Apply for a driving license (so-called fire department driving license)

Volunteer fire departments, recognized rescue services, technical relief organizations and other civil protection units can enable their volunteers to acquire a driving license, the so-called "fire department driving license", to drive their emergency vehicles.

With this driving license, volunteers from the aforementioned volunteer fire departments and organizations may

• Emergency vehicles with a maximum permissible mass of more than 3.5 tons and up to 4.75 tons, also with trailers (small driving license),
• emergency vehicles with a maximum permissible mass of more than 3.5 tons up to 7.5 tons, also with trailers (large driving authorization),

on public roads.

Note: The driving licence only entitles the holder to drive emergency vehicles of volunteer fire departments and organizations within the scope of fulfilling their duties (no private driving) throughout Germany.

Authorized instructors

The volunteer fire departments or organizations determine the authorized instructors themselves. They must meet the following requirements:

• They must be members of the instructing volunteer fire department or organization or of another fire department or organization authorized to instruct,
• Age: at least 30 years,
• Possession of a category C1 or category 3 driving license for at least 5 years,
• No more than 2 points on the driving aptitude register (previously: central traffic register)

The volunteer fire department or the organization can request current information from the central traffic register from the person entitled to instruct the driver.

In addition, driving instructors (within the meaning of the Driving Instructors Act) with a driving instructor's license for category CE are also authorized to instruct. In addition, the instruction can also take place across organizations.

The decision as to whether fire department or organization-owned personnel or driving instructors carry out the instruction is the responsibility of the municipalities as the responsible bodies of the fire departments and the organizations.

Authorized examiners

The same requirements apply to authorized examiners as to authorized instructors. In addition, the examiner must not be the same person as the person giving the instruction.

To the regulatory authority of the district or city responsible for your place of work (the head of the authority is responsible for determining the subject area); it is not necessary to submit an application before the start of the instruction and completion of the examination. The person concerned only has to decide whether to apply for a small or large driving license.

You must enclose the following documents with your informal request to the regulatory authority (usually the driving license office):

• Class B driving license and
• Certificate of instruction and examination for the acquisition of the small driving license (sample according to Annex 3 of the Ordinance) or for the acquisition of the large driving license (sample according to Annex 4 of the Ordinance).

24.30 euros according to fee number 201 (5.10 euros) and fee number 202.10 (19.20 euros) in accordance with the annex to Section 1 (1) of the scale of fees for road traffic measures.