necessary applicant information to the responsible technical testing organisation.

The practical examination may be taken only after the theory examination has been passed and normally no earlier than one month before reaching the minimum age.

For BF17, the practical examination may therefore normally be taken from one month before the candidate’s 17th birthday.

The practical examination is normally arranged through the driving school after the driving-licence authority has issued the examination order.

The driving school coordinates the appointment with the responsible TÜV or DEKRA technical testing organisation.

The examination is normally taken in a suitable driving-school vehicle that meets the legal requirements for category B examination vehicles.

A category B examination vehicle must be left-hand drive, have at least four seats and meet the prescribed construction and equipment requirements.

The category B practical examination has a minimum total duration of 55 minutes.

At least 30 minutes must be actual driving time. The remaining time includes vehicle preparation, basic driving tasks, instructions and the announcement of the result.

The examination includes preparation of the vehicle, basic driving tasks and a drive in normal traffic under the examiner’s direction.

The candidate must demonstrate safe vehicle control, observation, compliance with traffic rules, independent decision-making and environmentally responsible driving.

Three basic driving tasks are tested. One is selected from reversing to the right using a junction, intersection or entrance, or reversing into a parallel parking space.

Two further tasks are selected from turning the vehicle, entering a perpendicular or angled parking space, and braking with the greatest possible deceleration.

Approximately half of the driving time should be on roads outside built-up areas.

Where possible, this part should include a motorway or a similar divided high-speed road with at least two lanes in each direction.

Manufacturer-provided assistance and safety systems are generally permitted in the examination vehicle.

If a system can actively and continuously control both the longitudinal and lateral movement of the vehicle in a specific situation, the examiner decides whether it may be used.

Yes. The driving instructor normally sits in the front passenger seat, while the official examiner assesses the candidate and gives route instructions.

The candidate remains responsible for driving safely and independently throughout the examination.

Yes. After the examination, whether passed or failed, the candidate receives an examination record.

The record explains the observed strengths and weaknesses and provides a transparent account of the assessment.

The complete practical examination must normally be repeated, and another examination fee is payable.

A failed examination may usually be retaken after an appropriate waiting period of at least two weeks. Additional driving lessons may be advisable before the next attempt.

Yes. The examination may be ended early when it becomes clear that the candidate is not capable of meeting the required standard.

Serious errors can cause immediate failure, while repeated or accumulated lesser errors can also result in failure.

The period between completing the practical examination and receiving the driving licence must not exceed two years.

If that period is exceeded, the entire examination result loses its validity.

Without the special B197 procedure, passing the practical examination in an automatic vehicle normally results in code 78.

Code 78 restricts that licence category to vehicles with automatic transmission.

B197 allows a category B candidate to take the official practical examination in an automatic vehicle without being restricted to automatic category B vehicles.

The candidate must first complete the prescribed manual-transmission training and demonstrate manual-driving competence to the driving school.

The B197 procedure requires at least 10 driving lessons of 45 minutes each in a category B vehicle with manual transmission.

After the lessons, the candidate must complete a drive of at least 15 minutes to demonstrate safe, responsible and environmentally conscious use of a manual vehicle.

Yes. Once code 197 has been entered, the category B entitlement is not restricted to automatic vehicles.

The holder may drive both manual and automatic vehicles that fall within category B.

Code 197 records that the category B practical examination was taken in an automatic vehicle and that the required manual-transmission training was completed.

It is not an automatic-only restriction for category B.

To remove an automatic-only restriction, the licence holder must pass the required practical examination in a vehicle with manual transmission.

The driving-licence authority can then issue a licence without the category B automatic restriction.

Yes. A licence holder can request removal of code 197 after passing an official practical examination in a manual vehicle.

This can be useful when obtaining higher categories for which the way manual competence was demonstrated may affect later automatic-transmission restrictions.

Yes. The prescribed manual training and assessment can be completed after obtaining an automatic category B licence.

The application to enter code 197 must be made within one year after completing the training.

A young person can normally register with a driving school at about 16 years and 6 months.

The training and examinations are otherwise the same as for a candidate obtaining category B at age 18.

The theory examination may normally be taken from three months before the 17th birthday.

The practical examination may normally be taken from one month before the 17th birthday, provided the theory examination has already been passed.

A successful BF17 candidate receives an examination certificate rather than the ordinary card driving licence.

The authorised accompanying persons are named on the certificate. The certificate serves as proof of the driving entitlement in Germany and remains usable for up to three months after the driver turns 18.

The BF17 examination certificate must be carried in the vehicle and shown to authorised officials on request.

Because the certificate does not contain a photograph, the driver must also carry an official identity document.

No. Several accompanying persons may be registered.

Every person who accompanies the young driver must be named on the examination certificate. Additional eligible persons can be added later by the driving-licence authority.

The accompanying person must be at least 30 years old, have held a valid category B licence for at least five years and have no more than one point in the German Fitness to Drive Register when the application is made.

The person must carry the valid driving licence while accompanying the BF17 driver.

The accompanying person must remain below 0.5 per mille blood alcohol or 0.25 mg/l breath alcohol and must not be under the influence of prohibited intoxicating substances.

The person must also remain below the statutory threshold of 3.5 ng/ml THC in blood serum, subject to the medical-use exception provided by law.

The accompanying person is not a driving instructor and does not control the vehicle.

The person acts as an experienced contact who can provide advice and brief guidance before and during the journey when the traffic situation permits.

Driving a category B or BE vehicle without a named accompanying person breaches the BF17 condition and can lead to revocation of the driving entitlement.

Further consequences can include a fine, a point, extension of the probationary period and the requirement to complete a remedial seminar before the entitlement is granted again.

The BF17 examination certificate also provides the entitlements of categories AM and L.

Vehicles in those categories may be driven without an accompanying person, but the examination certificate and an official identity document must be carried.

The probationary period begins immediately when the BF17 driving entitlement is granted, not on the 18th birthday.

The normal probationary period lasts two years.

A first driving licence is normally issued with a two-year probationary period.

The probation rules apply alongside the German points system. Certain categories such as AM, L and T do not by themselves trigger the ordinary probationary scheme.

Probationary offences are classified as serious A-type offences or less serious B-type offences under the Driving Licence Regulation.

Examples of serious offences include major speeding, alcohol or cannabis offences, red-light violations, dangerous overtaking and using a handheld electronic device while driving.

The driving-licence authority orders the driver to attend a remedial seminar within a specified period.

The probationary period is also extended by a further two years, producing a total probationary period of four years.

After another serious offence, or two further less serious offences, the authority issues a written warning.

The driver is advised to take part voluntarily in traffic-psychological counselling within two months.

If another serious offence, or two further less serious offences, occurs after the warning stage and the relevant period has passed, the driving licence is withdrawn.

A new licence cannot normally be issued immediately and the authority may require further evidence of fitness to drive.

If the driver does not provide proof of attendance within the period set by the authority, the driving licence must be withdrawn.

A new licence can be issued only after the seminar requirement has been satisfied and the other applicable conditions have been met.

Yes. Drivers who are still in the probationary period and all drivers under the age of 21 are subject to a statutory alcohol and cannabis prohibition.

They must not start driving while under the influence of alcohol or THC, subject to the legal exception for properly used prescribed cannabis medicine.

Category B covers motor vehicles with a maximum authorised mass of no more than 3,500 kg that are designed to carry no more than eight passengers in addition to the driver.

It includes ordinary cars, many vans and motorhomes that remain within the mass and passenger limits.

A German category B licence normally includes categories AM and L.

This provides additional rights for qualifying mopeds, light quadricycles and certain agricultural or forestry vehicles within the limits of those categories.

Category B also permits three-wheeled motor vehicles within Germany.

For a three-wheeled vehicle with more than 15 kW, the category B holder must be at least 21 years old.

You may tow a trailer with a maximum authorised mass of no more than 750 kg.

A heavier trailer is also permitted when the combined maximum authorised mass of the towing vehicle and trailer does not exceed 3,500 kg.

Code 96 permits a category B towing vehicle with a trailer heavier than 750 kg when the combined maximum authorised mass exceeds 3,500 kg but does not exceed 4,250 kg.

B96 is an extension of category B rather than a separate driving-licence category.

You must complete the prescribed driver training at an authorised driving school and present the training certificate to the driving-licence authority.

A separate official theory or practical driving examination is not required for code 96.

The statutory B96 course combines theory, practical exercises and a practical drive with a vehicle-and-trailer combination.

The prescribed programme totals at least seven hours, including at least one hour of individual practical driving on public roads.

Category BE is required for a category B towing vehicle combined with a trailer or semi-trailer whose maximum authorised mass is more than 750 kg but no more than 3,500 kg, when the combination is outside the B or B96 limits.

The towing vehicle itself must still belong to category B.

No separate theory examination is normally required.

The applicant must complete the necessary practical training and pass an official practical category BE examination, including coupling, uncoupling and trailer-handling tasks.

B96 is limited to combinations with a combined maximum authorised mass of no more than 4,250 kg and is obtained through training without an official examination.

BE permits a category B towing vehicle with a trailer of up to 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass and requires a practical examination.

Yes, if the motorhome remains within the category B limits.

A motorhome with a maximum authorised mass above 3,500 kg normally requires category C1 or C, unless a specific statutory exception applies.

A category B holder who has possessed the category for at least two years may drive certain alternatively powered goods vehicles with a maximum authorised mass above 3,500 kg but no more than 4,250 kg.

The additional mass must result from the alternative propulsion system, the vehicle must be used for goods transport and no trailer may be attached.

Yes. Driving-licence limits do not override the technical limits of the towing vehicle, coupling or trailer.

The permitted towing mass, nose weight, train weight and other conditions shown in the vehicle documents must also be observed.

Code 196 allows an eligible category B holder to ride qualifying category A1 motorcycles in Germany after completing the prescribed training.

The motorcycles may have up to 125 cm³, no more than 11 kW and a power-to-weight ratio not exceeding 0.1 kW/kg.

The applicant must be at least 25 years old and must have held category B for at least five years.

The entitlement applies only within Germany and is not the same as holding a full category A1 licence.

The B196 course contains at least nine teaching units of 90 minutes.

At least four units are motorcycle-specific theory and at least five units are individual practical training. There is no separate official theory or practical examination, but the driving school must certify successful participation.

If the driving-licence authority has approved the application and the minimum age has been reached, the licence or an authorised temporary proof may be handed over after the successful examination.

The exact collection or delivery procedure depends on the local authority and whether the card licence has already been produced.

You may drive only once the driving entitlement has been formally granted and you possess a legally accepted proof of it.

A simple statement that the examination was passed is not automatically a substitute for the card licence or an officially issued temporary proof.

The driving entitlement for categories AM, A1, A2, A, B, BE, L and T is normally granted for an unlimited period.

This is different from the physical card document, which has a limited administrative validity.

German card driving licences issued from 19 January 2013 are generally valid for 15 years as documents.

After that period, a new card must be issued so that details such as the photograph and name can be updated. The ordinary category B driving entitlement itself is not lost merely because the card expires.

No, not for an ordinary administrative renewal of category B.

A new theory test, practical test or routine medical examination is not normally required solely because the 15-year card validity has expired.

Report the loss or theft as required and apply for a replacement through the competent driving-licence authority.

The authority may require proof of identity, a new biometric photograph and, in some cases, a declaration or police report concerning the missing document.

You should apply for a replacement if the card is damaged, unreadable or no longer reliably proves the recorded information.

The damaged document normally has to be surrendered when the replacement is issued.

The driving entitlement does not normally become invalid merely because the holder’s name changes.

However, obtaining an updated card is advisable so that the driving licence and identity documents show consistent information, and some authorities may require replacement in particular circumstances.

A move within Germany does not normally require a new driving-licence card because the holder’s address is not printed on the standard EU card licence.

Other registration duties, including vehicle-registration address changes, remain separate.

Yes. Driving licences issued before 19 January 2013 are being exchanged in stages so that all affected documents are replaced by uniform, forgery-resistant EU card licences.

The applicable deadline depends on the holder’s year of birth or the year in which the card licence was issued. All affected documents must be exchanged by 19 January 2033 at the latest.

No. Existing entitlements are normally transferred to the new categories according to the applicable conversion and acquired-rights rules.

Special codes may be entered on the new card to preserve rights that came from older German licence categories.

Yes. If a person is fit to drive only under particular conditions, the authority may restrict the entitlement or impose requirements.

Codes may require glasses, hearing aids, an adapted vehicle, automatic transmission or other measures appropriate to the individual assessment.

A visitor who has not established ordinary residence in Germany may generally drive with a valid foreign national driving licence for the vehicle categories shown on it.

All restrictions and conditions remain applicable, and the licence must be carried while driving.

A German translation may be required when the licence was issued outside the EU or EEA, is not written in German and does not comply with the relevant international road-traffic convention format.

The translation does not replace the original national licence and must be carried together with it.

No. An international driving permit is normally valid only together with the corresponding valid national driving licence.

It serves as a standardised translation and evidence of the national entitlement; it does not create a separate driving entitlement.

A valid national driving licence issued by another EU or EEA state generally remains recognised in Germany until the end of its validity.

Special rules can apply to categories with limited validity, licences issued in exchange for a non-EU licence, driving bans and licences obtained in breach of the ordinary-residence requirement.

After establishing ordinary residence in Germany, a valid licence from outside the EU and EEA is generally recognised for another six months.

After that period, a German driving licence is required in order to continue driving.

In exceptional cases, the driving-licence authority may extend recognition for up to another six months.

The applicant must credibly show that ordinary residence in Germany will not continue for more than twelve months in total.

No. The requirements depend on the issuing country and licence category.

Licences from countries and categories listed in Annex 11 of the German Driving Licence Regulation may qualify for full or partial exemption from the theory and practical examinations.

The applicant normally has to pass the German theory and practical examinations for the corresponding category.

The statutory driving-school training requirements are generally not imposed for the conversion, although lessons may be necessary to prepare safely for the examinations.

Yes. The applicant must prove possession of a valid national driving licence and declare that it remains valid.

A learner permit, provisional licence or document that does not constitute a full national driving entitlement is not normally accepted for conversion.

A non-EU or non-EEA foreign licence does not normally authorise driving in Germany before the German minimum age for the category has been reached.

Different recognition rules may apply to valid EU or EEA licences, but the local authority should be consulted where the holder is below the German minimum age.

Recognition may be refused when the holder had ordinary residence in Germany at the time the foreign licence was obtained and the licence was issued contrary to the applicable residence rules.

Students and pupils can be subject to special residence provisions.

Attending a university or school in Germany does not by itself always establish ordinary residence for driving-licence purposes.

Students and pupils may therefore be able to continue using a licence from their home country, while people studying for at least six months in another EU or EEA state may also be able to obtain a licence there under the applicable rules.

The German card licence is normally handed over only when the foreign licence is surrendered.

Depending on the issuing country and applicable agreements, the foreign document may be returned to the issuing authority or kept in official custody.

Driving after the recognition period has ended, or with a foreign licence that is not valid in Germany, can be treated as driving without a licence.

This is a criminal offence, so an exchange application should be started well before the six-month period ends.

A valid United Kingdom licence is generally recognised for six months after ordinary residence is established in Germany.

It can currently be exchanged for the corresponding German licence without a theory or practical examination, subject to the applicable validity and application requirements.

Traffic-safety-related offences are recorded in the Fitness to Drive Register maintained by the Federal Motor Transport Authority in Flensburg.

Depending on their seriousness, recorded offences carry one, two or three points.

Traffic-safety-related administrative offences generally carry one point.

Particularly serious administrative offences and certain criminal offences generally carry two points, while criminal offences involving withdrawal of the driving licence generally carry three points.

A total of one to three points is recorded without a formal staged measure under the points system.

The entries remain relevant and can lead to official measures if further offences increase the total.

At four or five points, the driving-licence authority issues a written admonition.

The notice explains the points system and refers to the possibility of attending a voluntary fitness-to-drive seminar.

At six or seven points, the authority issues a written warning.

The warning explains that the licence will be withdrawn when eight points are reached. Attending a seminar at this stage does not produce a point reduction.

At eight or more points, the holder is considered unfit to drive and the driving licence must be withdrawn.

A new licence may be issued no earlier than six months after the withdrawal becomes effective, and an MPU is normally required to prove that fitness to drive has been restored.

A driver with one to five points can reduce the total by one point by completing an approved fitness-to-drive seminar and submitting the certificate in time.

A reduction is available only once within a five-year period.

Yes. The Federal Motor Transport Authority offers access to personal information from the Fitness to Drive Register.

The online service requires secure identification; information can also be requested by other officially accepted methods.

No. Each recorded decision has its own deletion period based on the seriousness of the offence.

Typical periods are two years and six months, five years or ten years. New offences do not automatically restart the deletion period of older entries.

A driving ban temporarily prohibits driving, usually for a specified period, while the underlying driving entitlement normally continues to exist.

A withdrawal ends the driving entitlement. After the applicable blocking period, a new licence must be applied for and is not restored automatically.

No. Driving while a driving ban is in force is a criminal offence.

The ban must be observed for all categories and vehicles covered by the decision.

When a court withdraws the driving licence, it normally sets a period during which no new licence may be granted.

The length depends on the circumstances and the court decision. An application for a new licence may be submitted before the period ends so that the authority can begin its checks.

The medical-psychological assessment, commonly called the MPU, examines whether a person is fit to drive safely.

It combines medical findings, psychological assessment and the person’s history and behaviour in order to answer the specific questions raised by the driving-licence authority.

An MPU can be required in legally defined circumstances, including certain serious or repeated alcohol, cannabis or drug cases, repeated traffic offences, a high points total or doubts about physical or psychological fitness.

The authority must apply the principle of proportionality; where a medical specialist’s report is sufficient, an MPU should not be ordered instead.

The MPU is not intended as an additional criminal punishment. It is evidence requested in the administrative process to determine whether the person is fit to drive.

The person normally bears the cost and must submit a suitable positive report if the authority requires it for a new or continued driving entitlement.

After a temporary driving ban, the document is returned or becomes usable according to the applicable procedure once the ban has ended.

After withdrawal of the licence, the entitlement does not return automatically. A new application and any required medical, psychological or examination evidence are necessary.

For most motor-vehicle drivers, driving with 0.5 per mille blood alcohol or 0.25 mg/l breath alcohol can constitute an administrative offence even without visible driving errors.

Criminal liability can arise at lower levels when alcohol causes unsafe driving, an accident or other evidence of impairment.

Drivers in the probationary period and all drivers under 21 are subject to a zero-alcohol rule.

They must not consume alcohol while driving or begin a journey while still under the influence of alcohol.

For most drivers, the statutory administrative threshold is 3.5 ng/ml THC in blood serum.

A criminal offence or fitness-to-drive consequences can still arise where the driver is impaired, causes danger or has a substance-use problem.

Drivers in the probationary period and drivers under 21 are subject to a statutory cannabis prohibition while driving.

An exception applies where THC results from the proper use of cannabis medicine prescribed for a specific medical condition.

No. Combining a relevant THC level with alcohol while driving is specifically prohibited and carries increased sanctions.

Alcohol and cannabis can reinforce impairment, so the safest rule is to keep both completely separate from driving.

Yes. A medicine can impair reaction, concentration, vision or alertness even when it has been legally prescribed.

Follow medical and package instructions, do not drive when impaired and seek medical advice where the effect on driving is uncertain.

A person must not drive when illness, injury, fatigue, medication or another condition makes safe vehicle control impossible.

Medical advice should be obtained, and any restrictions or reporting requirements imposed by the authority must be followed.

Yes. If facts create justified doubts about fitness to drive, the authority may request an appropriate medical specialist’s report or another legally permitted assessment.

The type of evidence must be proportionate to the specific concern.

Yes. A person who is fit only under particular conditions may receive a licence restricted to certain vehicles or subject to specific requirements.

Examples include adapted controls, corrective lenses, hearing assistance, automatic transmission or regular medical checks.

No. Hearing loss or deafness does not automatically exclude a person from ordinary car and motorcycle categories.

A specialist assessment may be required, particularly when other conditions such as balance or vision problems are also present.

No. Ordinary category B is granted without a fixed expiry of the driving entitlement, and routine medical examinations are not required merely to renew the 15-year card document.

Medical evidence can still be required when specific concerns about fitness to drive arise.

Category AM covers qualifying two- and three-wheeled mopeds and light quadricycles with a design speed generally not exceeding 45 km/h, subject to the applicable technical limits.

The normal minimum age in Germany is 15 years. Until the age of 16, the entitlement may be restricted to driving within Germany.

Category A1 covers motorcycles of up to 125 cm³ and 11 kW, with a power-to-weight ratio not exceeding 0.1 kW/kg.

The minimum age is 16 years.

Category A2 covers motorcycles with a maximum power of 35 kW and a power-to-weight ratio not exceeding 0.2 kW/kg, subject to the rules on the original power of restricted motorcycles.

The minimum age is 18 years.

The minimum age for direct access to unrestricted category A motorcycles is normally 24 years.

A person who has held category A2 for at least two years may move up to category A from age 20, while certain powerful three-wheeled vehicles may be driven from age 21.

Category L is a national category for specified agricultural and forestry tractors and certain self-propelled machines within defined speed limits.

The minimum age is normally 16 years, and category L is included with category B.

Category T covers qualifying agricultural and forestry tractors and certain self-propelled machines at higher permitted design speeds than category L.

The minimum age is 16 years, although lower speed limits apply to younger holders until the age specified by law.

Category C1 covers qualifying goods vehicles with a maximum authorised mass above 3,500 kg but no more than 7,500 kg and no more than eight passenger seats in addition to the driver.

A trailer of up to 750 kg is permitted. Category C1E is required for the larger trailer combinations covered by that category.

Category C covers qualifying goods vehicles above 3,500 kg without the 7,500 kg upper limit of C1.

A trailer up to 750 kg is permitted with C; category CE is required for a heavier trailer.

Category D1 covers qualifying vehicles designed for no more than 16 passengers in addition to the driver and no longer than 8 metres.

Category D covers larger passenger vehicles. D1E or DE is required for a trailer above 750 kg.

Categories C1, C1E, C, CE, D1, D1E, D and DE are normally issued for no more than five years at a time.

Renewal requires the prescribed medical and eyesight evidence, and bus categories can involve additional fitness requirements.

Not always. Commercial goods or passenger transport can also require professional-driver qualification under the German Professional Driver Qualification Act.

The professional qualification is separate from the driving-licence category and is recorded through the prescribed qualification document or register.

Yes. Professional drivers covered by the qualification rules must complete periodic training within the legally prescribed cycle.

The standard continuing-training requirement is generally 35 hours within five years, subject to exemptions and transitional rules.

A full driving licence is not normally required for a qualifying moped limited to 25 km/h, but a moped test certificate is generally required.

People covered by statutory acquired-rights exceptions or holders of an appropriate driving licence do not need a separate moped certificate.

A driving licence is not required for a qualifying small electric vehicle covered by the German Small Electric Vehicles Regulation.

The rider must meet the minimum-age requirement, and the vehicle must have the required operating permit, insurance identification and equipment.

Yes. An international driving permit can be issued by the competent authority when the applicant holds the necessary German or qualifying EU driving licence.

It is used together with the national card licence and is not valid as a substitute for it.

German EU driving licences are generally recognised throughout the EU and EEA while valid.

Outside the EU and EEA, recognition depends on the destination country, the licence format and applicable international agreements; an international driving permit may be required.

This page was last reviewed on 4 August 2026.

This page was compiled using information published by official German federal authorities and current German legislation.

The principal sources include the Federal Ministry of Transport, the German Driving Licence Regulation, the Learner Driver Training Regulation and the Road Traffic Act.

The official information was reorganised and rewritten into a concise question-and-answer format. AI-assisted tools were used to help research, structure and draft the content.

The information was then reviewed against the official sources listed below.

Driving-licence rules, examination procedures, fees and administrative services can change.

Always confirm important requirements with the competent driving-licence authority, driving school or technical testing organisation before applying, booking an examination or making a payment.

Principal official sources

• Federal Ministry of Transport: driving-licence categories
• Federal Ministry of Transport: theory and practical examinations
• Federal Ministry of Transport: accompanied driving from age 17
• Federal Ministry of Transport: automatic transmission and B197
• Federal Ministry of Transport: foreign driving licences in Germany
• Federal Ministry of Transport: mandatory exchange of older licences
• Federal Ministry of Transport: Fitness to Drive Assessment System
• Federal Ministry of Transport: medical-psychological assessment
• German Driving Licence Regulation
• German Learner Driver Training Regulation
• German Road Traffic Act

This website is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with a German government authority, driving school or technical testing organisation.

The information is provided for general guidance and does not replace official instructions or legislation.