Running a red light in Germany: fines, points and bans
Two facts decide the penalty: how long the light had been red and whether anyone was put at risk.
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Red light: your case
Total including fees
€118.50
| BKat number | 132 |
| Points | 1 |
| Driving ban | none |
Driving through a red traffic light in Germany costs 90 euros and one point in the Flensburg register if the light had been red for less than a second. Past that second, the offence becomes a so-called qualified red light offence (qualifizierter Rotlichtverstoß): 200 euros, 2 points and a 1-month driving ban (Fahrverbot). If someone was endangered, the fine rises to 200 euros for the basic case and 320 euros for the qualified one; if property was damaged, to 240 or 360 euros. A formal fine notice (Bußgeldbescheid) adds at least 25 euros in fees and €3.50 for delivery, so the basic case comes to €118.50. Cyclists and e-scooter riders pay 60 euros plus a point. For drivers on probation (Probezeit), any red light offence with a point counts as a serious A offence, with a remedial course and 2 extra years of probation.
The full table for drivers
In the German fine catalogue (Bußgeldkatalog), red lights sit under number 132. The one-second distinction applies to ordinary traffic lights that change from green to amber to red. A constant red, such as a lane signal in a tunnel, is covered by the basic rows only.
| Situation | Cat. no. | Fine | Points | Ban | With fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red ignored, under 1 second | 132 | €90 | 1 | no | €118.50 |
| under 1 second, endangering others | 132.1 | €200 | 2 | 1 month | €228.50 |
| under 1 second, property damaged | 132.2 | €240 | 2 | 1 month | €268.50 |
| Red for more than 1 second | 132.3 | €200 | 2 | 1 month | €228.50 |
| over 1 second, endangering others | 132.3.1 | €320 | 2 | 1 month | €348.50 |
| over 1 second, property damaged | 132.3.2 | €360 | 2 | 1 month | €388.50 |
The figures in the last column include the fees that come with any notice above €55: five per cent of the fine, at least €25, plus €3.50 for delivery under Section 107 of the Administrative Offences Act. Germany does not scale fines to income for these offences, so a student and a manager pay the same.
Why one second matters so much
Amber in Germany means stop if you safely can. Lights are timed so that a driver who crosses the line in the first moment of red has usually just misjudged the amber. After a full second, cross traffic or pedestrians may already be moving, so the catalogue more than doubles the fine and adds a ban. If you learned to drive in a country where amber is treated loosely, this is worth adjusting to: German junctions often have short intergreen times and many cameras.
A workable rule of thumb: if you are close enough to the line that braking would be abrupt, continue on amber; otherwise stop. Section 37 of the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) says amber means wait for the next signal before the junction. It does not demand an emergency stop that puts the car behind you at risk.
The second is counted from the moment the light turned red until your vehicle passed the stop line. The measurement record normally states the elapsed red time, and the hearing form names the catalogue number, so you can see from the paperwork which tier the authority applied.
Danger and damage
Endangering someone (Gefährdung) means a real near miss: a pedestrian stepping back, a driver braking hard. An empty junction is not enough. Property damage (Sachbeschädigung) usually means a collision. Either one turns even a basic red light into a 1-month ban with 2 points. In a crash, the fine is only part of the picture; your liability insurance deals with the other party, and the police report often shapes the fine case too.
Cyclists and e-scooters
Cycling is part of daily life in many German cities, and police do check junctions. Bikes and e-scooters have their own number, 132a. There is no ban, but there are points.
| Situation | Cat. no. | Fine | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red ignored | 132a | €60 | 1 |
| endangering others | 132a.1 | €100 | 1 |
| property damaged | 132a.2 | €120 | 1 |
| red for over 1 second | 132a.3 | €100 | 1 |
| over 1 second, endangering others | 132a.3.1 | €160 | 1 |
| over 1 second, property damaged | 132a.3.2 | €180 | 1 |
A point earned on a bike sits in the same register as one earned in a car. If you later apply to exchange a foreign licence for a German one, the authority can see it.
Two practical details catch new arrivals out. Where a junction has a separate bicycle signal, that signal binds you, not the main light for cars. Where there is only a pedestrian signal and you ride across on the crossing, the pedestrian red counts for you as well. Police in larger cities run targeted checks at busy junctions, often in the morning rush, and stop riders on the spot. A spot fine of up to €55 carries no fees; above that, a notice follows by post with the usual costs, €88.50 for the basic case.
The green arrow and the stop line
Newcomers from North America often expect to turn right on red. Germany allows it only at junctions with a small, fixed green arrow on a black plate next to the light, and only after stopping completely. Turning from the wrong lane costs €15, failing to stop €70 with a point, endangering cross traffic €100, and getting in the way of pedestrians or cyclists on the crossing €100, or €150 if they were endangered. None of these brings a ban.
The stop line is the thick white bar before the light. Stopping a little past it without entering the junction is normally treated as a minor stop-line offence at €10 and no point. If you did that against a red light and endangered someone, it is €70 and one point.
Probation, licence exchange and residence
Germany's probation period lasts 2 years from your first licence. Under annex 12 of the Driving Licence Ordinance, a red light offence with a point is an A offence. One such offence means a compulsory remedial course (Aufbauseminar) and 2 more years of probation. If you moved here with a licence from another EU country that is less than two years old, the probation applies to you as well, with the time since your test credited. The page on probationary licences sets out the stages.
For someone driving on a non-EU licence in the first six months of residence, the points still go on the German register, and a ban still applies on German roads. The register follows the person, not the plastic card.
Red light: your case
Total including fees
€118.50
| BKat number | 132 |
| Points | 1 |
| Driving ban | none |
From photo to fine notice
First comes a hearing form, addressed to the registered keeper. You can answer about the facts or say nothing about the offence; giving your personal details is required. Then, unless the case is dropped, a fine notice follows. You have 2 weeks from delivery to lodge an objection (Einspruch), which is a right the law gives you, not a recommendation. Since 1 July 2026 a traffic offence is time-barred after six months unless the authority interrupts that period, for instance by sending the hearing form. More detail on reading the letter line by line is on the fine notice page.
A ban from a red light follows the normal rules for bans, including the option to choose the start date within 4 months if you had no ban in the previous two years. The driving ban page explains how to plan around it, and the fine calculator gives the total for your own case, using the official catalogue.
Points from a red light expire on a fixed schedule: two and a half years for one point, five years for two, each counted from the date the decision became final. A new offence does not extend the period of an older one. The guide to Flensburg points shows what happens when entries add up, starting with a written warning at four points.
One more point on costs abroad: if you leave Germany before paying, the fine does not simply disappear. Within the EU, fines of this size can be enforced in your home country, and the points remain on the German register until they expire.