How many points do you actually have?
Many drivers only have a rough idea of their penalty points. The driving aptitude register (Fahreignungsregister) is kept by the Federal Motor Transport Authority in Flensburg, and an extract is free of charge (§ 30 (8) StVG). You can request it in writing with a copy of your ID or online using the eID function of your German identity card. Only when you know your exact total can you plan how to reduce it.
Route 1: let points expire — the deletion periods
Points do not stay forever. Under § 29 StVG, each entry is deleted after a fixed period:
Administrative offence with 1 point: 2 years and 6 months · administrative offence with 2 points: 5 years · criminal offence: 5 years, or 10 years if the licence was revoked or a ban imposed (3 points).
For fine decisions, the period starts on the day the decision becomes final, not on the day of the offence. Each entry runs out on its own. A new offence therefore does not extend the period for old points, as it did before the 2014 reform.
There is a catch: after the deletion period ends, the entry remains in the register for one more year, the so-called overlap period (§ 29 (6) StVG). During this time, the authority may still use it for measures under the points system. The reason is the offence-date principle: measures are based on your total on the day of the latest offence (§ 4 (5) StVG). An offence committed before the deletion date but decided later is still added to the old points.
Route 2: the voluntary driver-aptitude seminar
The only way to actively remove points is a driver-aptitude seminar (Fahreignungsseminar) under § 4a StVG. It consists of a traffic-education part and a traffic-psychology part. The rules in § 4 (7) StVG:
1. Exactly one point is deducted.
2. This only applies at a total of 1 to 5 points. What counts is your total on the day the certificate of attendance is issued.
3. You must submit the certificate to the licensing authority within two weeks of completing the seminar.
4. The deduction is only possible once every five years.
From 6 points, the seminar no longer removes a point. You pay for it yourself.
The stages: admonition, warning, revocation
The rating system has three measures (§ 4 (5) StVG): at 4 or 5 points you receive a written admonition, at 6 or 7 points a warning, and from 8 points the licence is revoked. The authority may not skip a stage (§ 4 (6) StVG). If you reach 8 points without having been warned first, you get the warning. Your total is then set to 7 points.
If your licence is revoked for reaching 8 points, you can apply for a new one after six months at the earliest. As a rule, the authority then requires an assessment by an accredited driving-aptitude assessment centre, the medical-psychological examination (§ 4 (10) StVG).
Route 3: avoid new points
The most effective route is not collecting new points. The thresholds of the fine catalogue help here: for speeding, points start at 21 km/h over the limit, not below. The traffic fine calculator shows how expensive an offence is and how many points it brings. If you enter your existing points there, you also see which stage you end up in.
Also check every notice before it becomes final. Are the tolerance deduction, the speed limit and the in-town or out-of-town classification correct? Points are only entered once the decision is final. How an objection works is explained in our article on objections and limitation periods.
Conclusion
Points disappear on their own after 2.5 or 5 years, plus one year of overlap. You can only actively remove one point every five years with a driver-aptitude seminar, and only up to 5 points. Knowing your total and reacting early helps you keep your licence. For an overview of all fines, see the guide to Germany's fine catalogue 2026. This article is not legal advice.