21 km/h over the limit in Germany: the first point and probation
One km/h above the 20 km/h line is enough for an entry in the Flensburg register and, for new drivers, a mandatory course.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
From here you get a point
Total including fees
€143.50
| Excess after tolerance | 21 km/h |
| Points | 1 |
| Driving ban | none |
| Probation | A offence |
Driving a car 21 to 25 km/h too fast in Germany costs €115 in a built-up area and €100 outside towns, and adds one point to the Fahreignungsregister, the national driver record kept in Flensburg. With the fee and delivery charge under Section 107 OWiG, the notice comes to €143.50 in town. At 20 km/h over the fine would have been €70 with no point, so a single km/h separates the two outcomes. The point becomes due for deletion 2.5 years after the decision is final. For drivers in their Probezeit, the two-year probation that follows a first licence, the offence counts as a serious A offence under annex 12 of the Driving Licence Ordinance. One A offence is enough for a mandatory remedial course (Aufbauseminar) and extends probation by 2 years. There is no driving ban in this band.
Why this is the line that matters
For most drivers, 21 km/h over is where a German speeding ticket stops being just a bill. The offence is listed in annex 13 of the Driving Licence Ordinance, and the fine passes 60 euros, which together mean an entry in the Flensburg register. The fine itself rises by less than half compared with 20 km/h. The consequences last years longer: a point with its own expiry date and, for anyone on probation, an A offence. Since one km/h makes the difference, check the tolerance on your hearing form before anything else.
| Over the limit | Fine in town | Total in town | Fine outside | Total outside | Points | On probation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 km/h | €70 | €98.50 | €60 | €88.50 | 0 | not recorded |
| 21 km/h | €115 | €143.50 | €100 | €128.50 | 1 | A offence |
Probation rules for people who learned to drive abroad
German probation (Probezeit) lasts 2 years from a first licence. It is not only for teenagers who passed their test in Germany. If you hold an EU or EEA licence and move here, probation applies to you as a resident, minus the time since you passed. A 23-year-old who passed in Spain eighteen months ago and then moved to Munich is still on probation for six months. Under Section 2a StVG, a single A offence such as 21 km/h over leads the licensing office (Führerscheinstelle) to order a remedial course, the Aufbauseminar, and probation is extended by 2 years. Course providers set their own prices, so compare offers once the order arrives.
What happens after the course
A second A offence, or two B offences, after the course and still within the extended probation brings a written warning and a recommendation to attend a traffic-psychology consultation within 2 months. One more after that and the licence is withdrawn; a new one cannot be issued for at least 3 months. The full sequence is set out on the probationary licence page.
Living with one point
Outside probation, a single point triggers nothing on its own. The German system only reacts at four points with a written reminder. The point expires 30 months after the decision became final (Section 29 StVG), and later offences do not extend it. You can check your record for free with the Federal Motor Transport Authority; the guide to Flensburg points explains how. A driver improvement seminar (Fahreignungsseminar) removes one point if you have between one and five, once every 5 years.
Checking the tolerance on a country road
On a road limited to 100 km/h, readings above 100 km/h lose 3 per cent, rounded down. A reading of 124 km/h becomes 120 km/h, which is 20 km/h over; 125 km/h becomes 21 km/h over and scores the point. In town the flat 3 km/h applies, so 74 km/h in a 50 zone is exactly 21 km/h over. The fine calculator does this arithmetic from the measured figure.
Three dates, three clocks
Keep the paperwork, because different dates drive different consequences. For probation, the date of the offence counts: if you were flashed during your Probezeit, the offence matters even if the notice only becomes final after probation has ended. For the point, the clock starts when the decision becomes final, which without an objection is two weeks after the notice was delivered. And the authority itself must act within 6 months of the offence, the limitation period in force since 1 July 2026, unless a step such as the hearing form interrupted it. Expats who move flats or leave the country for a while should note all three dates. They decide when the point drops off the record and whether a course order can still come.
The next threshold to keep in mind
This band carries no driving ban for cars. From 26 km/h over, a different rule comes into play: a second offence of that size within a year can lead to a one-month ban even though neither offence would cause one alone. That rule is explained on the page on 26 km/h over. Commuters who drive the same route daily, and pass the same fixed camera, are the ones it catches most.