To obtain a replacement driver's license, you must submit a formal application directly to the driver's license authority. In the event of loss, an affidavit (sworn statement) is required. You can submit this at a notary's office or here at the office. In the event of theft, please submit the theft report. In this case, no further affidavit is required. If the driver's license was not issued by the Mainz city administration, a copy of the index card from the issuing authority is required.

Application:

• You must appear in person (for identification and signature).

Affidavit

The driver's license holder declares that

• the whereabouts of the driver's license are not clearly known.
• the driver's license has not been secured, confiscated, or officially revoked or temporarily revoked.
• there is no court-imposed driving ban.

You must also submit a declaration stating that you are aware that you are only allowed to have one copy of your driver's license. You declare that you will immediately return the lost driver's license to the driver's license authority if it is found.

Before submitting the affidavit, we would like to point out the legal significance of an affidavit.

Excerpt from Section 156 of the German Criminal Code (StGB)
Anyone who makes a false affidavit before an authority competent to accept affidavits or who makes a false statement based on such an affidavit shall be punished with imprisonment of up to three years or a fine.

Important note
Legally, a distinction must be made between a driver's license and a driving license. A driver's license is issued in certain classes. It must be proven by means of an official certificate (driving license). The driving license must be carried when driving motor vehicles and handed over to the competent persons for inspection upon request. If a driver's license has been lost or destroyed, the previous holder must report the loss immediately and apply for a replacement document, unless they renounce their driving license. Failure to carry the driver's license does not affect the underlying driving license. Driving without a driver's license is therefore only an administrative offense (Section 75 No. 4 of the Driver's License Regulation). Driving without a driver's license, on the other hand, is a criminal offense.

• The applicant holds a valid driver's license, but the whereabouts of the license are not clearly known.
  (The driver's license has not been secured, confiscated, officially or provisionally revoked. There is no court-imposed driving ban.)
• The applicant's primary residence is in Mainz.

• If you find your lost driver's license, you must return it to the driver's license authority immediately.
• The temporary driver's license is valid for a maximum of 6 weeks and is only valid within the Federal Republic of Germany.

• Schedule of fees for road traffic measures (opens in a new tab)
• Regulation on the licensing of persons for road traffic (opens in a new tab)

• Current biometric photo (size 45x35 mm, portrait format, frontal view) - no digital code possible!

Note:

Since May 1, 2025, the rule for passport photos for identity cards and passports is that you must submit a digital passport photo to the registration authority. However, this requirement does not apply to the driver's license authority and therefore does not affect applications for driver's license documents. Please also note that the driver's license authorities do not have the technical equipment to take photos on site. You must therefore submit passport photos in analog form – preferably together with the complete application documents – to the driver's license authority.

• If applicable, a copy of the index card from the issuing authority (if the lost/stolen driver's license was not issued by the Mainz city administration).
  To speed up the issuance of the replacement driver's license, the applicant can request a copy of the index card in advance by telephone from the driver's license authority that originally issued the license.
• When replacing the former Class 2 from the age of 50, the following is also required:
  • Medical report in accordance with Appendix 5 of the Driver's License Regulation (costs to be borne by the applicant).
  • An ophthalmological report in accordance with Appendix 6 of the Driver's License Regulation (costs to be borne by the applicant).

Collection of the card driving license from the driver's license authority:

• in person

1. Letter from the driver's license authority
2. Identity document

• by an authorized representative

1. Letter from the driver's license authority
2. Identification documents of both persons
3. Written power of attorney