Working as a professional driver

A lorry or bus job brings together three separate checks: your driving licence, your professional driver qualification and your right to work. Start with the vehicle and the job you want, then check which documents you need before your first driving shift.

In short

• Germany’s Employment Agency identified professional driving among the occupations with shortages in its 2025 analysis. Demand and vacancies still vary by job and place.
• A licence must cover the vehicle you will drive. Lorries and buses can require different C- or D-family classes, including trailer classes. Check whether your foreign licence is valid in Germany and whether you need to exchange it; the driving-licence guide explains those steps.
• For many goods and passenger transports using those classes, the Professional Driver Qualification Act also requires a professional qualification and continuing training. The Act has exceptions, and some older licence holders have acquired rights; ask which rules apply to your work.
• Your licence and professional qualification do not by themselves give you immigration permission to work. EU and EEA free-movement rights, the Swiss agreement and other residence situations have different rules.
• A specific route for third-country professional drivers may let an employer arrange qualifying steps while you work in another role, if the conditions are met. It does not let you start driving before you have the permissions needed for that shift.

Check the licence and the job

Ask the employer which vehicle, licence class and work you would be doing. For example, a job driving a lorry with a trailer can need a different class from a job without one. If your licence was issued abroad, check its validity and any exchange requirements with the driving-licence authority before relying on it. The driving-licence guide covers foreign licences, exchange and the ordinary residence rules.

The professional-driver law covers specified goods and passenger transport on public roads using vehicles requiring C or D classes and their subcategories. Section 1 lists exceptions, including certain journeys carrying equipment used for the driver’s own work when driving is not their main activity. Check the actual vehicle and journey rather than assuming every job involving a lorry falls under the same rule.

Check the professional qualification

Where the law applies, a driving licence and the driver qualification are separate. Section 2 provides several routes to the initial qualification, including an examination or qualifying vocational training; the accelerated route combines instruction at a recognised training centre with a theory test. Qualifications relate to specified licence classes.

Some holders of older licences are exempt from obtaining the initial qualification under section 4, although the duty to complete continuing training remains. Section 5 normally requires the first continuing training five years after qualification and subsequent training every five years; the first deadline can be aligned with licence expiry within the range the law permits. Check your own deadline.

Ask the competent authority what proof it accepts. Depending on your circumstances, this can include a German driver qualification card, a qualifying EU, EEA or Swiss card, or code 95 on an EU, EEA or Swiss licence. Certain freight drivers can use a qualifying driver attestation bearing code 95. Where the Act applies, carry the required evidence on each journey.

If you need a work residence permit

If you are an EU or EEA citizen, or a qualifying family member, check the free-movement guide. Swiss citizens follow their own agreement. If you need a residence title for work, check your route with the German mission or immigration authority; an employer’s offer alone does not grant that title.

Section 24a of the Employment Ordinance lets the Federal Employment Agency consent to certain lorry or bus jobs for third-country drivers.

Section 24a(2) also covers employment while you obtain the licence and qualifications you need. Your contract must require you to take the qualifying measures. You need the licence required for professional driving in your country of origin and a concrete offer for a driving job with the same employer once you qualify.

Your work arrangements must leave enough time to obtain the licence, qualifications and documents within 15 months. The Agency’s consent lasts for up to 15 months and, in a justified individual case, can be extended by up to six months.

The Employment Agency says interim work can include another role, such as work in a warehouse or workshop. It also describes a possible exception: if you already have a lawfully acquired, applicable EU, EEA or Swiss professional driver qualification, you may be able to drive while obtaining an EU or EEA licence, provided your foreign driving entitlement is still valid for the vehicle and your permission covers the job. A non-EU or non-EEA licence normally remains valid for six months after you establish ordinary residence in Germany; check your own licence and work permission with the authorities.

If you will start employment after turning 45, the Agency’s first-time consent under section 24a generally requires a minimum salary or proof of adequate pension provision. Exceptions can apply in the public interest. Ask the Agency whether the rule applies to your case. Agency consent and the residence title are separate decisions; see residence for skilled workers and check your own case.

Before accepting an offer

1. Find a suitable vacancy. Search the Federal Employment Agency’s job service and check the employer through an independent contact. The shortage-occupations overview explains how to use shortage data.
2. List the documents for the actual vehicle. Give the employer your licence class, issuing country, expiry date and existing qualification evidence. Ask the driving-licence authority and qualification authority what is accepted and what must be obtained.
3. Check the timing. Ask when training, tests and any licence exchange can happen, what work is planned in the meantime, and whether the work and residence permission covers it.
4. Read the contract. Check gross pay, working hours, location, travel, deductions and the costs of training or recruitment before agreeing. Use employment contracts and workers’ rights for the broader checks.

Common mistakes

• Treating a driving licence as proof of the professional qualification, or treating either as a residence permit.
• Assuming the same licence class covers every lorry, trailer or bus.
• Starting a driving shift while the required licence or qualification is still being obtained.
• Agreeing to costs or repayment terms you do not understand.