As of: January 31, 2024, 6:42 a.m
By: Fabian Hartmann
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Until January 19th
Driving license holders born between 1965 and 1970 had to exchange their driving license for the new EU version.
What happens if you miss the deadline?
Munich – Driving licenses are to be standardized throughout the European Union.
This goes back to the so-called EU Directive 2006/126/EC.
It is intended to help make driving licenses forgery-proof across Europe.
In addition, the documents should be recorded in an EU-wide database to counteract potential misuse.
The aim of the directive is also to end the coexistence of various national regulations and the more than 110 different document types for driving licenses in Europe.
Accordingly, all car and motorcycle driving licenses that were issued before January 19, 2013 must be exchanged for the new uniform EU driving license by January 19, 2033.
Younger drivers who got their driver's license after 2013 already have the new version.
Everyone else is obliged to exchange their old driving license for the EU driving license at a local authority in their current place of residence.
There are huge numbers involved, as the ADAC reports: around 15 million paper driving licenses and around 28 million credit card driving licenses will have to be exchanged in this country in the coming years.
The exchange takes place gradually.
But when exactly do consumers have to exchange their driver's license?
And what happens if the relevant deadline is missed?
What deadlines apply when exchanging a driving license?
When exactly consumers have to exchange their driving license depends on the date of issue and the year of birth of the driving license holder.
For owners of paper driving licenses - these were issued until December 31, 1998 - the deadline for exchanging them depends on their year of birth.
The age groups are divided into intervals of five years, as the following table shows:
before 1953 |
January 19, 2033 |
|---|---|
1953 to 1958 |
July 19, 2022 |
1959 to 1964 |
January 19, 2023 |
1965 to 1970 |
January 19, 2024 |
from 1971 |
January 19, 2025 |
For driving licenses issued on or after January 1, 1999, the deadline for exchanging a driving license depends on the year in which it was issued.
The exact deadlines depending on the year of issue are listed in the following table.
1999 to 2001\t |
Exchange until January 19, 2026 |
2002 to 2004\t |
Exchange until January 19, 2027 |
2005 to 2007\t |
Exchange until January 19, 2028 |
2008 |
Exchange until January 19, 2029 |
2009 |
Exchange until January 19, 2030 |
2010 |
Exchange until January 19, 2031 |
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It should also be borne in mind that driving licenses issued from January 19, 2013 are no longer valid for an unlimited period, but are only valid for 15 years.
They then need to be renewed.
In principle, a fee of 24.30 euros is charged for exchanging a driving license in accordance with section 202.5 of the fee schedule for measures in road traffic (GebOSt).
In addition, there is a fee of 1.00 euros in accordance with Section 126.2 of the GebOSt and, if necessary, additional costs of 5.10 euros for the direct dispatch of the new card driving license by the Bundesdruckerei.
In order to exchange your driving license, you must present your old driving license as well as a personal ID card and a biometric passport.
The ability to drive a car does not need to be proven again.
Missed the deadline to exchange your driving license?
These consequences are now looming
It is fundamentally mandatory for all driving license holders to exchange their old driving license for the new EU copy by the deadline applicable to them.
Last week (01/19/24) the deadline for submitting driving licenses born between 1965 and 1970 was due.
What should drivers expect if they have not exchanged their driving license on time?
Driving license office in the Rostock city office © IMAGO
The expiry date generally only refers to the driving license document itself - it does not affect the driving license in terms of content.
This means that cars and motorcycles can continue to be driven indefinitely, even if the deadline for exchanging them has been missed.
According to the law, anyone who drives with a driver's license that has not been exchanged after the exchange period has expired is committing an administrative offense.
This comes with a fine of 10 euros.
There is then no legal offense of driving without a license.
Can missing a driver's license exchange deadline lead to further problems?
However, drivers should also bear in mind that missing the deadline to exchange their driving license can result in potential restrictions.
For example, if you want to rent a car.
Car rental companies and car sharing providers may then no longer accept expired driving licenses.
This includes the company ShareNow, as research by
Focus
shows.
And the car rental company Sixt also emphasizes on the company's own website: "Driving with a driver's license that is no longer valid will result in a warning fine and you can no longer rent a rental car from Sixt with an invalid, old driver's license."
If you want to rent a vehicle abroad, you could have problems with an expired driver's license: As the R and V insurance company reports on its website, "it often happens that old driving licenses are not recognized when issuing rental cars or during vehicle inspections" abroad.
In this context, fines were often imposed.
When it comes to fines, there are a lot of things to consider in Germany since the beginning of the new year - since then a new catalog of fines has been in effect in this country.