Apply for a driver card

Führerscheinstelle · Driving personnel law · Professional drivers

In personIssuing office of the federal stateKBA driver card register

The driver card is the personal chip card with which drivers record their driving, work and rest times in the digital tachograph. The legal basis is Articles 26 to 29 of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 in conjunction with Regulation (EG) No 561/2006; the sanctions follow from §§ 8, 8a of the Driving Personnel Act (Fahrpersonalgesetz, FPersG). The card is valid for a maximum of five years and is not issued by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, KBA), but by the locally competent issuing office of your federal state.

Most important change: since 1 July 2026, the tachograph requirement also applies below 3.5 tonnes. In commercial cross-border goods transport and in cabotage, vehicles with a permissible maximum mass of more than 2.5 tonnes – trailers and semi-trailers are included in the mass – must be fitted with a second-generation smart tachograph. For such journeys, drivers holding driving licence class B therefore also need their own driver card. The basis is Article 3(1) of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 in conjunction with Article 2(1)(aa) of Regulation (EG) No 561/2006, inserted by Regulation (EU) 2020/1054.

There is no single nationwide total fee: it is made up of a KBA share of €12.00 and an administrative fee set at federal-state or local level, so that in practice around €34 to €44 is payable; direct dispatch adds a further €3 to €6. Anyone driving without a valid driver card must expect a standard rate under the catalogue of fines (Bußgeldkatalog) for driving personnel law of €250 per 24 hours – the maximum set out in § 8 Abs. 2 FPersG of €5,000 for drivers and €30,000 for operators and vehicle holders is the upper limit, not the usual amount.

Last updated8 October 2026

Legal basis§§ 8, 8a FPersG · VO (EU) 165/2014

VerificationChecked against the KBA, EUR-Lex and gesetze-im-internet.de

Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta

Independent information page: we are not the Führerscheinstelle (driving licence office), not an authority and not a paid advisory service — we do not submit applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in simple terms; the competent body is always authoritative. The competent issuing office, administrative fee and procedure differ by federal state and local authority. All information is provided without guarantee. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document administrative procedures and check the information against the official source — this is information, not legal or tax advice.

Required documents

Valid card driving licence in the original. The Federal Motor Transport Authority requires a German card driving licence or a valid driving licence from an EU or EEA (EWR) state – a particular class is not prescribed for the driver card itself. For vehicles between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes covered since 1 July 2026, class B is sufficient; for heavy lorries, C or CE is required, and in passenger transport, D or DE; a professional driver qualification under the BKrFQG is not a requirement. Anyone who still holds an old paper or card driving licence should convert it beforehand in the compulsory exchange into the EU card format, because the issuing office takes the driving licence number and date of issue from the card document.

Identity card or passport in the original. The issuing office must establish your identity beyond doubt before forwarding the application to card production; copies, mobile phone photos and expired documents are not accepted. Make sure that the spelling of the name, date of birth and place of birth on the identity document, driving licence and application match exactly – discrepancies regularly lead to queries and delay issuance by weeks.

Proof of residence in Germany. The driver card is only issued by the member state in which you have your normal residence; the KBA explicitly names proof of residence as a requirement. If the address on the identity document is not sufficient – for example after a move or when moving in from abroad within the EU – the issuing office requires a registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) from the Bürgeramt (citizens’ office). How current this must be is determined by the competent body; ask before your appointment.

Current biometric photograph in 35 × 45 mm format. The photograph is printed on the card and is used during checks to match the person at the wheel; it must be current and meet the biometric requirements. The ban on paper photographs in force since 1 May 2025 applies to the identity card and passport – for the driver card, the Federal Motor Transport Authority still names the biometric passport photo in 35 × 45 millimetre format. Some issuing offices nevertheless capture the photograph and signature digitally on the spot; ask in advance which form your office accepts.

Completed and signed application form. The competent issuing office provides the form, usually as a download on the administrative portal of the district, city or delegated body. It distinguishes between first issue, renewal and replacement card – the wrong application type leads to the form being returned. Your signature is used for the card; sign exactly within the field provided or only on site.

Declaration that no other valid driver card exists. Under the requirements of the Federal Motor Transport Authority, a driver may hold only one valid driver card; the issuing office checks this against the driver card register and the registers of the other member states. Anyone who already holds a card from another EU state must state this when applying – a second card will not be issued, and an incorrect declaration can lead to confiscation of the card.

For renewal, loss, theft or defect: the previous card or a formal report. Damaged or malfunctioning cards must be returned to the competent authority under Article 29 of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014. You must formally report a loss, and report a theft to the competent authority of the state in which it was committed; that report is the basis for the replacement card. For a regular renewal, you usually submit the old card only when the new one is handed over, so that you can continue working until it expires.

Step by step

Checking whether you are subject to the tachograph requirement

In goods transport, the tachograph requirement applies to vehicles with a permissible maximum mass of over 3.5 tonnes; in passenger transport, it applies to vehicles designed or equipped to carry more than eight persons in addition to the driver. Since 1 July 2026, vehicles over 2.5 tonnes have been added, provided they are used in commercial cross-border goods transport or in cabotage; trailers and semi-trailers are included in the mass, and a second-generation smart tachograph is required. Purely domestic journeys with vehicles between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes are not covered, nor are the exceptions in Article 3 of Regulation (EG) No 561/2006 and § 18 FPersV, which include certain own-account transport, among others. Check this classification before applying, because it determines whether you need a card and which vehicles you may drive with it.

Identifying the competent issuing office

Driver cards are not applied for at the Federal Motor Transport Authority. The KBA only keeps the driver card register and provides a free directory of issuing office addresses. The competent body is the local issuing office: depending on the federal state, this is the driving licence authority of the district or the independent city, a Land (federal state) authority, or a delegated body such as TÜV or DEKRA. What matters is your place of residence, not your employer’s place of business. At the same step, clarify whether an appointment is needed, whether postal submission is allowed and what processing time the office itself states.

Completing the application and assembling the documents

Use only the form from your issuing authority and select the correct application type – first issue, renewal or replacement card – because this determines the scope of checks and the certificates you must enclose. Have your card licence, ID document, proof of residence and biometric photo ready, and check that all the names given match. Allow enough lead time: under § 4 Absatz 3 FPersV, an application for renewal is possible at the earliest six months before expiry and, under Article 28(1) of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014, must be submitted at the latest 15 working days before the end of validity.

Submitting the application and paying the fee

Submit the application in person, by post or – where your office offers it – via its online service. The fee is made up of the nationwide KBA share of €12.00 and the issuing office’s administrative fee, which is set at federal-state or local level; in practice, a total of around €34 to €44 is payable, plus around €3 to €6 more for direct dispatch. Which means of payment are accepted – card, cash or bank transfer – depends on the competent authority. Keep the application confirmation and proof of payment: they prove, during a check, that an application is in progress.

Receiving the card and checking it immediately

The Federal Motor Transport Authority states that dispatch takes place within one week of receipt of the application; express orders are processed on the same or the next working day. How long it takes overall also depends on how quickly the issuing office checks and forwards the application. For replacement cards, Article 29(4) of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 expressly obliges the authority to deliver within eight working days of receipt of a properly completed application. After receipt, check the name, date of birth, card number, driving licence number and the expiry date; you must report errors immediately, because an incorrect card will be objected to during checks.

Putting the card into use and reading out data on time

Insert the card into slot 1 of the tachograph before starting a journey, confirm the country and enter manually any periods during which the card was not inserted. The ongoing record-keeping obligation then begins: driver card data must be downloaded at least every 28 days, and the vehicle’s mass storage at least every 90 days; the transport undertaking is responsible for this. Under Article 36 of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014, you must carry the card itself as well as printouts and manual records for the current day and the preceding 28 calendar days.

Fees & costs

Service	Amount
KBA share (nationwide)	€12.00
Administrative fee of the issuing office	set under federal-state or local law
Driver card first issue (total)	approx. €34–€44
Driver card renewal (total)	approx. €34–€44
Replacement card for loss, theft or defect	approx. €34–€44
Direct dispatch (optional)	approx. €3–€6
Means of payment	depends on the competent authority
Driving without a valid driver card (standard rate, driver)	€250 per 24 hours
Driving without a valid driver card (standard rate, operator)	€750

There is no separate fee number in the fee schedule of the Fee Schedule for Measures in Road Traffic (Gebührenordnung für Maßnahmen im Straßenverkehr, GebOSt) for issuing the driver card. There is therefore no uniform nationwide final amount: only the KBA share of €12.00 is nationwide; the administrative fee for processing the application is set by each federal state or issuing office itself. In practice, the total cost is therefore around €34 to €44. Ask your issuing office for the exact amount before the appointment rather than relying on a flat figure.

Additional costs arise above all from direct dispatch of the card to your address, which is charged at around €3 to €6 depending on the office, and from express processing. The fee is charged equally for first issue, renewal and replacement card – even if the card was stolen or is technically defective, the replacement is not free of charge. Anyone applying for the card through an employer should check in the employment contract or collective agreement whether the company covers the costs; driving personnel law does not create a statutory obligation to reimburse the costs.

Fees and regulatory fines must be strictly distinguished: a regulatory fine is not an administrative fee but a sanction under regulatory offences law, imposed separately by official notice (Bescheid). The catalogue of fines for driving personnel law sets a standard rate of €250 per 24 hours for the driver and €750 for the operator for driving without a driver card. The amount of €5,000 named in § 8 Abs. 2 FPersG is the statutory maximum for drivers; for operators and vehicle holders it is €30,000.

Important notes

New rule since 1 July 2026 – also below 3.5 tonnes. In commercial cross-border goods transport and in cabotage, vehicles with a permissible maximum mass of over 2.5 tonnes must be fitted with a second-generation smart tachograph; trailers and semi-trailers count towards the mass. Anyone who previously drove a van under 3.5 tonnes without a driver card now needs their own card for such journeys. Purely domestic journeys in this weight class and the exceptions in Article 3 of Regulation (EG) No 561/2006 and § 18 FPersV – including certain own-account transport – remain unaffected.

Renewal: at the earliest six months, at the latest 15 working days before expiry. The six-month period comes from § 4 Absatz 3 FPersV, the 15-working-day period from Article 28(1) of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014. The issuing office will not accept an application more than six months before expiry; anyone who applies later than 15 working days before the end of validity no longer has any entitlement to receive the new card in time. Note the expiry date of the card – not that of the driving licence – as a reminder, because the two documents expire independently of each other.

Card failure: seven days to apply, eight working days for delivery, 15 days to keep driving. If the card is damaged, does not work properly, or is lost or stolen, you must apply for a replacement under Article 29(4) of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 within seven calendar days; under the same paragraph, the authority is required to deliver it within eight working days. You may keep driving without the card for at most 15 calendar days – longer only to the extent needed to return the vehicle to its base – and only if you can prove that it was impossible for you to present or use the card (Article 29(5)).

Manual records during card failure. As long as you drive without a card, produce a printout of the tachograph data at the start and end of each journey, enter your name and your driving licence or driver card number on it, and sign it. These printouts replace the electronic record and must be produced during checks; if they are missing, the journey is treated as a journey without evidence. Keep these records together with the application confirmation for the replacement card.

Only one valid driver card per driver. The Federal Motor Transport Authority states expressly that a driver may hold only one valid driver card. The card is personal and must not be lent to, or used by, colleagues. It is issued exclusively by the member state of normal residence – anyone moving in from another EU state who already holds a card there must state this when applying in Germany.

Download deadlines: 28 days for the card, 90 days for the vehicle. Driver card data must be downloaded at least every 28 days, and the vehicle’s mass storage at least every 90 days. The transport undertaking is responsible, and needs a company card for this; the files must be archived and produced to the enforcement authorities on request. If downloaded too late, the tachograph irretrievably overwrites older records.

Obligation to carry documents: the current day and the preceding 28 calendar days. Under Article 36 of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014, you must be able to produce the driver card as well as all printouts and manual records for this period during a check. Checks are carried out by the police and the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility, both on the road and at the undertaking. Keep the documents in order in the vehicle rather than storing them at the premises.

Distinction from the company, workshop and control card. The driver card records the times of a specific person. The company card belongs to the transport undertaking, locks the data against access by others, and is used to read out the mass storage. The workshop card is issued only to recognised tachograph workshops for installation, inspection and calibration, and the control card is reserved for enforcement authorities. To operate a vehicle subject to the tachograph requirement, companies therefore regularly need both: driver cards for staff and at least one company card.

Change of name or address. If your name or address changes, contact your issuing office. Whether a new card is issued or the existing one remains valid depends on the competent authority – clarify this before you are checked with differing data. If you move to another federal state, your competent issuing office changes at the same time.

Common mistakes

Application submitted to the Federal Motor Transport Authority

The KBA does not accept applications for driver cards – it only keeps the register and publishes the directory of issuing office addresses. Anyone who sends their documents there loses several weeks, while the validity of the old card continues to run down or the deadline for the replacement card passes. First identify the issuing office competent for your place of residence.

Assuming nothing is needed below 3.5 tonnes

Since 1 July 2026, the tachograph requirement has also applied to vehicles over 2.5 tonnes in commercial cross-border goods transport and in cabotage; trailers count towards the mass. Anyone who continues to rely on the old 3.5-tonne threshold risks, during a check, the standard rate of €250 per 24 hours, a regulatory fine against the operator and a prohibition on continuing the journey.

Driving without a valid driver card

For driving without a driver card, the catalogue of fines for driving personnel law sets €250 per 24 hours for the driver and €750 for the operator; § 8 Abs. 2 FPersG allows, in an individual case, up to €5,000 for drivers and up to €30,000 for operators and vehicle holders. In addition, the enforcement authority can prohibit the journey from continuing, leaving the assignment undone.

Renewal applied for too late

The application must be submitted at the latest 15 working days before the end of validity (Article 28(1) of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014). Anyone who misses this deadline has no right to timely issuance and is left without a valid card after the expiry date – with the result that they can no longer be deployed and the company must reschedule journeys.

Loss not reported within seven days

Article 29(4) of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 requires the replacement application within seven calendar days, and, in the case of theft, the formal report to the authorities as well. Anyone who waits breaches the regulation and loses sight of the 15-day rule for continuing to drive: once it has expired, every further journey is a journey without a record.

Second driver card applied for or kept

A driver may hold only one valid driver card; the issuing office checks this against the driver card register. Anyone who applies for a second card or conceals a card from another EU state must expect the application to be refused, the card to be confiscated and regulatory fine proceedings under the Driving Personnel Act.

Someone else’s card used, or your own lent out

The driver card is personal. If it is passed on, the recorded driving and rest times are wrong, which is sanctioned as an infringement of driving personnel law with regulatory fines under §§ 8, 8a FPersG and can have employment-law consequences up to dismissal. The operator is also liable if they tolerate the practice.

Download deadlines missed

If the driver card is not read out at least every 28 days and the mass storage not at least every 90 days, the tachograph overwrites older data. During a company check, evidence for past periods is then missing – the result is regulatory fines against the company and, as a rule, further checks.

Paper driving licence not exchanged in time

The issuing office takes the driving licence data from a valid card driving licence. Anyone presenting only an old paper driving licence must complete the compulsory exchange first and loses weeks as a result – annoying if the driver card is needed for an assignment already agreed.

Frequently asked questions

Who needs a driver card since 1 July 2026?

A driver card is required by anyone driving a vehicle subject to the tachograph requirement: in goods transport, vehicles with a permissible maximum mass of over 3.5 tonnes; in passenger transport, vehicles designed or equipped to carry more than eight persons in addition to the driver. Since 1 July 2026, vehicles over 2.5 tonnes have been added, where they are used in commercial cross-border goods transport or in cabotage; trailers and semi-trailers are included in the mass, and a second-generation smart tachograph is required.

Do I apply for the driver card at the Federal Motor Transport Authority?

No. The Federal Motor Transport Authority only keeps the driver card register and provides a free directory of issuing office addresses. The application must be submitted to the locally competent issuing office; depending on the federal state, this is the driving licence authority, a Land (federal state) authority or a delegated body such as TÜV or DEKRA.

Which driving licence do I need for the driver card?

The Federal Motor Transport Authority requires a German card driving licence or a valid driving licence from an EU or EEA (EWR) state, plus residence in Germany; a particular class is not prescribed. For vehicles between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes covered since 1 July 2026, class B is sufficient; for heavy lorries, class C or CE is required, and in passenger transport, D or DE. A professional driver qualification is not required for the driver card itself.

What does the driver card cost?

There is no single nationwide total fee: the amount is made up of the KBA share of €12.00 and the issuing office’s administrative fee, which is set at federal-state or local level. In practice, the total cost is around €34 to €44, plus around €3 to €6 for direct dispatch. The fee schedule of the Fee Schedule for Measures in Road Traffic has no separate fee number for issuing the card.

How long does it take for the driver card to arrive?

According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, dispatch takes place within one week of receipt of the application, and express orders are processed on the same or the next working day. How long it takes overall also depends on how quickly your issuing office checks and forwards the application. For replacement cards, Article 29(4) of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 prescribes delivery within eight working days.

What should I do if the driver card is lost, stolen or defective?

Apply for a replacement under Article 29(4) of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 within seven calendar days at the responsible office; in the case of theft you must additionally report it formally to the authority of the country where it occurred. Without the card you may keep driving for at most 15 calendar days, longer only if that is needed to return the vehicle to its base – and only if you can prove that it was impossible for you to present or use the card (Article 29(5)). During this time, print out a tachograph record at the start and end of each journey, add your name and your driving licence or driver card number, and sign it.

When must I apply for renewal?

The driver card is valid for at most five years. Under § 4 Absatz 3 FPersV, renewal can be applied for at the earliest six months before expiry; under Article 28(1) of Regulation (EU) No 165/2014, the application must reach the responsible authority at the latest 15 working days before the end of validity. Anyone who misses this deadline has no entitlement to receive the new card in time.

What regulatory fine applies if you drive without a valid driver card?

The catalogue of fines for driving personnel law sets a standard rate of €250 per 24 hours for the driver and €750 for the operator. § 8 Abs. 2 of the Driving Personnel Act also allows regulatory fines of up to €5,000 for drivers and up to €30,000 for operators and vehicle holders; the €5,000 is thus the statutory maximum and not the usual amount. During a check, a prohibition on continuing the journey can also be considered.

How often must the data be read out?

Driver card data must be downloaded at least every 28 days, and the vehicle’s mass storage at least every 90 days. The transport undertaking is responsible for this; the files must be archived and produced to the enforcement authorities on request. If not read out in time, the tachograph overwrites older records and the evidence is missing during the company check.

What is the difference between the driver, company, workshop and control card?

The driver card is personal and records the driving and rest times of a specific person; a driver may hold only one valid driver card. The company card belongs to the transport undertaking, locks the data against access by others, and is used to read out the mass storage. The workshop card is issued exclusively to recognised tachograph workshops for installation, inspection and calibration, and the control card is reserved for enforcement authorities.