MPU documents: a checklist of what to bring to your appointment

Which documents always belong to the MPU?

In every case you need a valid identity document and, if you wear them, your glasses or contact lenses. These two points apply regardless of whether the case is about alcohol, drugs, points or an illness.

• Identity card or passport: for the identity check.
• Glasses or contact lenses: for the eye test during the medical examination.

All other documents depend on your case. Under § 11 Abs. 6 FeV (Driving Licence Regulation, Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung), the authority sets out in the order which questions about your fitness to drive need to be clarified. The expert report (Gutachten) answers exactly this question, and your evidence must match it.

Which evidence do you need depending on the reason?

The evidence you need follows from the reason and the question. The following table is a guide; your order is always what is binding.

For combinations, for example alcohol and drugs, the requirements of both areas apply. The page Proof of abstinence explains whether you need proof of abstinence at all.

How can you tell that your proof of abstinence can be used?

Proof of abstinence can only be used if it meets the formal requirements of the CTU criteria. A folder full of results does not help you if the programme has formal gaps.

So check your evidence point by point:

• Laboratory: accredited to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 for forensic toxicology.
• Unannounced appointments: called in at short notice, usually within about 24 hours.
• Identity check and, for urine, sampling under supervision.
• Complete documentation of the sample chain (chain of custody).
• Full period: for urine there are typically 4 tests for 6 months and 6 tests for 12 months. A hair analysis for alcohol covers about 3 months with a maximum of 3 cm.
• Originals: bring your evidence complete and in the original.

If an appointment is missing or there is a positive result, the whole programme may be invalidated. Clarify this before the MPU appointment and not during the interview.

Bought, „ready-made" or backdated evidence is forgery of documents (Urkundenfälschung). It has no place in your folder.

Which certificates for courses and counselling should you take with you?

You should take all certificates that show you have dealt with the reason for the MPU. These include certificates for traffic-psychological counselling, traffic therapy or courses.

These documents are typical:

• Traffic-psychological counselling or MPU preparation: certificate of attendance with the period and number of sessions.
• Traffic therapy: certificate of the more intensive support, for example in cases of dependence or repeat offences.
• Courses under § 70 FeV: officially recognised courses for restoring fitness to drive.
• Drinking diary: if you want to show controlled drinking instead of abstinence.

Certificates do not replace the interview. But they show that your change has developed over a period of time. In the psychological interview you should be able to explain what you have actually worked out in counselling or therapy.

What applies to medical reports?

You mainly need medical reports if there is a medical question. The specialist report should usually be no older than 3 months and contain an explicit statement on fitness to drive.

Typical reasons include diabetes, epilepsy, impaired eyesight or long-term medication. Plan your doctor's appointment so that the report is still up to date on the day of the MPU. Otherwise a report produced too early may be out of date. You can find more about the medical side under medical MPU.

How do you put your documents together step by step?

It is best to put your documents together in several stages, starting with file inspection (Akteneinsicht). That leaves time to close gaps.

1. Read the order and the file: note down the reason, the question and the legal basis.
2. Work out what evidence you need: which abstinence, which period, which medical reports?
3. Check what you have: is all the evidence complete, in the original and from the right laboratory?
4. Close gaps: request missing certificates, plan your doctor's appointment for the report.
5. Create a folder: sort the documents chronologically and keep a copy for yourself.
6. Note your own data: date of the incident, levels, start of abstinence. This helps you stay free of contradictions in the questionnaire and in the interview.
7. Pack the evening before: ID, glasses, folder.

Point 6 in particular is often underestimated. The assessor compares the file, the questionnaire, the lab results and your account. You can read how to fill in the questionnaire in the guide Filling in the MPU questionnaire.

What else should you bear in mind on the day of the MPU?

On the day of the MPU, apart from your documents, what matters most is being well rested, punctual and sober. The assessment takes about 3–4 hours in total, with the questionnaire, medical examination, performance test and psychological interview.

Plan your journey with time to spare. If your licence has been withdrawn, you may not drive yourself to the assessment centre. The page MPU procedure describes the exact process. You will find tips against nerves in the guide Nervous before the MPU?.

What you can do now

1. Check your order and write down the question.
2. Check your evidence against the checklist: laboratory, period, originals, no gaps.
3. Request missing certificates now, not shortly before the appointment.
4. Book your doctor's appointment so that the report is no more than 3 months old on the day of the MPU.
5. Plan your preparation for the interview and find suitable preparation.