Driving licence withdrawal across the EU
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If your licence was issued in another EU country, a driving ban only applied in the sanctioning country.
Once back in your home country or when travelling through another Member State, the licence was still valid.
With the new agreement
The European Parliament and the 27 Member States have agreed that serious traffic offences will be punishable across all EU countries, including:
Driving under the influence of alcohol
Driving under the influence of drugs
Causing accidents with fatalities
The sanctioning country must notify the issuing country through the RESPER network, and the issuing country will apply an equivalent sanction.
Safeguards: the withdrawal is not immediate — all appeals in the sanctioning country must be completed first.
The issuing country has 20 days to notify the driver.
Exceptions: if appeal rights are not respected, the issuing country may refuse to apply the sanction.
A historic step to strengthen road safety across the EU.
