License Validity & Renewal

Article 7(2) of Directive 2006/126/EC sets the EU baseline at 10 years for cars and motorcycles and 5 years for buses and lorries, but member states may set their own shorter periods. Spain: 10 years for car drivers under 65 and 5 years for those 65 and older (DGT, Reglamento General de Conductores). Germany: the photocard runs 15 years (FeV §24a); the underlying entitlement is permanent. France: 15 years for Category B (Service-Public.fr). Italy: 10 years up to age 50, 5 years from 50–70, 3 years thereafter (Codice della Strada Article 126). UK: photocard 10 years; entitlement to age 70, then renewed every 3 years (DVLA).

Spain: apply through the DGT (sede.dgt.gob.es), supply a digital photo and a psicotécnico medical certificate, pay €23.92, and the new card arrives by post within two weeks. Germany: apply at the local Führerscheinstelle 6 months before the 15-year photocard expires; the eye test and biometric photo cost roughly €40 (FeV §24a). France: ANTS portal for renewal after age 75 or for medical reasons. UK: DVLA renews the photocard every 10 years online for £14 (£17 by post) and posts the new card in about a week. Renew before expiry — driving on a lapsed photocard is illegal even where the underlying entitlement still runs.

No — driving on an expired licence is an offence treated as driving without a licence in most jurisdictions. In Spain it carries a €200 fine under the Reglamento General de Conductores. In Germany §21 StVG makes it a criminal offence punishable by a fine or up to one year's imprisonment. In the UK driving with an expired photocard while the entitlement is still live is a £1,000 fine (DVLA, Road Traffic Act 1988 §99). Insurance is usually void during the expired period, which is the more expensive problem after a collision. Renewal does not normally require re-testing unless the licence lapsed many years earlier.

Report a stolen licence to the police and keep the crime reference number — most insurers and authorities will ask for it. Apply for a duplicate through the issuing authority: DGT in Spain (€21.10 fee, via sede.dgt.gob.es), DVLA in the UK (£20 online with a credit card), ANTS in France, the Führerscheinstelle in Germany, RDW in the Netherlands. Spain and Germany issue a provisional driving document immediately so you can keep driving. The UK posts the new photocard within a week. Carry a copy of your application receipt; in some countries (Italy, Portugal) you must not drive at all until the duplicate arrives.

Most countries use points systems where traffic offenses add points to your license. Accumulate too many points and you face a ban. Points usually expire after a set period (often 3-4 years) if you stay offense-free. New drivers may have lower thresholds. Serious offenses can mean immediate bans regardless of points.

Annex III of Directive 2006/126/EC sets the EU minimum medical standards: binocular visual acuity of at least 0.5 with correction, a 120° horizontal field of view, and no conditions that compromise safe driving. Spain requires a psicotécnico exam at every renewal — vision, reflexes, and coordination, with stricter thresholds for over-65s and for Categories C and D (Reglamento General de Conductores Article 7). Germany requires only a Sehtest for Category B and a more extensive Gesundheitsuntersuchung for Categories C and D (FeV §11–§12). The UK works on self-declaration plus reporting duties under §92 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 — drivers must notify DVLA of conditions such as epilepsy, severe sleep apnoea, or insulin-treated diabetes.