Moving house during the MPU: which driving licence authority is responsible?

Which driving licence authority is responsible after you move?

The driving licence authority for the place where you live is responsible. This is set out in § 73 Abs. 2 FeV (Driving Licence Regulation, Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung): if you have several homes, your main residence (Hauptwohnung) counts; if you have no home in Germany, the place where you are staying counts.

So when you move, the responsible driving licence authority (Führerscheinstelle) usually changes too. The regulation also provides that another authority of the same level elsewhere can process applications if the locally responsible authority agrees. Whether this is used in your case is up to the authorities. So ask actively instead of assuming it.

It is also important that, under § 73 Abs. 2 FeV, orders issued by a driving licence authority apply throughout Germany, unless otherwise specified. A decision by your old authority therefore does not automatically lose its effect because you move.

What stays the same when you move?

Above all, the things that are not tied to your place of residence stay the same. Moving is therefore not a way to avoid an MPU or to restart a procedure.

• The ban period: it is imposed by the court under § 69a StGB (Criminal Code), and it applies regardless of where you live.
• The entries in the driving aptitude register (Fahreignungsregister, „Flensburg“): the FAER in Flensburg is kept centrally by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt). Deletion periods under § 29 StVG run regardless of your place of residence.
• The reason: alcohol (§ 13 FeV), cannabis (§ 13a FeV), drugs (§ 14 FeV), points (§ 4 StVG) or a medical question (§ 11 FeV) remain the same.
• The basis of assessment: all recognised assessment centres work according to the same assessment criteria, currently in the 5th edition from 2026.

What may change are your contacts, procedures and processing routes. The specific formalities differ from authority to authority.

What happens to your driving licence file?

Your file initially remains with the authority that has handled the procedure so far. You should ask both offices directly how and when it reaches the new authority, because procedures are not the same everywhere.

The file matters to you for two reasons. First, it contains the authority's question, which the expert report (Gutachten) will later have to answer. Second, in the psychological interview the assessor checks the consistency between the file, the questionnaire, the lab results and your account.

If you have not yet had file inspection (Akteneinsicht), moving is a good occasion to catch up on it. Under § 11 Abs. 6 FeV, the authority must point out in the order that you can inspect the documents sent to the assessment centre. The guide File inspection at the driving licence authority describes how to go about it.

Which deadlines do you need to keep an eye on when moving?

Deadlines keep running when you move. Which one applies to you depends on whether you still have your licence or are applying for a reissue.

The deadline from an MPU order is particularly sensitive. If you do not submit the expert report in time, you risk the authority concluding under § 11 Abs. 8 FeV that you lack fitness to drive. The guide Missed the MPU deadline explains what happens then. You will find an overview of all relevant dates on the page MPU deadlines.

What about your abstinence programme?

Your abstinence programme must continue without interruption despite the move. A missed appointment can invalidate the whole programme, and the abstinence clock then starts again.

For urine tests you are called in without notice, and the sample usually has to be given within about 24 hours of the request. A move, with boxes, a new address and different journeys, is exactly the situation in which such an appointment easily gets lost. So clarify in advance with your laboratory or programme provider how the tests will continue at your new location and whether the assessment centre will accept this.

Also keep an eye on the formal requirements: a laboratory accredited to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025, identity checks, supervised sampling and complete documentation (chain of custody). You can find more on the page Proof of abstinence.

How do you proceed step by step when moving?

The safest approach is to plan the move as a procedural step in its own right. This order serves as a guide:

1. Clarify where you stand: do you have an MPU order with a deadline, is a ban period running or have you already applied?
2. Inform the old authority: give your new address and moving date in writing, with the file reference (Aktenzeichen).
3. Contact the new authority: ask whether it will take over the procedure and how the file will get there.
4. Note your deadlines: enter the order deadline, the end of the ban period and the planned application date in a calendar.
5. Secure your abstinence programme: clarify how it will continue at your new location before you move.
6. Review your assessment centre: you are free to choose any officially recognised centre. After moving, a centre closer to you may make sense.

Important: Pass on your change of address as early as possible. Letters with deadlines that go to your old address are an avoidable risk.

Does moving abroad help you avoid the MPU?

No, moving to another EU country is not a legal way around the MPU. An EU driving licence is only recognised in Germany if you had a normal residence of at least 185 days a year in the issuing country, and during the German ban period you may not obtain a valid driving licence abroad either.

Courts treat offers involving a sham residence as a fictitious residence. The consequence can be driving without a licence, which is a criminal offence. Only a specialist lawyer for traffic law (Fachanwalt für Verkehrsrecht) can reliably check whether an order can be challenged or whether deadlines have expired.

When should you ask a lawyer?

A lawyer makes sense if it is unclear which authority is responsible, if a deadline becomes tight because of the move or if you have doubts about the order itself. This guide does not replace legal advice.

With responsibility and deadlines in particular, the details of your case matter. A specialist lawyer for traffic law can also check whether individual facts may still be used at all. You can assess beforehand whether you need an MPU at all on the page Do I need an MPU?.

What you can do now

1. Collect your deadlines: write down the order, the ban period and the planned application date.
2. Inform both authorities: the old and the new driving licence authority, each with your file reference.
3. Secure your abstinence programme: clarify with the laboratory how it will continue at your new location before you move.
4. Catch up on file inspection if you do not yet know the authority's question.
5. Plan your preparation at your new location and find suitable preparation.