MPU expert report: content, result and what you do with it afterwards

What is the MPU expert report?

The MPU expert report (MPU-Gutachten) is a report on fitness to drive that an officially recognised assessment centre (Begutachtungsstelle für Fahreignung, BfF) prepares after your MPU (medical-psychological assessment, Medizinisch-Psychologische Untersuchung). It clarifies whether you can take part in road traffic safely again after an incident. The MPU was ordered by the driving licence authority (Fahrerlaubnisbehörde), and the report is prepared by a centre such as TÜV, DEKRA, pima-mpu, AVUS or ias.

The division of roles is important: the assessment centre evaluates, the driving licence authority (Führerscheinstelle) decides. So the report itself does not give you your driving licence back. It is the professional basis on which the authority decides on issuing or reissuing the licence. The page MPU procedure explains how the assessment works as a whole.

Which question does the report answer?

The MPU expert report answers exactly the question put by the authority that is stated in your order. The driving licence authority formulates this question specifically and links it to your reason for the MPU, for example drink-driving, drug use, 8 points or a criminal offence.

So the assessor does not examine your whole life, but whether the doubts raised in this question have been dispelled. That is why you should know the question before you start preparing. The safest way to find it out, along with all the facts held against you, is through file inspection at the driving licence authority (Akteneinsicht).

What goes into the MPU expert report?

All the results of the assessment day and the case file go into the MPU expert report. The assessor brings the individual findings together and checks whether they fit together.

• Case file: the reason for the MPU with all documented values, such as blood alcohol level, THC values or points.
• Questionnaire: your statements about your history, the offence, consumption and living circumstances.
• Medical examination: physical findings and lab values, for alcohol for example GGT, GOT, GPT, CDT and MCV.
• Performance test: your result as a percentile rank compared with a norm sample.
• Psychological interview: how you have dealt with the causes, change and the future.
• Evidence you bring: proofs of abstinence (Abstinenznachweise), drinking log, course or therapy certificates and, if there is a medical question, specialist findings.

What matters is the consistency of these building blocks. Contradictions, for example between the stated amount of alcohol and the measured blood alcohol concentration or CDT value, are noticed immediately. A weak performance test alone, on the other hand, rarely leads to a negative result, because a driving behaviour test is often possible as compensation.

By what standards does the assessor evaluate?

The assessor evaluates according to the assessment criteria (Beurteilungskriterien, "Urteilsbildung in der Fahreignungsbegutachtung", DGVP/DGVM) and the BASt guidelines for assessing fitness to drive (Begutachtungsleitlinien zur Kraftfahreignung). The current version is the 5th edition 2026, which was adapted to the Cannabis Act (Cannabisgesetz). Because all centres work according to the same criteria, the choice of centre does not determine your result.

The criteria assign your case to a hypothesis, for example A1 to A4 for alcohol or D1 to D3 for drugs. The hypothesis determines what must be proven for the report to be positive. The classification follows from the case file, not from your wishes. You can find an overview under MPU hypotheses explained.

A positive result usually requires three things, credible and free of contradictions:

1. Insight into the problem: you understand why it happened at the time, without trivialising it.
2. Change in behaviour: you have changed something concretely and comprehensibly.
3. Stability and motive: the change has been tested over a sufficient period and comes from within, not just "for the driving licence".

What results can an MPU expert report have?

An MPU expert report can be positive, negative or come with a course recommendation. Each result leads to a different next step.

Positive report

You submit a positive report to the driving licence authority, which then decides on issuing the licence. For the reissue, the authority charges fees of about €140 to €260 (2026 guide value). If the reason was a total of 8 points, your points total in Flensburg is set to 0 after you pass the MPU.

Course recommendation under § 70 FeV

A course recommendation means that an officially recognised course for restoring fitness to drive under § 70 FeV (Driving Licence Regulation, Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung) can turn your borderline result into "fit". The recommendation is stated in the report itself. The guide Course under § 70 FeV explains which reasons this applies to and how the course works.

Negative report

A negative report means that you were not able to dispel the doubts in the question this time. That is not the end: there is no fixed waiting period between two attempts. However, a repeat only makes sense once something has actually changed. How to proceed is described under Failed the MPU.

Do you have to submit the report to the driving licence authority?

Submitting the MPU expert report is voluntary. You receive the report yourself and decide whether to give it to the authority. You do not have to submit a negative report; it then remains known only to you and the assessment centre.

However, bear in mind the consequences: without a positive report being submitted, proof of fitness is considered not to have been provided. If you still have your driving licence and a deadline set by the authority is running, revocation may follow once it expires. With an application for the reissue of the licence (Neuerteilung), the driving licence will not be issued without a positive report.

Note: read a negative report carefully. The reasoning shows you on which points the assessor had doubts – this is the best basis for your next attempt.

How long is an MPU expert report valid?

An MPU expert report has no legal expiry date. In practice, however, authorities usually only accept a report for about 1 to 3 years after the assessment. If the MPU took place longer ago, the authority may have doubts about whether it is still up to date.

So plan in such a way that you submit a positive report promptly. If a court has imposed a ban period (Sperrfrist), it helps to apply for the reissue about 3 months before it ends. You can read more about this in the guide How long is an MPU expert report valid? and under MPU deadlines.

How much does the MPU expert report cost?

Depending on the reason and the assessment centre, the MPU expert report costs about €400 to €900 (2026 guide values). Since 2018, each centre has set its own prices, which is why there are ranges.

You pay the fee for the assessment, regardless of the result. If you repeat it, the fee is charged again. The page MPU costs shows all other cost blocks.

What happens next?

Use file inspection to clarify which question your report has to answer, and align your preparation (Vorbereitung) precisely with it. Start any required proofs of abstinence early, because they usually determine your timetable. Through MPU Plus, you can find suitable counselling (Beratung) that supports you all the way to a sound expert report.