Mandatory exchange of driver’s licenses
All driving licenses issued before January 19, 2013 will have to be exchanged for a temporary credit card-sized EU driving license in the coming years. This was decided by the German Bundesrat in a session; the exchange of driving licenses is staggered due to the large number of driving licenses to be exchanged. This mandatory exchange should be completed by January 19, 2033.
According to the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), the European Union wants to use this directive to ensure that all driving licenses in circulation in the EU are uniform and thus meet the current EU requirements for protection against counterfeiting. Apart from that, all driver’s licenses should be entered into a database in order to be able to better avoid possible misuse.
Law governs staggering of exchange
The exchange in Germany is regulated by law (Annex 8e to the Driving License Ordinance). The deadlines for the exchange are divided into two groups. Paper driving licenses issued before January 1st, 1999 will be exchanged depending on the driver’s year of birth. The deadlines for drivers with credit card driving licenses issued between January 1, 1999 and January 18, 2013 depend on the date of issue of the driving licence. The corresponding tables can be found in the corresponding information article of the BMVI.
Exchange has no effect on driver’s license
Furthermore, the Federal Ministry emphasizes that the exchange will have no effect on the driver’s license and that no extraordinary medical examinations or other tests will be required. Examinations that were already regularly carried out at “certain[n] Occupational groups with special responsibility” were carried out, remain in place. The validity of the newly issued driver’s license is limited to 15 years – regardless of the driver’s license on which it is based.
Old driving classes are converted into new ones
The ADAC also points out another measure: According to the exchange table regulated in Annex 3 to the Driving License Ordinance, driving license classes under old law, such as the former GDR classes, will be converted into the new classes, which correspond to the previous driving license, in the course of the exchange.
In theory, it is already possible to exchange driving licenses issued before January 19, 2013. Nevertheless, it is best to get information from the responsible driving license authority for your current place of residence beforehand. Many driving license authorities first call on certain age groups or groups to exchange their driving licenses on their website. This is to avoid overloading the authorities and long waiting times at the driving license office.
Pauline Breitner / Editor finanzen.net
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