Driving license exchange: Many cities expect a rush - but if you are delayed there is a risk of a fine
Created: 12/13/2021, 4:18 PM
The old “rag” has to go: In Germany there are certain deadlines until when the paper driver's license has to be exchanged for the new “check card”.
© picture alliance / dpa / dpa-tmn |
Andrea Warnecke
From 2022, authorities will have to gradually exchange 43 million driver's licenses for counterfeit-proof check cards.
The first deadline ends on January 19th.
Berlin - All driving licenses issued before 2013 must be exchanged for a document that complies with EU directives by 2033.
According to ADAC, this affects around 15 million paper driving licenses, but also 28 million credit card driving licenses.
However, this information has not yet reached everyone.
2033 sounds like plenty of time, but the first deadline ends on January 19th.
If you arrive late, you face fines.
Many cities are already arming themselves for the onslaught.
These are the deadlines for the driver's license exchange
The exchange of driver's licenses for counterfeit-proof check cards should bring more security to the citizens of Europe.
In addition, the authorities want to manage the driver's license information in a central database in order to prevent misuse.
All driving licenses that were issued before 2013 have to be exchanged sooner or later.
The only question is: when exactly?
There are various criteria for this.
The ADAC has summarized the deadlines in tables:
Driver's licenses issued by December 31, 1998
Year of birth Exchange period ends on (inclusive):
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
Driving licenses issued after January 1st, 1999
Year of issue Exchange period ends on (inclusive):
1999 - 2001 1/19/2026
2002 - 2004 1/19/2027
2005 - 2007 1/19/2028
2008 1/19/2029
2009 1/19/2030
2010 1/19/2031
2011 1/19/2032
2012 - 1/18/2013 1/19/2033
Anyone born before 1953 does not have to exchange the driver's license until January 19, 2033 - regardless of when the document was issued.
Driver's License Exchange: These cities are now expecting a rush
Driver's license holders who were born between 1953 and 1958 must have exchanged their old “rag” by January 19, 2022 at the latest. After this deadline, the old driver's license will no longer be valid. However, this only applies to the document itself, not to the driver's license. A new driving test is not due. If you miss the deadline in January, you risk a fine. According to a report by
Express,
this is
usually ten euros.
Large cities such as Cologne, Bonn, Dortmund or Essen are already arming themselves for the onslaught. In the catchment area of the city of Cologne, for example, 50,000 documents have to be exchanged by the deadline on January 19, but only 8,400 citizens have already done this or even applied for it, as the
Express
reports. It looks like this or something similar in most cities and municipalities in Germany. The transport ministers of the federal states are also aware of this. According to dpa information, you have therefore already asked your colleagues in the interior department for a goodwill regulation.
Those who cannot make the exchange under the current conditions of the corona pandemic due to the restricted opening times of the district offices should, in the opinion of the transport ministers, be able to do so exceptionally until the middle of next year (July 19) without being fined.
However, the extension of the deadline is not a decided matter, so the following applies in particular to those born between 1953 and 1958: the time is running out.
