The German probationary licence (Probezeit)
Germany treats every new driver as being on probation for two years, and people who move here with a recent licence are not exempt.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
What follows during probation
Measure
remedial course
| Total probation | 4 years |
| Steps counted | 1 |
Germany puts every first driving licence on probation, the Probezeit, for 2 years from the day it is issued (Section 2a of the Road Traffic Act, StVG). One serious A offence or two less serious B offences in that time lead to a compulsory remedial course (Aufbauseminar) and extend the probation by 2 years. Another A or two more B offences after the course bring a written warning with a recommendation to see a traffic psychologist within 2 months, and one more leads to withdrawal of the licence, with a new one at the earliest 3 months later. A offences, listed in annex 12 of the Driving Licence Ordinance, include running a red light, using a phone, going 21 km/h over in town and any alcohol or cannabis offence; parking that obstructs others is a B offence. New drivers and everyone under 21 must not drink at all before driving: 250 euros and a point. If you move here with an EU licence, the rules apply too, with the time since your test credited.
Who is on probation
Under Section 2a StVG every first licence in Germany is issued on probation for 2 years. Licences for mopeds (class AM) and agricultural vehicles (L and T) are exempt; probation starts with the first upgrade from one of these to another class. Adding a class later, for example a motorbike licence on top of a car licence, does not start a new probation.
The rules also cover people who arrive from abroad. If you hold a licence from another EU or EEA country and make Germany your home, Section 2a StVG applies the probation to you, but counts the time since you obtained the licence. Someone who passed in Italy ten months before moving has fourteen months left. For licences from outside the EU that are exchanged for a German one, the time since the foreign licence was issued is credited too, minus any period in which you were not allowed to drive in Germany (Section 33(2) FeV). The page on exchanging a foreign licence explains when that gap arises.
A offences and B offences
Annex 12 of the Driving Licence Ordinance sorts offences into two groups. A, the serious ones, covers traffic crimes and a long list of regulatory offences: speed, distance, overtaking, right of way, turning, the emergency corridor, level crossings, pedestrian crossings, red lights, using a phone and every offence under the alcohol and cannabis rules. B covers the remaining offences that are entered in the register, such as obstructive parking, overloading or the wrong tyres.
| Offence | Catalogue no. | Fine | Points | Probation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 to 20 km/h over in town | 11.3.3 | €70 | 0 | – |
| 21 to 25 km/h over in town | 11.3.4 | €115 | 1 | A |
| 26 to 30 km/h over outside towns | 11.3.5 | €150 | 1 | A |
| Red light ignored | 132 | €90 | 1 | A |
| Phone at the wheel | 246.1 | €100 | 1 | A |
| Overtaking where it is prohibited | 19.1 | €150 | 1 | A |
| No emergency corridor | 50 | €200 | 2 | A |
| Any alcohol or cannabis as a new driver | 243b | €250 | 1 | A |
| Parked on pavement or cycle lane, obstructing | 52a.1 | €70 | 1 | B |
| Double-parked, obstructing | 58.1 | €80 | 1 | B |
| Summer tyres on ice or snow | 5a | €60 | 1 | B |
| Vehicle and load higher than 4.20 m | 104 | €60 | 1 | B |
Only decisions recorded in the Flensburg register count, which for regulatory offences means those that carry points. Going 20 km/h over in town costs €70 and has no effect on your probation; at 21 km/h it becomes an A offence. The fine calculator shows the classification for each offence.
Three steps
Section 2a(2) StVG works like a staircase. One A offence or two B offences make one step.
| A offences | B offences | Measure | Total probation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | no measure | 2 years |
| 1 | 0 | remedial course (Aufbauseminar) | 4 years |
| 0 | 2 | remedial course (Aufbauseminar) | 4 years |
| 2 | 0 | written warning, counselling advised | 4 years |
| 1 | 2 | written warning, counselling advised | 4 years |
| 3 | 0 | licence withdrawn | 4 years |
Step one: the remedial course
The licensing office orders you in writing to attend an Aufbauseminar by a deadline, and your probation grows by 2 years. The standard course is run by a specially licensed driving instructor: four group sessions of 135 minutes over two to four weeks, six to twelve participants, and a test drive with at least 30 minutes at the wheel between the first and second session. After alcohol or drug offences you are sent to a special version with a preliminary interview and three sessions of 180 minutes. Ignoring the order is not an option: Section 2a(3) StVG requires the licence to be withdrawn if the deadline passes.
Step two: the warning
Another A offence, or two B offences, after the course and still within probation leads to a written warning, charged at €17.90, with a recommendation to attend traffic psychology counselling within 2 months. The counselling is voluntary and confidential: the findings are shared with you alone, and you receive a certificate of attendance.
Step three: withdrawal
One more A offence or two more B offences after that point and the licence is withdrawn. A new one can be granted 3 months after you hand the old one in at the earliest, and only with proof of the remedial course. Offending again in the new probation usually leads to an MPU assessment.
Probation has nothing to do with age
Many expats learn to drive only after moving here, often in their thirties, because a car was never needed in a big city back home. The Probezeit applies to them in full: what counts is the first licence, not the driver's age. Take someone who passes the test at 34. Eight months later a camera catches them at 21 km/h over in town, which costs €115 and a point and is an A offence. The remedial course follows and the probation grows to 4 years. A phone check at a red light the following year, another A offence, takes them to the second step: written warning, counselling advised. Age matters in one place only: the zero alcohol limit lasts for the whole probation, and for drivers under 21 it continues until their 21st birthday even if the probation is already over.
What it costs
The fines are only part of it. The licensing office charges a fee of its own for ordering the remedial course (number 210 of the road traffic fee schedule) and €17.90 for the written warning (number 209). The course is paid to the driving instructor who runs it, at a price they set themselves; there is no official rate. Counselling with a traffic psychologist is also at your own cost. If the licence is withdrawn, a new grant costs between €35.70 and €258.50 in authority fees alone.
Zero alcohol, zero cannabis
Section 24c StVG applies to everyone on probation and to all drivers under 21, whatever their probation status. You may not drink alcohol or take THC while driving, nor start a journey under their influence. The fine is €250 and a point, and it counts as an A offence. The only exception is THC from medicine prescribed for a specific illness and taken as directed. If you come from a country where a glass of wine with dinner is compatible with driving, this is the rule to remember. From 0.5 per mille, the general limit with a driving ban applies on top; see the page on drink-driving in Germany.
Timing traps
An offence counts if it was committed during probation, even when the decision becomes final after the two years are over. The probation is paused while your licence is seized or provisionally withdrawn, and it ends early if the licence is withdrawn for good; a new licence then carries a new probation for the time that was left. Points collected during probation also count in the general Flensburg points system, and they are not deleted until the probation has ended.
Fines collected on holiday are a different matter. The steps of the German probation depend on decisions entered in the Flensburg register, which holds German fine decisions and German court judgments. A speeding ticket from France or a red-light fine from Spain does not count towards the Probezeit, however annoying it is to pay.