License to Transport Passengers; Application

As a driver, in addition to your general driver’s license, you need a license to transport passengers if you

• transport passengers in an ambulance for compensation or on a commercial basis, or
• transport passengers in a motor vehicle and a permit under the Passenger Transportation Act (PBefG) is required for such transportation.

However, if you hold a Class D or D1 driver’s license, this applies only to driving taxis, rental cars, and for bundled on-demand transportation as defined in Section 50(1), first sentence, of the Passenger Transportation Act (PBefG). Otherwise, a driver’s license for passenger transport in motor vehicles is not required if you hold a Class D or D1 driver’s license.

Furthermore, a driver’s license for passenger transport is not required for

• ambulances of the German Armed Forces, the Federal Police, the police, as well as the military personnel and civilian support staff of the other member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO),
• ambulances operated by civil defense agencies, when used for that purpose,
• ambulances operated by fire departments and emergency medical services recognized under state law.

The driver’s license for passenger transport serves to protect and ensure the safety of the passengers being transported and therefore imposes higher requirements on the driver than the general driver’s license.

It must be applied for at the driver’s license authority responsible for your place of residence (= district office or independent city).

It may be issued for a maximum of five years and must then be renewed.

As proof of the license to transport passengers, the driver’s license authority issues a passenger transport driver’s license. This must be carried along with the EU card-style driver’s license when transporting passengers.

• Possession of a (German) EU card-style driver's license
  (If you still hold an old paper driver’s license or a foreign EU/EEA card-style driver’s license, you may need to exchange it at the same time.)
• Possession of an EU/EEA Class B driver’s license or an equivalent driver’s license from a country listed in Appendix 11 for at least two years (if passenger transport is limited to ambulances, for at least one year) or possession of such a driver’s license within the last five years
• Minimum age: 21 years; if restricted to ambulances: 19 years
• Personal reliability
• Proof of mental and physical fitness
• Sufficient visual acuity
• If the driver’s license is to be valid for the transportation of passengers in ambulances: Completion of a first aid training course
• If the driver’s license for passenger transport is to apply to taxis, rental cars, or shared-ride services: Proof of professional competence
  (Note: Since the specific requirements for proof of professional competence and the responsible authorities have not yet been determined, it is currently not possible (nationwide) to obtain the corresponding certificate of professional competence. Transitional provisions have therefore been established for Bavaria. For more information, please contact the relevant driver’s license authority.)

• You will generally need the following documents:
  
  • Valid ID card or passport
  • German EU driver's license
  • Certificate of Good Conduct for submission to a government agency
  • Medical certificate attesting to physical and mental fitness (not older than 1 year) (see Section 11(9) in conjunction with Appendix 5, No. 1 of the FeV)
  • An assessment of stress tolerance, orientation, concentration, attention, and reaction time issued by an occupational or company physician or, alternatively, by an officially recognized assessment center for driving fitness (not older than 1 year) (see Section 11(9) in conjunction with Annex 5, No. 2 of the FeV)
  • Proof of visual acuity through a certificate of medical examination (issued by an ophthalmologist, a physician with the specialty designation “occupational medicine,” a physician with the additional designation “industrial medicine,” a physician at an officially recognized assessment center for driving fitness, a physician from the public health department, or another physician employed by the public administration) or a certificate of an ophthalmological examination (not older than 2 years) (see § 12(6) in conjunction with Annex 6, No. 2 of the FeV)
  • For a driver’s license to operate ambulances: Proof of participation in first aid training
  • if the driver’s license is to be valid for the transportation of passengers in taxis, rental cars, or on-demand transportation services: Proof of specialized knowledge—not required to be submitted with the application until further notice (see the note under “Requirements”)

The fee is based on the Schedule of Fees for Road Traffic Measures (GebOSt); the fee for a first-time issuance is generally 43.90 EUR.