Extend a driving licence to include the carriage of passengers
You need a licence to carry passengers when driving
- taxis,
- hire cars or private cars on regular services or grouped on-demand services,
- hire cars or private cars on commercial excursion trips and holiday tours,
- ambulances, if you are transporting passengers for a fee or on a commercial basis.
The licence is issued for the specific type of transport service. An existing passenger transport licence can be extended to cover additional types of transport service.
The licence is valid for a maximum of five years. You may have it renewed for a further five years at a time.
Responsible authority
the driving licence office in your place of residence.
The driving licence office is,
- if you live in an urban district: the city council
- if you live in a rural district: the district administration office.
Details
Prerequisite
- Credit-card-sized driving licence
- A Class B driving licence or an equivalent licence held for at least two years; for ambulance drivers, for at least one year
- Valid driving licence for passenger transport
- Minimum age: 21 years; 19 years for ambulance drivers
- Proof of physical and mental fitness
- Personal reliability: No serious criminal convictions or traffic offences
- Proof of professional competence for taxis, hire cars and on-demand transport services. The specific requirements for proof of professional competence have not yet been finalised. Transitional arrangements are in place. Further information is available from your local driving licence office
Procedure
The application can be made in writing or, where the relevant authority offers this option, online. If you are applying in writing, you can obtain the application form from the driving licence office. You can also submit your written application together with the necessary supporting evidence and documents there.
To apply online, please use the link on this page. You can upload the required supporting documents and evidence as file attachments as part of the online application.
Deadlines
none
Required documents
- Identity card or passport
- Credit-card-sized driving licence
- Certificate of good conduct
- Proof of professional competence: only for taxis, hire cars and bundled on-demand transport services
- Proof of first aid training: only for ambulances
- Medical certificate confirming an eye test or a certificate from an ophthalmologist (valid for two years). You can have this examination carried out by:
- an ophthalmologist
- an occupational health doctor
- an organisation authorised to assess fitness to drive
- a doctor employed by the public health authority or another public authority
- a medical certificate of fitness. Doctors usually have the form for this certificate. You may consult a doctor of your choice. When you submit your application, the certificate must not be more than one year old.
- a psychological assessment of work capacity. This assessment examines, for example: your
- resilience
- reaction time
- orientational skills
- ability to concentrate
You can provide evidence of this by means of:
- a report from an occupational health or company doctor, or
- a report from an officially recognised assessment centre for driving aptitude
Where necessary, you must provide evidence, in the form of a medical-psychological assessment from an officially recognised centre for assessing fitness to drive, that you are capable of meeting the special responsibilities involved in carrying passengers.
Costs
- Extension of driving licence to include passenger transport: 45.10 EUR
- Additional costs are incurred for
- applying for a certificate of good conduct and
- the necessary proof of fitness and
- medical examinations.
Miscellaneous
Proof of competence: The specific requirements for proof of competence have not yet been finalised. Transitional arrangements are currently in place. Further information is available from your local driving licence office.
Legal basis
Fahrerlaubnisverordnung (FeV):
- § 11 Eignung
- § 12 Sehvermögen
- § 48 Fahrerlaubnis zur Fahrgastbeförderung
Release note
machine generated, based on the German release by: Verkehrsministerium Baden-Württemberg, 08.06.2026
