43m Germans have to exchange their driving licenses

Due to an European Union directive, about 43 million Germans will have to exchange their driving licenses by 2033. A plan for the exchange of licenses was laid down by the German federal council on Friday.

The plan includes a detailed step-by-step process from 2022 and thus an earlier start to an extensive exchange procedure in order to prevent many drivers from waiting until the last moment.

The process decided by the federal council would be regulated by the year of birth of the holder and the date of issue of the driving license. Thus, only a certain number of exchanges will take place each year in order to reduce the workload of the responsible authorities.

All Germans who obtained their driving licenses before Jan. 19, 2013 are affected by the regulations of the EU directive. By January 2033 all motorcycle and car driving licenses must have been exchanged to unitary plastic cards.

The reasons for the EU directive are a uniform forgery-proof driving license document and the registration of all driving licenses in a shared database. The EU directive adopted in 2006 also aims to standardize regulations for more than 110 types of driving licenses in Europe.

"Handy check card driving licenses with an up-to-date photo bring undeniable advantages at driving license controls, especially when driving abroad," a spokesperson of Germany's automobile club ADAC commented. A fee of around 25 euros for the new license will be charged, according to the ADAC.