Coming to Berlin as a professional driver

Truck and bus drivers from non-EU countries: § 24a BeschV, converting your licence at LABO, initial qualification with code 95.

Truck and bus drivers are in demand in Germany. That is why there is a special rule for drivers from non-EU countries: § 24a Employment Regulation (BeschV). The catch: you need an EU driving licence of the right class and the initial qualification (code 95). Both can take a while.

We have not checked reliable figures on driver demand in Berlin, so we give none.

Which residence permits fit?

Route	Key requirements	Federal Employment Agency (BA) approval
Professional driver (§ 19c (1) AufenthG + § 24a (1) BeschV)	Work as a driver in road haulage or bus passenger transport. According to Make it in Germany you need the EU/EEA driving licence for the class and the initial qualification under the Professional Drivers Qualification Act. No vocational degree, no salary threshold in the regulation.	yes
Getting the licence in Germany (§ 24a (2) BeschV)	All four conditions: (1) the contract obliges you to take part in the qualification, (2) licence and initial qualification can be obtained within 15 months, (3) afterwards a concrete job offer from the same employer, (4) you already hold a relevant licence from your home country. Approval up to 15 months, in justified cases 6 months more.	yes
Skilled worker (§ 18a)	If your driver training is recognised as equivalent to the German professional driver training (IHK FOSA). Whether the initial qualification then counts as obtained is open – foreign training is usually not recognised; check before relying on it.	yes
Western Balkans rule (§ 26 (2) BeschV)	For citizens of the six Western Balkan states; you still need the licence and initial qualification. See Western Balkans rule (German).	yes, with labour-market test

Under § 24a the prior-employment rule of § 9 BeschV does not apply (para. 3). Since 18 Nov 2023 the employer checks licence and qualification and confirms this on an extra sheet to the "Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis" (according to IHK Lippe). Aged 45 or over at the first permit: salary at least €55,770 gross a year or adequate pension provision (§ 18 (2) no. 5 AufenthG / § 1 (2) BeschV).

Driving licence and initial qualification

Converting your licence (Driving Licence Regulation, FeV)

With a licence from a non-EU country you may drive in Germany for 6 months after taking up residence (§ 29 FeV). After that you need a German licence.
Whether you can convert is set out in § 31 FeV with Annex 11. All classes including C and D without a test for example for Serbia, Montenegro, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Albania and Kosovo: C1 to DE with restrictions; Ukraine: C1 to DE with fitness and eyesight proof; Namibia only C1/C/CE; Moldova with a practical test. From the USA, Canada or Australia usually only class B is converted.
If your country is not in Annex 11 (or not for C/D), you must take the licence again – driving school, theory and practical test.
For trucks and buses you need medical and eye reports; for buses, as far as we know, also a performance test and a certificate of good conduct; check before relying on it.

Responsible in Berlin: LABO

The driving licence authority at the State Office for Citizens' and Regulatory Affairs (LABO), Puttkamerstraße 16–18, 10969 Berlin. You can also apply at the citizens' offices (Bürgerämter). Requirement: main residence in Berlin. Bring: the original licence (not an international one), a translation if it is not in German or English. Fee according to Service Berlin: €37.50 without and €45.10 with a test; driving school, reports and exams cost extra.

Initial qualification and code 95

Anyone driving trucks (C1 to CE) or buses (D1 to DE) commercially needs the initial qualification (duty: § 3 BKrFQG; how to obtain it: § 2 BKrFQG): an exam at the chamber of commerce (IHK, theory and practice), the accelerated initial qualification (lessons at an approved training centre plus a theory exam at the IHK), or vocational training as a professional driver.
Proof: code 95 in the licence or a driver qualification card. Periodic training is required every 5 years (§ 5 BKrFQG); it lasts 35 teaching units (§ 4 BKrFQV).
A qualification from a non-EU country is usually not recognised; you obtain it in Germany (according to IHK Lippe). We have not checked in which languages IHK Berlin offers the exam – check before relying on it.

German

§ 24a sets no German level. In practice you need German for driving school, the IHK exam, passengers (bus) and freight papers. See Language at work (German).

Steps

Check Annex 11 FeV: can your licence (C/CE or D) be converted?
Find an employer in Berlin; the contract covers the qualification or your work as a driver.
Visa at the German mission abroad. Only on the skilled-worker route (§ 18a) is the optional fast-track procedure available (§ 81a, €411); it does not apply to § 19c/§ 24a BeschV or the Western Balkans rule.
Register in Berlin, residence permit at the State Office for Immigration (LEA). See Entry and first steps (German).
Conversion at LABO, initial qualification at the IHK/training centre – within the 6 or 15 months.

Staying and family

§ 19c permits have no shortcut to a settlement permit; the general rules apply (§ 9 AufenthG). With recognised training (§ 18a), § 18c applies: after 3 years with 36 months of pension contributions. Family: Family reunification (German).

Watch out

Minimum wage 2026: €13.90 an hour (MiLoV5), from 2027 €14.60 – also for waiting and loading time.
Be careful with companies that advance the costs of licence and qualification and then demand high repayments. Read repayment clauses closely.
Driving and rest times are mandatory. An employer may not ask you to break them.
Free advice: Faire Integration (faire-integration.de, § 45b AufenthG) and in Berlin BEMA (Berlin Advice Centre for Migration and Good Work).
Agents who promise an "EU licence" or a visa for money: stay away.

Sources

A question this page does not answer? Contact us. Free orientation only, no legal advice for individual cases.