To facilitate the exchange of older driving licences for temporary EU card-style driving licences, the Chemnitz Driving Licence Authority recommends that all those affected take advantage of an available appointment now and apply to exchange their driving licence at an early stage. This will help avoid long waiting times and ensure that the new driving licence is issued on time.
The next exchange deadline applies to driving licences issued between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2004. These driving licences must be exchanged for an EU card-style driving licence by 19 January 2027 at the latest. Experience shows that the number of appointment enquiries rises significantly shortly before the respective renewal deadline. This regularly leads to a high demand for available appointments at the driving licence authorities.
Appointments can be booked via the City of Chemnitz’s appointment portal at www.chemnitz.de/terminvereinbarung or by telephone via the authorities’ helpline on 115. Members of the public are asked to make use of these options as a priority.
Walk-in visits without a prior appointment are generally possible, but may involve longer waiting times due to high demand.
Background
As part of the transposition of European law into national law, older driving licences are being gradually replaced by forgery-proof, temporary EU card driving licences. The aim is to ensure uniform and up-to-date driving licence documentation across Europe. This means that all driving licences issued before 19 January 2013 must be exchanged for an EU card driving licence by 19 January 2033. Due to the large number of driving licences that need to be exchanged, this process is being carried out in stages.
Holders of a driving licence who were born before 1 January 1953 must exchange their licence by 19 January 2033, regardless of when the licence was issued.
Citizens can obtain further information on the exchange deadlines and the required documents from the Chemnitz Driving Licence Authority by emailing: fahrerlaubnisbehoerde(at)stadt-chemnitz.de.