Overview
- Driver-license offices report heavy demand and scarce appointments, with many municipalities enabling online applications to submit before the deadline.
- The swap is administrative only and requires an ID, a biometric photo and the old license, with fees typically around €25 to €34.
- Missing the cutoff makes the document invalid and can trigger a €10 warning fine in Germany, though the driving entitlement persists and problems may arise abroad or with rental cars.
- Processing and printing often take several weeks, with current estimates ranging from about three to six weeks depending on local capacity and federal production times.
- The phased schedule continues by issue year through 2033, and people born before 1953 have only the final deadline to meet.