Driving licence exchange

"To keep the exchange times as short as possible, it would be great if those affected could come to us as early as possible," says Mareike Berkhoff from the Beckum Citizens' Office.

Since 2013, various birth cohorts have gradually been asked to exchange their old driving licences for the new EU driving licence.

The exchange is necessary to implement European requirements. All driving licences issued before 19 January 2013, whether in paper or card form, must be exchanged by 19 January 2033. This will be staggered over the coming years according to the date of issue or year of birth. The aim is to ensure that all driving licences still in circulation in the EU have a standardised model that meets the requirements for counterfeit protection in particular. In addition, the names and photographs are to be updated. Driving licences for cars and motorbikes will continue to be valid for an unlimited period of time and there will be no need to retake a driving test. Only the validity of the driving licence document will be limited to 15 years.

Pink or grey paper driving licences of persons born before 1953 do not have to be exchanged until 19 January 2033.

In 2021, 859 processes were processed in the Beckum Citizens' Office, in 2022 it was 817 and in 2023 it was 798. In 2024, 562 applications for the exchange were made.