Driver's licenses are not valid indefinitely. Your driver's license expires depending on when it was issued,
If your card-style driver’s license was issued after January 19, 2013:
- The driver’s license is valid for 15 years.
If you have a pink EU driver’s license issued between January 1, 1999, and January 18, 2013:
- Issued between 1999 and 2001, valid until January 19, 2026
- Issued between 2002 and 2004, valid until January 19, 2027
- Issued between 2005 and 2007, valid until January 19, 2028
- Issued in 2008, valid through January 19, 2029
- Issued in 2009, valid through January 19, 2030
- Issued in 2010, valid through January 19, 2031
- Issued in 2011, valid through January 19, 2032
- Issued in 2012 through January 18, 2013, valid through January 19, 2033
- If you were born before 1953, you must exchange your driver’s license by January 19, 2033, regardless of the year of issuance.
If your driver’s license was issued before January 1, 1999, it is no longer valid. Only if you were born before 1953 is the driver’s license valid until January 19, 2033.
The expiration date applies only to the driver’s license document itself, not to the underlying driving privilege.
If your driver’s license is about to expire or has already expired, you must apply for a new one. Otherwise, you are no longer permitted to drive your vehicle on public roads.
For example, if you no longer wish to drive due to your age, simply do not apply for a new driver’s license.
You must renew your driver's license well before it expires. If your driver's license has expired, you may no longer drive with it until you have a valid driver's license again.
The competent authority in Rhineland-Palatinate is the district administration, and in large district or independent cities, the city administration.
