Do it right once.
Valid forever.
The first aid certificate never expires — your eye test does. What matters, though, is which course you took back then. Three questions below show you what your application actually needs.
The course is run by Jana Gallé. Peters Fahrschule provides the rooms.
No. Section 19 FeV sets no time limit, and the City of Munich explicitly lists first aid training under “no time limit”. Once completed, it counts for every later licence class — provided it was the course with nine teaching units.
At least nine teaching units of 45 minutes each — in practice one day of around seven and a half hours including breaks. That is the requirement in Section 19 para. 1 FeV, uniform since 2015.
The certificate is waived if you previously attended training of at least nine teaching units (Section 19 para. 2 sentence 2 FeV). The older 16-unit course therefore still counts.
No — and this is the most common misconception. Anyone who passed their car test before 2015 usually completed only that short course. Its equivalence was written into Section 76 FeV until 2019 and has since been removed; Munich no longer accepts the certificate.
That one does expire: under Section 12 para. 7 FeV it must not be older than two years when you apply. This is exactly where licence holders adding a class get caught out.
Free self-check
Three questions, then you will see which certificates your application needs — and which ones you already have.
What you need
The licensing authority makes the final decision. We tell you what puts you on the safe side.
The check runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you select is stored or transmitted.
Answer the questions and your result appears here.
The same information as in the check, just as a table. All deadlines refer to the date you submit the application, not the date of your driving test.
| Situation | First aid | Eye test | Medical certificate | Vision examination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First licence, class B | Course with 9 units | No older than 2 years | — | — |
| First licence, class A, A1, A2 or AM | Course with 9 units | No older than 2 years | — | — |
| Adding A, A1, A2, AM or BE to class B | No new course if 9 units * | No older than 2 years | — | — |
| Adding C, C1, CE or C1E | No new course if 9 units * | — | No older than 1 year | No older than 2 years |
| Adding D, D1, DE or D1E | No new course if 9 units * | — | No older than 1 year, plus assessment | No older than 2 years |
| Renewing C, C1, CE or C1E | Not required | — | No older than 1 year | No older than 2 years |
| Renewing D, D1, DE or D1E | Not required | — | No older than 1 year, assessment from 50 | No older than 2 years |
| Code entry B196 or B96 | Not required | Not required | — | — |
* No new course if the earlier training comprised at least nine teaching units (Section 19 para. 2 sentence 2 FeV) — the former 16-unit course therefore counts too. A certificate covering only “Lebensrettende Sofortmaßnahmen am Unfallort” does not qualify. “—” means: not applicable to these classes. The licensing authority makes the final decision.
What matters is not the age of the certificate but its scope. These four cases cover practically everything.
A full day, around seven hours. Today's standard, uniform since 2015. The certificate has no expiry date and is accepted for every later class. Keep it — ideally submit a copy and hold on to the original for your next extension.
Two days, 16 teaching units — required for truck and bus classes until 2015. It is well above the nine units required today and still counts. Section 76 no. 11a FeV confirms it: certificates for first aid training are valid without time limit.
Half a day — and until 2015 exactly what class B required. So anyone who passed their car test before 2015 most likely holds only this certificate. It no longer suffices: its equivalence was set out in Section 76 FeV until 18 March 2019 and has been removed. It does not help when adding a class either, because the waiver requires training of nine teaching units.
First ask the original course provider for a duplicate. If that fails, an extract from your file at the authority where you applied for your licence shows which certificates were received. If neither works, a new course is usually faster.
The provider and instructor is Jana Gallé (Erste Hilfe Jana). She is authorised by the statutory accident insurance institutions to deliver first aid training — under Section 68 para. 1 sentence 2 FeV she therefore needs no separate recognition, and her certificate is valid for a driving licence application too. Peters Fahrschule is not the course provider — we provide the rooms so that theory, first aid and eye test do not send you across the city.
No suitable date available? Call us on 089 4892227 and we will arrange one with her. Jana Gallé maintains her dates herself, which is why we link straight to her site instead of keeping a list here that could go stale. You are not tied to her: any organisation admitted under Section 19 para. 2 in conjunction with Section 68 FeV issues a valid certificate.
Course locations
For classes AM, A1, A2, A, B, BE, L and T, Section 12 para. 2 FeV requires an eye test at an officially recognised testing centre. You pass with a visual acuity of 0.7 in both eyes, with or without corrective lenses. And under Section 12 para. 7 FeV the certificate must not be older than two years when you apply.
In practice: if you passed your car test years ago and are now adding a class, you need a fresh eye test — even though the first aid certificate still stands. At an optician it takes a few minutes.
Failing the test does not mean no licence. Section 12 para. 5 FeV then calls for an examination by an ophthalmologist, where lower values under Annex 6 no. 1.2 are sufficient.
Truck and bus classes work differently
For classes C, C1, CE, C1E and the bus classes an eye test at an optician is not enough. Section 12 para. 6 FeV requires a vision examination under Annex 6 no. 2 FeV, carried out by an ophthalmologist, an occupational or company physician, a physician at an official assessment centre, at the public health office, or another physician in public administration.
Erste Hilfe Jana offers the driving licence eye test at the driving school on Saturdays, currently for 10 €. Bring your ID card and, if you use them, glasses or contact lenses. Eye test times at Jana (opens in a new tab)
Truck classes add two documents that class B does not require. Their deadlines get mixed up a lot: one year for the medical certificate, two years for vision.
A medical examination for signs of conditions that could rule out fitness to drive (Annex 5 no. 1 FeV). The certificate must not be older than one year when you apply.
Considerably stricter than an eye test at the optician: visual acuity, colour vision, visual field, stereopsis and twilight vision are all assessed. The individual thresholds are set out in Annex 6 no. 2.1 FeV — only the examining physician can establish them. Valid for two years.
Truck classes are issued for a maximum of five years (Section 23 para. 1 FeV). Renewal requires both examinations again — but not the first aid course. You may apply no earlier than six months before expiry (Section 24 para. 4 FeV).
How the training itself works is described on the pages for class C and CE, class C1 and C1E and in the truck class overview. Commercial driving additionally requires the professional driver qualification; bus classes are covered on the bus licence page.
First aid and vision are two building blocks among several. For the city of Munich you also need:
The district authorities of Munich and Ebersberg ask for a slightly different set: no driving school confirmation, but the district of Munich wants to see your ID in the original — and it invoices the fee only after your application arrives. The authority responsible is always the one where you live, not the one nearest your driving school branch.
The extract from your file is worth requesting twice over: for an older licence it is a regular document anyway — and it shows which first aid certificate you submitted back then.
One thing about sequence: you need none of this to register with us. First aid, eye test, photo and ID only become relevant for the application to the authority — so you can start in parallel.
Even so, get it done early. The theory exam is only possible once the authority has issued the examination order, and for that your application has to be complete. How long that takes, which authority is responsible for you and what accompanied driving from 17 adds are all on the registration page.
Indefinitely. The German Driving Licence Ordinance sets no time limit in Section 19 FeV, and the City of Munich lists first aid training explicitly under “no time limit”. Section 76 no. 11a FeV confirms it: certificates for first aid training are valid without time limit. So there is no cut-off along the lines of “older than X years means a new course”. There is, however, a date at which the type of course changed: anyone who passed their car test before 2015 usually completed only the short “Lebensrettende Sofortmaßnahmen” course — and that is no longer sufficient. What does expire is the eye test certificate: it must not be older than two years when you apply.
It depends on which course you took. Section 19 para. 2 sentence 2 FeV waives the certificate when a class is added or a licence re-issued, provided you have previously attended first aid training within the meaning of para. 1. What matters is the scope of that earlier training: at least nine teaching units. If it was only the short “Lebensrettende Sofortmaßnahmen” course — standard for class B until 2015 — the waiver does not apply and you need the course. The authority also needs to see the earlier evidence, so bring the certificate along.
Not for a current application. Until 18 March 2019, Section 76 no. 11a FeV treated the older short course as equivalent to training under Section 19 para. 1; the 13th ordinance amending the FeV removed that equivalence on 19 March 2019. The City of Munich has since stated explicitly that a certificate for immediate measures at the scene of an accident is not sufficient and that nine teaching units have applied since 1 April 2015. The waiver for adding a class does not help either, because it requires training within the meaning of para. 1 — which means those nine units.
Yes. The former long course comprised 16 teaching units and therefore clearly exceeds the nine required today. It qualifies as training within the meaning of Section 19 para. 1 FeV, so the waiver under para. 2 applies. This mainly affects drivers who once obtained a truck or bus class and now want to add another — the long course was mandatory for classes C and D back then, but not for class B.
Nine teaching units of 45 minutes each — in practice one day of about seven and a half hours. At Erste Hilfe Jana it currently costs 50 € per person, or 60 € together with the eye test (as of 9 August 2026); booking is done online directly with her. The course is an external service and not included in the driving school fees; you can model your total budget with the driving licence cost calculator.
No, and no eye test either. Neither one issues a new driving licence — a code is simply entered on your existing licence. Both the eye test under Section 12 para. 2 FeV and the first aid certificate under Section 19 FeV apply to applicants for a licence. Details are on the pages for the B196 course for 125cc bikes and the B96 one-day course.
Yes — this is the most common surprise. The first aid certificate lasts a lifetime, the eye test certificate does not: under Section 12 para. 7 FeV it must not be older than two years when you apply. So if you passed your car test five years ago and now want to add trailer class BE, you need a fresh eye test but no new course.
In addition to the first aid certificate, two medical documents: a medical certificate of general fitness under Annex 5 FeV and a vision examination under Annex 6 no. 2 FeV. The vision examination has to be done by an ophthalmologist or an occupational physician — an eye test at an optician is not sufficient for these classes. See the pages on truck training for class C and the 7.5-tonne class C1.
They run for different periods, which is easily confused. The medical certificate of general fitness must not be older than one year when you apply (Annex 5 no. 3 FeV). The vision examination follows the two-year limit in Section 12 para. 7 FeV. Booking the two appointments far apart risks the first certificate expiring before the application goes out.
Classes C, C1, CE and C1E are issued for a maximum of five years under Section 23 para. 1 FeV. Renewal requires both medical certificates again, but not a first aid course: Section 24 para. 1 FeV ties renewal to Annexes 5 and 6 — a fresh first aid certificate is not part of that. You can apply no earlier than six months before expiry (Section 24 para. 4 FeV). Bus classes additionally require the assessment under Annex 5 no. 2, on renewal however only from the age of 50. For an overview see the truck licence classes.
First ask the organisation that ran the course — many issue duplicates. If that fails, an extract from your file at the authority where you applied for your current licence will show which certificates were submitted. If neither works, taking the course again is usually the faster route, since it then never expires.
Very likely yes. Section 19 para. 3 FeV lists among others the medical or dental state examination, completed qualifications in regulated health care professions, nursing assistant training, paramedic training, emergency service training and lifesaver training qualifying for the German lifesaving badge in silver or gold. The list is introduced with “in particular” and is therefore not exhaustive. Important: the course is waived, the paperwork is not — instead of a course certificate you submit the relevant qualification; for fire and rescue services a service ID or confirmation from the station is often enough.
Erste Hilfe Jana runs courses on our premises — at the Haidhausen branch, the Giesing branch and the Haar branch. The provider and instructor is Jana Gallé; booking goes directly through her site, or by phone via us. You are of course free to choose: any organisation admitted under Section 19 para. 2 in conjunction with Section 68 FeV — such as BRK, Johanniter, Malteser or ASB — issues a valid certificate.
Everything on this page has been checked against the text of the ordinance and the information sheets of the City of Munich. Reviewed on 9 August 2026.
Minimum of nine teaching units (para. 1), waiver on extension and re-issue (para. 2), equivalent medical and emergency-service qualifications (para. 3)
Eye test for classes AM, A1, A2, A, B, BE, L and T (para. 2), vision examination for classes C and D (para. 6), two-year limit for all vision certificates (para. 7)
For classes C, C1, D, D1 and their trailer classes: medical examination (no. 1), additional assessment for bus classes — on renewal only from the age of 50 (no. 2), one-year limit (no. 3)
Eye test thresholds for classes A and B (no. 1), requirements and authorised examiners for classes C and D (no. 2.1)
Classes C, C1, CE, C1E and the bus classes are issued for a maximum of five years (Section 23 para. 1); renewal may be applied for no earlier than six months before expiry (Section 24 para. 4)
Transitional law. No. 11a today recognises only certificates for first aid training without time limit; the earlier equivalence of the short “immediate measures” course was removed on 19 March 2019
Bodies providing first aid training: official recognition by the highest state authority; under para. 1 sentence 2 this is not required for bodies authorised by a statutory accident insurance institution
List of documents by class group and the validity overview for eye test, medical examination and first aid certificate
List of documents, the validity line “no time limit: first aid training” and the explicit note that a certificate for “immediate measures at the scene of an accident” is not sufficient, nine teaching units having applied since 1 April 2015
We quote the City of Munich because it publishes its requirements in the most detail. The authority responsible is the one where you live — the district authority of Munich for Haar, the district authority of Ebersberg for Vaterstetten and Baldham. The legal requirements come from the same federal ordinance; forms, routes and fees differ. This page does not replace information from the licensing authority: the Führerscheinstelle decides on the issue of a licence and on whether individual certificates are accepted.
Bring your documents along or send us a short message — we will look through them before you go to the authority.
The first aid certificate is the one building block of a German driving licence application that you only ever complete once. Nine teaching units, one day, and the certificate then has no expiry date — for a first car licence in class B just as much as for any later addition. Anyone who can only produce the older short course on immediate measures at the scene of an accident has to repeat the training; its equivalence was written into Section 76 FeV until 2019 and has been removed, and Munich has not accepted it since.
The eye test works the other way round. It expires after two years and therefore becomes due again with almost every added class — whether you are moving to motorcycle classes such as A, A1 and A2 or towing a trailer. For truck classes a medical vision examination with considerably higher thresholds takes its place, alongside the certificate of general medical fitness. How that training runs is set out on the page about truck training in Munich.
For learner drivers the practical lesson is to plan the order. Registering with a driving school needs no paperwork; the application to the authority does. Getting first aid and the eye test done early means no lost weeks later because a certificate is missing or out of date. Every step, authority and deadline is collected on the page about registering with Peters Fahrschule; if you hold a licence from abroad, see transferring a foreign licence.
