Newer driver's licenses are only valid for 15 years.
Now this also applies to the elderly.
To do this, however, they must be exchanged.
You can find out which deadlines and exceptions are important here.
Millions of driver's licenses will soon no longer be valid in Germany.
They must be exchanged on time.
The driver's license is not affected - however, there is a risk of fines for violations.
Berlin - For several years now,
driver's licenses have had
a best-
before
date.
After
15 years
, the documents must be requested again.
So far, only all driver's licenses
issued
after 2013 had
this.
From now on, this also applies to all old driver's licenses issued
before 2013
.
So that the authorities are relieved and the driver's license holders do not have to struggle with long waiting times, a
step-by-step plan
for exchanging the papers has been adopted.
Driving license with an expiry date: The driving license is not affected
The reason for the
exchange order
is an
EU directive
on the uniform and, above all, non-forged
driver's license document
from 2033. In addition,
misuse is to be
prevented by collecting the documents in a database.
The validity of the driving license document ends on the expiry date, but not the
driving license
.
All driving licenses of all
vehicle
classes that were
issued
before January
19th, 2013
are
affected
by the
new regulations
.
For normal motorcycle and car classes, there is no re-examination or examination of the document.
Therefore, if the exchange period has passed, there is only a risk of a
warning fee of 10 euros
.
It is different with truck and bus driving licenses, where a
criminal offense is
committed
if the deadline has passed
.
Germany: These deadlines apply to exchanges
Since over
43 million
driver's licenses are affected by the exchange, the federal and state governments have agreed to exchange the driver's licenses in
stages
depending on the
date of issue.
All driver's license documents
issued
before January 1st, 1999
are based on the
first table
below.
This is
broken down
by
year of birth
.
All driving license documents with an issue
date from January 1st, 1999
must be
exchanged
according to the
second table
.
The following
deadlines
apply to exchanges:
Driving licenses: date of issue up to and including December 31, 1998
Year of birth of the driver's license holder |
Day up to which the driver's license must be exchanged |
---|---|
before 1953 |
January 19, 2033 |
1953-1958 |
January 19, 2022 |
1959-1964 |
January 19, 2023 |
1965-1970 |
January 19, 2024 |
1971 or later |
January 19, 2025 |
+
Ms. Mustermann should have exchanged her old driver's license by January 19, 2026 at the latest.
© Michael Jung / dpa / picture alliance
Driving licenses: date of issue from January 1st, 1999
Year of issue |
Day up to which the driver's license must be exchanged |
---|---|
1999-2001 |
January 19, 2026 |
2002-2004 |
January 19, 2027 |
2005 - 2007 |
January 19, 2028 |
2008 |
19.1.2029 |
2009 |
January 19, 2030 |
2010 |
January 19, 2031 |
2011 |
19.1.2032 |
2012 - January 18, 2013 |
January 19, 2033 |
Important:
If you
were born before 1953
and have a driver's license, you do
not have to exchange it until January 19, 2033
, regardless of when it was issued.
The committee justified this regulation by stating that it was unclear whether drivers' license holders would still want to use their driving licenses in 2033 due to their age.
Driving license exchange: This is required
If you want to exchange your driver's license, you can of course do so before the respective deadlines.
In general, you need a
valid identity card
or
passport
, a
biometric passport photo
and the
current driver's license
for the exchange
.
If the old gray or pink paper driver's license was not issued by the authority of the current place of residence, a so-called
index card copy is also
required.
This will be issued to you by the authority that originally issued the driver's license.
It can be applied for by post, by phone or online and is then sent directly to the new driver's license office.
The exchange costs 25 euros.
(ij)
List of rubric lists: © Oliver Berg / dpa / picture alliance