Hiring a truck or van driver from abroad: licence, driver qualification and cards

How long can a driver use a foreign driving licence in Germany?

A driving licence from a state outside the EU and EEA allows the holder to drive in Germany within the scope of that entitlement, as long as there is no ordinary residence in Germany. Once the driver takes up ordinary residence here, the entitlement continues for six months (§ 29 FeV). On application, the driving licence authority can extend this period by up to six months. For that, the driver has to make it credible that the residence in Germany will not last longer than twelve months.

Different rules apply to licences issued in an EU or EEA state (§ 28 FeV). Put the end of the six-month period in your own planning calendar, together with the start of employment. The local driving licence authority decides on an extension and on the exchange of the licence in the individual case.

When does a foreign driving licence have to be exchanged for a German one?

A German driving licence issued on the basis of a foreign one is handed over only against surrender of the foreign licence (§ 30 FeV). Whether parts of the training and testing requirements fall away depends on Annex 11 FeV. The relief under § 31 FeV applies only to a state and a class that are actually named in that annex. For states and classes that are not listed there, the general requirements remain.

Applicants for the lorry classes C, C1, CE and C1E must undergo examinations showing whether there are signs of illnesses that exclude or restrict fitness to drive (Annex 5 FeV). The eyesight requirements follow from § 12 FeV and Annex 6 FeV. The driving licence authority decides which documents a specific driver has to submit and whether a test is required.

Why a driving licence alone does not allow commercial driving

Drivers of lorries and buses in commercial goods or passenger transport cannot do the job on the basis of the driving licence alone. Basic qualification and regular periodic training are also required; the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility (BALM) sets this out for the Professional Drivers Qualification Act (BKrFQG). The accelerated basic qualification is acquired through lessons at a recognised training centre and a theory examination at a chamber of industry and commerce. At EU level, Directive 2003/59/EC was repealed and replaced by Directive (EU) 2022/2561.

Which proof of driver qualification counts, and which authority issues it

The driver qualification card (Fahrerqualifizierungsnachweis) is issued on application by the authority competent under the law of the respective federal state (§ 7 BKrFQG). The application can be made in writing or electronically. If more than five years have passed since the basic qualification, completed periodic training has to be proven (§ 8 BKrFQV).

A key number 95 already entered in a German driving licence remains valid until that licence expires (§ 30 BKrFQG, Annex 9 FeV). For nationals of states outside the EU, the code can also be entered on the driver attestation under Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009. The Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) keeps the professional driver qualification register. It stores driver qualification cards issued in Germany and attendance certificates, and information from the register can be requested from the KBA.

What the issuing office requires for a German driver card

A driver card records driving and rest times together with the driver's personal data, and it is applied for at the locally competent issuing office. The Federal Motor Transport Authority names these requirements for the application:

• proof of residence in Germany and of the address
• a German card-format driving licence or a corresponding driving entitlement from an EU or EEA member state
• proof of identity
• a biometric photo of the kind required for passports

The card is valid for five years. The licence requirement makes the driving entitlement the starting point of your planning: the issuing office asks for a German licence or one from an EU or EEA state. All issued driver, company, workshop and control cards are recorded in the tachograph card register at the KBA.

Vans over 2.5 t: what changed on 1 July 2026

Since 1 July 2026, vehicles with a permissible maximum mass of over 2.5 t up to 3.5 t have to be equipped with a smart tachograph version 2 in cross-border carriage of goods or in cabotage. The permissible maximum mass of a trailer or semi-trailer counts towards this limit. BALM states that exemptions may come into consideration, and that whether an exemption applies must always be examined in the specific individual case.

For hiring this means one more question in your planning. A delivery driver (van / 7.5 t) on cross-border routes may need a driver card as well, and the card in turn depends on the driving entitlement described above. Clarify the vehicle, the route and the tachograph obligation before you write the job profile.

Who decides whether a driver from abroad may work for you

The Federal Employment Agency decides on the consent to the employment, the German mission abroad decides on the visa and the foreigners authority on the residence title. Before consent, you as the employer have to give information on pay, working times, other working conditions, social insurance and professional permits. Consent also requires that the person is not employed on less favourable terms than comparable domestic employees (§ 39 AufenthG).

For professional drivers, the Employment Ordinance contains a route of its own (§ 24a BeschV). The employment contract must oblige the driver to take part in measures for acquiring the required driving licence and qualifications. The working conditions must make that acquisition, including the necessary documents, possible within 15 months, and a concrete job offer with the same employer must exist for the time after that. The person must also prove that he or she holds the driving licence required in the country of origin.

Consent under that provision is granted for up to 15 months, and in justified individual cases for up to six further months. These are periods of validity taken from the ordinance. They say nothing about how long a procedure takes; that is decided by the authorities involved.

The order of the steps is described under how the process works. Hirenord recruits workers from Albania and Kosovo for employers in Germany, and if driver roles are part of your planning, you can register as an employer.