Article 10, Paragraph 2. · Directive (EU) 2025/2205

Contents

2.The duration of the administrative validity of driving licences issued by Member States shall be as follows:

(a)15 years for categories AM, A1, A2, A, B, B1 and BE. Member States may reduce that duration to 10 years in the event that their national law allows the driving licence to also be used as a personal identification document;

(b)five years for categories C, CE, C1, C1E, D, DE, D1 and D1E.

The renewal of a driving licence may trigger a new period of administrative validity for one or more categories that the holder is entitled to drive, in so far as that is in conformity with this Directive.The presence of a microchip or QR code pursuant to Article 4(5) and (6) respectively shall not be a prerequisite for a driving licence to be valid. The loss or unreadability of the microchip or of the QR code, or any other damage thereto, shall not affect the validity of the driving licence.Member States may, for the purpose of improving road safety, limit the period of administrative validity of any category of driving licences issued to novice drivers in order to apply specific measures to such drivers.Member States may limit the period of administrative validity of individual driving licences for any category if it is necessary to apply an increased frequency of medical checks, self-assessments or other specific measures, including restrictions for traffic offenders.Member States shall limit the period of administrative validity of individual driving licences in accordance with Article 6(1), point (c)(i), second subparagraph. The driving licence so limited shall not be renewable.Member States may reduce the periods of administrative validity set out in the first subparagraph, for driving licences of holders residing on their territory who have reached the age of 65 years, in order to require that medical checks, self-assessments or other specific measures, including refresher courses, be carried out more frequently. Such reduced period of administrative validity shall be applied only upon the renewal of the driving licence.Member States may reduce the period of administrative validity set out in this paragraph of the driving licences of persons who have been granted a temporary residence permit or who benefit on their territories from temporary protection, or from adequate protection under national law.

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Defined terms · 21

Show every defined term

crisis
means an exceptional, unexpected and sudden, natural or man-made event of extraordinary nature and scale that takes place inside or outside of the Union, which has significant direct or indirect impacts on the area of road transport and which also prevents or significantly impairs the possibility for the holders of driving licences or relevant national authorities from carrying out the necessary procedures for their renewal.
driving licence
means a document, be it in a physical or a digital format, or both, that certifies the right to drive power-driven vehicles and states the conditions under which the holder is authorised to drive;
epilepsy
means a medical condition in which the person concerned has had two or more epileptic seizures, less than five years apart;
heavy quadricycle
means a vehicle as referred to in Article 4(2), point (g), of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013;
light quadricycle
means a vehicle as referred to in Article 4(2), point (f), of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013;
mobile driving licence
means a driving licence that is in a digital format;
moderate obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome
means a number of apnoeas and hypopnoeas per hour (Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index) between 15 and 29;
motor caravan
means a special purpose vehicle of category M as referred to in Article 4 and point 5.1 of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2018/858.
motor vehicle
means any power-driven vehicle which is normally used for carrying persons or goods by road or for drawing, on the road, vehicles used for the carriage of persons or goods, and includes trolleybuses;
motorcycle
means a two-wheel vehicle with or without a sidecar, as referred to in Article 4(2), points (c) and (d), of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013;
physical driving licence
means a driving licence that is in a physical format;
power-driven vehicle
means any self-propelled road vehicle, other than a rail-borne vehicle;
powered tricycle
means a vehicle with three symmetrically arranged wheels, as referred to in Article 4(2), point (e), of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013;
provoked epileptic seizure
means a seizure which has a recognisable causative factor that is avoidable.
recurrent severe hypoglycaemia
means a second episode of severe hypoglycaemia during a period of 12 months.
severe hypoglycaemia
means where the assistance of another person is needed;
severe obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome
means an Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index of 30 or more, both associated with excessive daytime sleepiness.
three-wheel vehicle
means a vehicle as referred to in Article 4(2), point (b), of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013;
trolleybus
means any vehicle that can be connected to an electric conductor and is not track-based;
two-wheel vehicle
means a vehicle as referred to in Article 4(2), point (a), of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council;
Vehicle with manual transmission
means a vehicle in which a clutch pedal (or lever operated manually for categories A, A2 and A1) is present and must be operated by the driver when starting or stopping the vehicle and changing gears.