European Commission — 2025-11-25
News from Brussels
Today, modernised rules on driving licences and mutual recognition of driving disqualifications enter into force across the EU. The measures aim to reduce the number of crashes on EU roads and undue administrative burden on citizens and authorities. Last year alone, 19,940 lives were lost on EU roads. This shows steady but slow progress toward the EU's Vision Zero goal of halving road deaths and serious injuries by 2030 and getting close to eliminating them by 2050.
The new rules include measures that have been proven to significantly improve road safety, including the introduction of an EU-wide accompanied driving scheme for 17-year-old drivers and an EU-wide probationary period for novice drivers. Mutual recognition of driving disqualifications will ensure that drivers who commit serious offenses face consequences, no matter if they were driving within or outside their home country. Additionally, the EU introduces digital EU driving licences that can be accessed on mobile phones or other digital devices, and can be used across the EU.
Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, stated: "Today marks a major step forward in modernising our driver’s licencing system and bringing down the unacceptable number of road deaths across the EU. Every life lost on our roads is one too many. Our new rules will bring us closer to our Vision Zero – zero deaths and serious injuries on EU roads by 2050.”
Digital driving licences
The new Directive on driving licences introduces a fully digital driving licence, available on a mobile phone or other digital device. It will be issued into the EU Digital Identity Wallet. This innovation will simplify administrative procedures for citizens and national authorities alike, while making licence replacement, renewal, and exchange significantly easier when moving between Member States. After a brief transitionary period, digital driving licences will be issued by default in all Member States. However, physical driving licences remain available at request, particularly for those who do not possess a smartphone or prefer or need a physical document (e.g. when travelling to third countries that do not recognise digital licences).
Accompanied driving schemes for 17-year-old drivers
The new Directive introduces an EU-wide accompanied driving scheme for 17-year-old drivers of cars (category B). Accompanied driving schemes have been proven to significantly improve road safety. Member States will have the possibility to introduce such a scheme under certain conditions also for 17-year-old lorry drivers (categories C1, C1E and C), with mutual recognition of such schemes among the Member States that apply it. This measure reduces the “school-to-wheel” gap, thus helping to attract more young people to the profession of lorry driver.
Stricter rules for novice drivers
The new Directive introduces a probationary period of at least two years for novice drivers, during which they will be subject to stricter rules and sanctions in the whole EU. This is essential as even if young drivers only represent 8% of all car drivers, 2 out of 5 fatal collisions involve a driver or rider aged under 30.
More systematic checks of the fitness to drive
The fitness to drive of driving licence holders will in the future be more systematically checked. The new Directive contains several provisions that aim at ascertaining whether a driver is still (physically and mentally) fit to drive. As a minimum, drivers will be asked to fill in a self-assessment before a licence is issued to them and at each licence renewal or comply with other assessment systems designed at the national level.
Better protection of vulnerable road users
To better protect vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, and users of e-scooters and other micromobility devices, the new rules adjust training and testing requirements to place greater emphasis on the safety of these groups.
Bringing licencing rules in line with technical advancements
To bring driving licencing rules in line with vehicle technical advancements and the transition to zero-emission vehicles, new testing requirements will, for example, assess the knowledge and skills linked to advanced driving assistance systems and other automated technologies.
Promotion of use of alternatively-powered and other special vehicles
The new Driving Licence Directive also allows driving with a category B licence alternatively fuelled vehicles, including emergency vehicles, with a maximum weight up to 4.25 tonnes (instead of 3.5 tonnes). This takes account of the fact that alternatively fuelled vehicles are often heavier than conventionally powered vehicles, e.g. due to the weight of the battery, and thus should help promote their market uptake, as no higher licence category is needed to drive them. New rules will also be introduced allowing drivers holding a category B driving licence to, after some targeted training or testing decided for by the Member State, acquire additional rights to drive heavy motor caravans.
EU-wide recognition of EU licences issued in exchange for licences from specific third countries
Right now, EU licences issued in one EU Member State in exchange for driving licences originating in a third country are marked with code ‘70’ and don’t have to be recognised by other Member States if their holders take up residence there. The new Directive provides for the EU-wide recognition of EU licences issued in exchange for licences from specific third countries which have a road safety framework similar to the EU. Together with Member States, the Commission will assess and decide on a country-by-country basis which third countries are to benefit from such treatment.
Allowing citizens to obtain their driving licence in their home Member State under certain conditions
Taking your driving licence should not be a language exam. Therefore, the new rules will allow citizens to obtain their driving licence in their Member State of citizenship in case the Member State they live in does not provide interpretation or translation in their (EU) language, when they wish to acquire their first category B (passenger car) driving licence.
Mutual recognition of driving disqualifications
The new Directive on driving disqualifications will ensure that drivers who commit serious offenses in one Member State face consistent consequences across the EU. Through a system of mutual recognition, disqualifications issued in one Member State will now apply across the EU for serious offences such as excessive speeding (50 km/h over the limit), driving under the influence, and causing death or serious injury by reckless driving.
Next steps
The new legislation is now in force and will become applicable in Member States in four years, after transposition into national legislation, with an exception for the rules on alternatively powered vehicles and accompanied driving, which will become applicable in two and three years respectively.
Background
Road safety is a major societal issue. In 2024, 19,940 people were killed in road crashes in the European Union. The EU has set itself the ambitious target of "Vision Zero" – zero road deaths by 2050, with an intermediate target of reducing fatalities by 50% by 2030.
Road safety is a shared responsibility between the EU and Member States. While national and local authorities deliver most day-to-day actions, the EU contributes with safety rules for infrastructure and vehicles and for driving testing and licencing, coordinates cross-border cooperation between authorities and efforts to exchange best practices, and funds road safety projects.