Two years on probation
Anyone who obtains a driving licence in Germany for the first time gets it on probation. The probation period lasts two years from the date of issue (§ 2a (1) StVG). Stricter rules apply during this time: a single offence can trigger a course and two extra years of probation. This article explains which offences count and what exactly happens.
Category A and category B offences
Annex 12 of the Driving Licence Regulation (FeV) divides offences into two groups. Serious offences (A) include breaches of the rules on speed, following distance, overtaking, right of way, red lights and the use of electronic devices at the wheel, as well as alcohol and drug offences under § 24a and § 24c StVG and criminal offences such as leaving the scene of an accident or coercion. Less serious offences (B) are all other administrative offences that are entered in the driving aptitude register.
The key is the entry: probation measures only apply to decisions that are entered in the driving aptitude register (§ 2a (2) StVG). For administrative offences, this means in practice that only offences that bring points count. A caution fee of up to €55 has no consequences for your probation. Driving 16 to 20 km/h too fast in town (€70) also brings no points and thus no probation consequence. From 21 km/h over the limit there is one point, and that is a category A offence.
Stage 1: remedial course and four years of probation
After one category A offence or two category B offences, the licensing authority orders you to attend a remedial course (Aufbauseminar) and sets a deadline (§ 2a (2) sentence 1 no. 1 StVG). At the same time, the probation period is extended by two years to four years in total (§ 2a (2a) StVG). This also applies if the probation period has already ended when the decision is made — what matters is that the offence was committed during probation.
The remedial course is held in groups of six to twelve participants. It comprises four sessions of 135 minutes each within two to four weeks, plus a driving test (§ 35 FeV). There is a special remedial course for alcohol and drug offences. You pay the costs yourself. If you do not attend the course by the deadline, your licence is revoked (§ 2a (3) StVG).
Stage 2: warning
If, after the remedial course, you commit another category A offence or two more category B offences during probation, you receive a written warning. The authority recommends that you attend traffic-psychology counselling within two months (§ 2a (2) sentence 1 no. 2 StVG). The counselling is a one-to-one session and voluntary. Its findings are shared only with you, not with the authority.
Stage 3: revocation
If another category A offence or two more category B offences follow after those two months, the licence is revoked (§ 2a (2) sentence 1 no. 3 StVG). A new licence can be issued three months after the revocation at the earliest (§ 2a (5) StVG).
What else applies
The probation measures come on top of the fine, points and any driving ban from the fine catalogue. So a red light offence of more than one second costs €200, two points and a one-month driving ban during probation too — and also brings the remedial course and the extension. Novice drivers in the probation period and everyone under 21 must also not drink any alcohol before driving (§ 24c StVG). How long alcohol stays in your blood can be estimated with the blood alcohol calculator.
Conclusion
During probation, every offence that brings points counts. Speeding, following distance, red lights and phone use are always category A offences. In the traffic fine calculator you can tick 'probation period' and see immediately whether an offence triggers a remedial course. For more on fines, points and driving bans, see the guide to Germany's fine catalogue 2026. This article is not legal advice.