Old driver's licenses must be exchanged - first deadline in January 2022

Created: 01/14/2022 13:21

By: Anne Hund

By 2033, millions of driving licenses will have to be exchanged.

You can find out which deadline applies to whom here.

Slowly but surely, the old driver's licenses should disappear.

The first deadline in January 2022 is just the beginning of a phased plan: by 2033, millions of driving licenses* will have to be exchanged.

Driving license exchange: First deadline in the phased plan

But how does the driver's license exchange work?

On

it said: "You go to your  driver's

office  and apply for an exchange of your driver's license for motorcycle and car classes. 

"

The exchange is mandatory, the experts emphasize: If you continue to drive with your old

and let the deadline pass, you risk a 

 of ten euros.

Important, according to

: "But you don't commit a crime - it's different with truck and bus driver's licenses!"

Also read

Deadlines for the mandatory exchange of old driving licenses

The first important date is approaching: Anyone  born

 must exchange their driving license 

, as the German Press Agency (dpa) reported some time ago and listed all relevant deadlines for the mandatory exchange of old driving licenses has.

• Drivers born between 1953 and 1958 should exchange their driving licenses by January 19, 2022.

• For those born between 1959 and 1964, the deadline is January 19, 2023.

• for those born between 1965 and 1970 by January 19, 2024,

• for those born in 1971 or later by January 19, 2025,

• for those born before 1953 until January 19, 2033.

You can find out more about exchanging old driving licenses and the January deadline here.

After that, there are deadlines for the 

that were issued from January 1, 1999, as dpa further described.

This exchange should take place according to the

, the date of

is decisive:

• Driver's licenses issued between 1999 and 2001 should be exchanged by January 19, 2026.

• For the exhibition years 2002 to 2004, the plan provides for a deadline of January 19, 2027

• for the exhibition years 2005 to 2007 until January 19, 2028

• for the exhibition year 2008 until January 19, 2029

• for the exhibition year 2009 until January 19, 2030

• for the exhibition year 2010 until January 19, 2031

• for the exhibition year 2011 until January 19, 2032

• for driving licenses issued from 2012 to January 18, 2013, the exchange period runs until January 19, 2033.

Good to know:

A voluntary exchange of the driver's license document is possible at any time, i.e. before the respective submission deadline.

Driving license: what do you need for the exchange?

car and motorcyclists

need

an identity card or passport, a biometric passport photo and the

for the exchange .

"If the old (pink or gray) paper driver's license was not issued by the authority of your current place of residence, you also need a so-called 

 of the authority that originally issued the driver's license,"

says

You can apply for it by post, by telephone or often online and it will be sent directly to the new driving license office.

Also interesting:

How much does the driver's license exchange cost?

According to the ADAC, the

for the exchange in the

office cost around 25 euros, on top of that there are the costs for the biometric passport photo.