You get your driving licence back after drink-driving by applying for its reissue (Neuerteilung) once the court's ban period (Sperrfrist) has ended and, if the authority requires it, submitting a positive MPU expert report (MPU: medical-psychological assessment, Medizinisch-Psychologische Untersuchung; expert report: Gutachten). The route there consists of eight steps, from file inspection (Akteneinsicht) and proof of abstinence (Abstinenznachweis) to the application. If you start early, you lose the least time, because it is usually not the ban but the evidence period that determines the earliest date.
What does the route back look like at a glance?
The route back runs on two clocks: the court's ban period and, if required, the abstinence period. You should plan both in parallel from the start. The following timeline is a guide; the exact dates depend on your case.
| Time (guide value) | Step | Who is responsible? |
|---|---|---|
| Day of the drive until the judgment | 1. Withdrawal and ban period | Police, court |
| Immediately afterwards | 2. File inspection | Driving licence authority |
| Immediately afterwards | 3. Assessment: MPU yes or no, abstinence yes or no | You, with counselling |
| As early as possible | 4. Start an abstinence or drinking programme | Accredited laboratory |
| In parallel, approx. 2–3 months | 5. Preparation for the interview | Traffic psychology |
| ~3 months before the ban ends | 6. Application for reissue | Driving licence authority |
| After the order and the end of the evidence period | 7. MPU | Freely chosen assessment centre |
| After a positive expert report | 8. Reissue | Driving licence authority |
You can estimate your personal earliest date with the timetable calculator.
Step 1: What do withdrawal and ban period mean?
Withdrawal and ban period mean that the court takes away your driving licence and at the same time determines how long no new one may be issued. Under § 69a (1) StGB (Criminal Code), the ban is 6 months to 5 years. If a ban had already been imposed in the 3 years before the offence, the minimum is 1 year (§ 69a (3) StGB).
The ban begins when the judgment becomes final (Rechtskraft, § 69a (5) StGB). If your driving licence was provisionally withdrawn or seized, the minimum is reduced by this time, but may not be less than 3 months. Under § 69a (7) StGB, the court can lift the ban early if it no longer considers you unfit to drive. This is a legal question for a specialist lawyer for traffic law (Fachanwalt für Verkehrsrecht). More on this in the guide Shortening the ban period through a follow-up course.
Step 2: Why is early file inspection so important?
File inspection is important early on because it is the only way to know the facts on which the authority will later rely. These include your exact blood alcohol level, whether signs of impairment were documented and whether there were earlier incidents. It is precisely these details that decide which requirements you will later have to meet.
The MPU is not ordered by the court but by the driving licence authority (Fahrerlaubnisbehörde). That is why you request inspection from the driving licence authority (Führerscheinstelle) for your place of residence.
Step 3: Do you need an MPU at all?
Whether you need an MPU depends under § 13 FeV (Driving Licence Regulation, Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung) mainly on your blood alcohol level and your history. The authority regularly orders one in the case of:
- a drive with 1.6‰ BAC (blood alcohol concentration, BAK) or more,
- repeated drink-driving, even below 1.6‰,
- signs of alcohol misuse or dependence,
- a drive with 1.1‰ or more without the typical signs of alcohol impairment, because the absence of impairment indicates a high tolerance.
This also applies on a bicycle from 1.6‰. It is then still your car driving licence that is affected. What is binding is always your authority's order. You can find details of the reasons on the page MPU for alcohol.
Step 4: When do you start abstinence or a drinking log?
You start abstinence or a drinking log as early as possible, ideally right after the assessment. In the case of dependence or advanced misuse, abstinence is necessary, usually over 12 months. In milder cases without a finding of dependence, documented controlled drinking or a shorter abstinence period of about 6 months may be sufficient.
The programme must be run by a laboratory accredited to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025, unannounced and without gaps. With urine screening, 6 months means 4 tests and 12 months means 6 tests. A missed appointment or a positive result can invalidate the programme, and the clock then starts again. Everything about methods and laboratories is on the page Proof of abstinence.
Step 5: How do you prepare for the interview?
You prepare for the psychological interview in parallel with the evidence period, typically in 10–12 sessions of 60 minutes each over 2–3 months. The aim is genuine reflection, not answers learned by heart.
The interview is about three questions: why did you drink and drive? What has specifically changed since then? Why will it not happen again? The assessor calculates back from your blood alcohol level how much you drank. Your statements must therefore be honest and match the file.
Step 6: When do you apply for the reissue?
As a guide, you apply for the reissue at your driving licence authority about 3 months before the end of the ban period. Under § 20 (4) FeV, the earliest possible time is six months before the ban ends. Processing, the MPU order and the appointment take time. If you only apply on the last day of the ban, you waste weeks.
The authority examines the application and, if there are doubts about your fitness to drive, orders the MPU. The guide Applying for the reissue of your driving licence explains which documents you submit and how the application works.
Step 7: How does the MPU work?
The MPU takes place in one appointment of about 3–4 hours at an officially recognised assessment centre (Begutachtungsstelle für Fahreignung, BfF) that you are free to choose. It consists of a questionnaire, a medical examination with lab values, a performance test on a computer and the psychological interview of 45–60 minutes.
Important for your timetable: if proof of abstinence is required, the evidence period must be completed before the MPU. If your ban is shorter than the evidence period, the evidence determines the date.
Step 8: What happens after the expert report?
After a positive expert report, you submit it to the driving licence authority, and the driving licence is issued again. The authority charges a fee for this, as a guide approx. €140–260. An expert report has no statutory expiry date, but in practice authorities usually only accept it for about 1–3 years.
You do not have to submit a negative expert report; submission is voluntary. In that case, the task is to understand the reasons, do further work and plan a new attempt.
What does the route back cost in total?
As a guide, the route back costs approx. €1,500–4,000 in total. The expert report fee for an alcohol MPU is about €550–750, and proof of abstinence costs about €200–900 depending on duration and method. Preparation and reissue come on top. The MPU cost calculator gives you an estimate for your case.
What you can do now
- Calculate the end of your ban: date the judgment became final plus the length of the ban, taking any provisional withdrawal into account.
- Request file inspection and note down your blood alcohol level, signs of impairment and earlier entries.
- Start an evidence programme immediately if abstinence or controlled drinking has to be proven.
- Start preparing in parallel and find suitable preparation.
- Note the application date: about 3 months before the end of your ban period.
Frequently asked questions
Will I automatically get my driving licence back after the ban has ended?
No, after withdrawal by a court you do not automatically get your driving licence back. You have to apply for the reissue at the driving licence authority. If there are doubts about your fitness to drive, the authority will first require an MPU expert report.
Can I start abstinence during the ban period?
Yes, and that usually makes sense. The evidence period of 6 or 12 months must be completed before the MPU. If you only start it after the ban, you unnecessarily extend the time without a driving licence.
Do I have to take an MPU after a first drink-driving offence below 1.6 per mille?
Not necessarily. Below 1.6‰, the authority orders an MPU mainly in the case of a repeat offence, signs of misuse or from 1.1‰ without signs of impairment. What applies in your case is stated in the file and in the order.
Can the ban period be shortened?
Under § 69a (7) StGB, the court can lift the ban early, at the earliest after 3 months, or after 1 year if there was a previous ban. The condition is that it no longer considers you unfit to drive. Have this checked by a specialist lawyer for traffic law.
