By mid-January 2033, 43 million old German driving licenses will have to be converted into new EU card driving licenses. It sounds like there’s still a lot of time. But the first birth cohorts have to hurry – the deadline is running out for them. Anyone who has missed the exchange must pay a warning fee.
The first deadline for the mandatory exchange of old driving licenses ends on Tuesday. Specifically, this applies to all drivers born between 1953 and 1958 with old paper driving licenses that were issued up to December 31, 1998. These must first be exchanged for an EU driving license card.
Anyone who has not made the exchange in time and is checked must reckon with a warning fine. “From July 20, the police can charge a fine in these cases if you drive a motor vehicle with an expired driver’s license,” said the chairman of the conference of interior ministers, Bavaria’s department head Joachim Herrmann from the CSU. According to the catalog of fines, the standard rate is ten euros. Herrmann therefore advises all affected driver’s license holders to apply for a new EU driver’s license as soon as possible from their responsible driver’s license authority.
All German driver’s licenses issued before January 19, 2013 must be gradually exchanged for a new EU card driver’s license in a staggered process. By January 19, 2033, that would be around 43 million driving licenses nationwide. Reason are EU requirements. In the future, driving licenses should be uniform and forgery-proof throughout the EU. In addition, all driver’s licenses should be recorded in a database to prevent misuse.
The first deadline had already been extended due to the stress caused by the corona pandemic – from January to July 19th. For the next birth cohorts, namely from 1959 to 1964, there is a deadline of January 19, 2023. Those born between 1965 and 1970 must exchange their old driving licenses by January 19, 2024. Then new birth cohorts follow year after year.
The last scheduled deadline is January 19, 2033. This date applies to motorists born before 1953 – as well as to drivers’ licenses issued from 2012 to January 18, 2013. Driving licenses issued after this date already comply with the new EU requirements. According to the Federal Ministry of Transport, the old driver’s license will become invalid after the respective deadlines have expired. However, the driving license itself remains unchanged. Additional regular medical examinations or new tests are not necessary.
(This article was first published on Monday, July 18, 2022.)
