Without debate on 4 December, the Bundestag unanimously approved an amendment to the Road Traffic Act that changes how driving bans are enforced against holders of EU and EEA driving licences who are not resident in Germany.
Previously, German authorities physically stamped or noted domestic driving bans on the licence card itself, an approach the European Court of Justice ruled illegal in 2021 because it infringed the principle of mutual recognition of licences. The new legislation instead records bans exclusively in the national Fitness-to-Drive Register (FAER), which police can access electronically during roadside checks.
![Germany drops licence-stamping for foreign EU drivers after ECJ ruling, opts for digital register]()
For cross-border professionals—consultants, engineers, truck drivers—whose home licence is issued elsewhere in the EU, the reform eliminates the risk that a German stamp could invalidate their permit back home or complicate renewals. It also signals a wider move toward digital enforcement tools that follow the driver rather than the document.
Employers with staff who drive regularly in Germany should update compliance policies: a driving ban will still bar an employee from operating a vehicle on German roads, but the licence itself remains unaltered. Insurance providers may require access to FAER extracts before allowing company-car use.
Previously, German authorities physically stamped or noted domestic driving bans on the licence card itself, an approach the European Court of Justice ruled illegal in 2021 because it infringed the principle of mutual recognition of licences. The new legislation instead records bans exclusively in the national Fitness-to-Drive Register (FAER), which police can access electronically during roadside checks.
For cross-border professionals—consultants, engineers, truck drivers—whose home licence is issued elsewhere in the EU, the reform eliminates the risk that a German stamp could invalidate their permit back home or complicate renewals. It also signals a wider move toward digital enforcement tools that follow the driver rather than the document.
Employers with staff who drive regularly in Germany should update compliance policies: a driving ban will still bar an employee from operating a vehicle on German roads, but the licence itself remains unaltered. Insurance providers may require access to FAER extracts before allowing company-car use.
