The validity of a driving license for bus classes D, D1, DE, D1E can be extended by the driver's license authority upon presentation of the relevant evidence.

For commercial use, the extension is only granted upon additional submission of evidence of further training for professional driver qualification.

The driver's license is valid for 5 years (statutory maximum).

Application

• Personal appearance required (for identification and signature)
• You should submit your application for a driving license extension in good time (approx. 8 to 10 weeks) before the driving license classes expire. You can apply for the extension at the earliest 6 months before the driving license classes expire.
  Note: If the validity period of a class has already expired, you can no longer apply for an extension. Legally, this is considered a new issuance ("issuance after expiration"). Please note, however, that the expiration of the validity period means that the grandfathering of the issuance date of the respective driver's license class expires. Furthermore, it may be necessary to retake the driver's license exams if the validity has expired some time ago.

• The applicant's primary residence is in Mainz.

• Regulation on the licensing of persons for road traffic (opens in a new tab)
• Sections 3 and 5 of the Professional Driver Qualification Act (BKrFQG) (opens in a new tab)

• Current biometric photo (size 45x35 mm, portrait format, frontal view), no digital code possible!

Note:

Since May 1, 2025, the rule applies that you must submit a digital passport photo to the registration authority for passport photos for identity cards and passports. However, this requirement does not apply to the driver's license authority and therefore does not affect the application for driver's license documents. Please also note that the driver's license authorities do not have the technical equipment to take photos on site. You must therefore submit passport photos in analog form, preferably together with the complete application documents, to the driver's license authority.

• Apply for a police clearance certificate for authorities (document type 0) at the registration office. The police clearance certificate will be sent directly to the driver's license authority.
• If applicable, proof of basic qualification in accordance with the Professional Driver Qualification Act in goods or passenger transport for commercial purposes on public roads for the issuance of a driver qualification certificate (FQN).
• If applicable, a copy of the index card from the issuing authority (if the previous driver's license was not issued by the Mainz city administration).
  To speed up the issuance of the new driver's license, you can request a copy of the index card in advance by telephone from the driver's license authority that originally issued the license.

Collection of the card driving license from the driver's license authority:

in person

• Letter from the driver's license authority
• Identification document

by an authorized person

• Letter from the driver's license authority
• Identification documents of both persons
• Written power of attorney

If applicable, further training certificates in accordance with the BKrFQG 

To do this, you must present a driver qualification certificate (FQN).

• Extension of driver's license classes: €45.10
• For direct delivery by the Federal Printing Office in Berlin: €6.50 (only possible to a limited extent)