Overview
Are you still driving with the old paper driving license or do you have an unlimited driving license in credit card format?
These documents will gradually lose their validity from January 19, 2022 - staggered according to the holder's year of birth or the year of issue.
Under the tab "When do I have to exchange my driving license?" you can find out when you have to exchange it.
How does the driving license exchange work?
There are two ways to do this:
- Online application via the service portal (online ID function required)
- Personal application on site (appointment required)
When do I have to exchange my driver's license?
When do I have to exchange my driver's license?
The date of your driver's license exchange depends on the date of issue of your driver's license. There are two dates to note.
- Issued up to and including December 31, 1998: The exchange periods are staggered according to your year of birth.
- Issued from January 1, 1999: The exchange periods depend on the year of issue of your driving license.
Driving licenses up to and including December 31, 1998
Based on your year of birth, you can see in the following overview by when you must exchange your driver's license. These deadlines apply to driving licenses issued up to and including December 31, 1998:
| Year of birth | Driving license exchange up to: |
|---|---|
| before 1953 | January 19, 2033 |
| 1953 to 1958 | June 19, 2022 |
| 1959 to 1964 | January 19, 2023 |
| 1965 to 1970 | January 19, 2024 |
| 1971 or later | January 19, 2025 |
Driving licenses as of January 1, 1999
Based on the year of issue, you can see in the following overview by when you must exchange your driving license. These deadlines apply to driving licenses issued after January 1, 1999:
| Year of issue of the driving license | Driving license exchange by: |
|---|---|
| 1999 to 2001 | January 19, 2026 |
| 2002 to 2004 | January 19, 2027 |
| 2005 to 2007 | January 19, 2028 |
| 2008 | January 19, 2029 |
| 2009 | January 19, 2030 |
| 2010 | January 19, 2031 |
| 2011 | January 19, 2032 |
| 2012 until January 18, 2013 | January 19, 2033 |
Online application via the service portal (online ID function required)
Requirements for exchanging your driver's license online:
- a BundID and the activated online ID function of your identity card
- Main residence in Bonn
Important notes:
- After submitting the online form, you must send your current (old) driving license to the driving license office.
- If you cannot do without your driver's license, we recommend that you apply for an exchange in person.
- You will receive your (old) driving license back for a limited period of two months.
- If your driver's license is invalid after the statutory exchange period, you will receive it back validated.
- Driving abroad is not possible until you receive your new license.
- Driving within Germany without a valid driver's license can be punished with a fine.
Required documents
The documents required may vary depending on the scope of your driving license and the place of issue. In principle, you must submit the following documents digitally (JPEG format) as a scan or photo :
- Front and back of your identity card or passport
- Front and back of your driver's license
- Specimen signature (on white paper, not lined/checked)
- Current biometric passport photo (opens in a new tab)
Your driver's license was not issued in Bonn?
In this case, we also require the following for processing
- file card copy
of the authority that issued your driver's license. To speed up the processing of your application, you can request this free of charge in advance from the issuing authority, which will be sent directly to the Bonn driving license office.
Would you like to have a visual aid removed?
When you exchange your driving license, it is possible to have a visual aid removed. To do this, you must send an original ophthalmologist's certificate.
Information for truck classes and commercial use of the driver's license:
Do you need a category C driving license for commercial purposes?
In this case, a
Would you like to renew your category 2 license and are over 50 years old?
In this case, further documents are required, so unfortunately it is not possible to apply online. You can find more information on this page: Extending class C and D driving licenses (opens in a new tab)
Would you like to extend your Class 2 and are over 50 years old?
Then we also need
- Ophthalmologist's certificate in accordance with Annex 6 No. 2 of the Driving License Ordinance
- Certificate of medical fitness examination in accordance with Annex 5 of the Driving License Ordinance (opens in a new tab)
Personal application on site (appointment required)
Which documents are required?
The documents required may vary depending on the scope of your driving license and the place of issue. You must always bring the following documents with you:
- Identity card or passport
- Driving license
- A current biometric passport photo according to (opens in a new tab) ICAO standard
You do not yet have a card driver's license and your paper driver's license was not issued in Bonn?
In this case, we also require a
- copy of the card
of the authority that issued your driver's license. To speed up the processing of your application, you can request this free of charge in advance from the issuing authority, which will be sent directly to the Bonn driving license office.
Would you like to exchange your driver's license on site?
To do this, you first need an appointment at the Citizens Service Center or at one of the branch offices.
Information for truck classes and commercial use of the driver's license:
Do you need a category C driving license for commercial purposes?
In this case, we also require a
- further training certificate (5 modules, key number 95).
You can find further information under: Driver qualification certificate - Professional driver qualification (opens in a new tab)
Would you like to extend your Class 2 and are over 50 years old?
Then we also need
- Ophthalmologist's certificate in accordance with Annex 6 No. 2 of the Driving License Ordinance (opens in a new tab)
- Certificate of medical fitness examination in accordance with Annex 5 of the Driving License Ordinance (opens in a new tab)
You can find further information under: Extending class C and D driving licenses (opens in a new tab)
Costs
From January 1, 2025, 26.50 euros; the fee may increase depending on the processing costs.
- 26.50 euros for the exchange for the card driving license
- An additional 7.70 euros if you require a provisional driving authorization
- 5.31 euros for direct mailing when applying online and when applying at a branch office
- An additional 25.60 euros if you require express delivery (approx. 5 working days)*.
Express delivery can only be used when applying in person.
Payment methods:
- Cash
- EC card
- Credit card
- Foreign debit card
- Apple Pay and Google Pay
Contact us
Employees
| Name | Telephone | E-mail address |
|---|---|---|
| Fahrerlaubnisbehörde | +49 228 776677 | fahrerlaubnisbehoerdebonnde |
- opening hours
- Location
- Postal address
- Accessibility
opening hours
Citizens Service Center in Bonn and the branch offices in the Bad Godesberg, Beuel and Hardtberg district town halls
Monday and Thursday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 7:30 am to 1 pm
Service hours of the call center
Monday and Thursday 8 am to 6 pm
Tuesday, Wednesday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location
Dienstleistungszentrum
Exchange driving license
Stadthaus
Berliner Platz 2
53111 Bonn
Postal address
Bundesstadt Bonn
53103 Bonn
Accessibility
Barrier-free access via the tram stop on line 66
Disabled access via ramp (Weiherstraße/Maxstraße)
Disabled elevator at the Thomas-Mann-Straße/Budapester Straße entrance (loggia)
Disabled elevator at the Weiherstraße entrance
Disabled elevator at the Franzstraße entrance
Elevators with Braille and voice output available in the building; the elevators are also equipped with cameras that enable contact with deaf people in an emergency
Building has a designated parking lot
Barrier-free toilet in the entrance area
Tactile floor guidance system for blind and visually impaired people at the entrances and on the first floor
Organizational units
| Name | Telephone | E-mail address |
|---|---|---|
| Citizens Service Center | +49 228 776677 | buergeramtbonnde |