Obtaining a Driving License in the EU

To get an EU Driving License, you must:

To have a permanent residence in that EU country

Meet the minimum age requirements

Meets the minimum medical requirements

Pass test drive

Place of usual residence

You can only apply for a license in the country where you are "habitually resident".

That is, the place where they usually live or regularly live.

You have to live there for at least 185 days in a calendar year because of personal or work-related relationships.

If you have personal / work-related links in 2 or more EU countries, the place of usual residence is where you have personal connections (as long as you can return regularly). You do not have to meet the last condition if you live in an EU country to perform a task for a certain period of time.

If you move abroad to college or university, the place of usual residence does not change. But you can still apply for an EU driving license if you can prove that you are studying there for at least 6 months.

Age restrictions

Find out if you are old enough to drive the vehicle you want to drive:

Vehicle type Minimum age

B Car 18

A1 Light Motorcycle 16

A2 Standard Motorcycle 18

A Heavy Motorcycle

In general, to apply for the A2 category license, you need at least 2 years of experience on a motorcycle in category A1.

To apply for category A license, you must have at least 2 years experience in category A2.

Additionally, you can access your chosen category directly at a higher minimum age, usually 24 years.

In some EU countries, these minimum age limits are higher or lower for some drivers (for new cars) or there may be some additional requirements.

There is no upper age limit for holidng driver's license. You can keep it as long as you are medically fit to drive.

Medical fitness

Before an EU Member State issuing a driver's license, the authorities must check that you are in shape and well enough to drive.

Medical ratings vary, depending on the license category, but usually include:

Vision

Hearing

Mobility

Heart disease

Diabetes

Neurological diseases

Mental health

Drug and alcohol abuse / dependence

Kidney problems

Some countries require a medical examination every time their driving license is renewed or when they reach a certain age.

If you are a truck or bus driver, you should have a medical check-up every 5 years. Other professional drivers, such as taxis and ambulance drivers, may also need regular medical check-ups.

Driver training and test driving

There are no EU rules for driver training, driving courses or driving instructors. So every EU country can choose how to design and train a driver structure.

However, there are minimum EU standards for test driving and driving examiners.

You can only get a driver's license if it passes:

A practical exam and

One test theory

For the relevant vehicle category.

More information about country-specific age, medical and test requirements and / or licensing authority websites in the country where you reside.