After successfully completing the course, your driving school will give you a certificate to submit to the responsible driving licence authority (LABO). Then book an appointment at the driving licence office or Bürgeramt to submit the required documents and certificate. You will also pay the fee for adding the endorsement. Once your application has been processed, category B196 will be added to your licence. You will either receive a sticker for your current licence or a completely new one. With the endorsement, you are authorised to ride 125 cc motorcycles with up to 11 kW of power.

As of November 2023, Berlin Bürgeramt does not offer a specific appointment type for adding the B196 extension. If you book an appointment for “applying for an extension” , the staff member will tell you that you need an appointment for a new licence. They will still carry out the correct process, though. After 6–8 weeks, you can collect your new driving licence at the Bürgeramt. Your old licence will be destroyed there at the same time.

You only need a recent passport photo, our certificate, your current ID, and your current driving licence.

The B196 endorsement is currently valid only in Germany (as of November 2023). If you ride abroad with this extension, it may be treated as driving without a valid licence. In some countries, such as Italy, this can even result in a prison sentence. For that reason, you should not treat the B196 extension as permission to ride outside Germany.

The EU is, however, planning to extend its validity across the EU.

With the B196 licence extension, you may ride light motorcycles that meet the following criteria:

- Engine capacity of up to 125 cc
- Maximum engine power of 11 kW
- Power-to-weight ratio of no more than 0.1 kW/kg

This includes 125 cc motorcycles (also known as A1 motorcycles) and scooters, provided they meet these requirements. It does not matter whether the two-wheeler has a manual or automatic transmission. The important thing is that it meets the criteria above.

Yes and no. After obtaining the B196 extension, you can upgrade to a Class A2 driving licence, but you must complete the full training course and pass the Class A2 tests.

The B196 extension is not considered a preliminary step towards or a substitute for the Class A2 requirements. This means you still need to attend theory lessons, take practical driving lessons, and pass both the theory and practical tests for Class A2. The B196 extension does not shorten or reduce these requirements. Once you pass, you will be authorised to ride motorcycles with a power output of up to 35 kW.

The B196 licence extension allows you to ride motorcycles with a rated power output of up to 11 kW. For combustion engines, this usually corresponds to a maximum of 15 hp. Electric motorcycles are an interesting exception: due to the specific rules on rated power, an electric motorcycle with a rated output of just 11 kW can actually reach a much higher peak output. This means you could ride electric motorcycles with 50 hp or more under B196, as long as their rated power does not exceed 11 kW. This is a deliberate step by the EU to promote electric mobility.

Yes. In Germany, a Class B driving licence together with the B196 additional training allows you to ride light A1 motorcycles. This means you may ride motorcycles with a maximum engine capacity of 125 cc and maximum power of 11 kW. The B196 extension lets you ride a 125 cc motorcycle without taking a full motorcycle test.

No, the B196 training certificate alone does not allow you to ride. It only proves that you have completed the required training. To ride on public roads, code 196 must be added to your driving licence. Only then is the extension officially valid and you are authorised to ride light A1 motorcycles. It is therefore important to have the endorsement added by the responsible driving licence authority.

To ride A1 motorcycles with a Class B licence, you need to complete a special motorcycle training course consisting of practical riding and theory lessons. If you live in Berlin, we strongly recommend booking an appointment with the Bürgeramt or Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) as soon as you register at our driving school. This is important because otherwise, adding code 196 to your licence may be delayed by several months. The next available appointment is often eight weeks away, and adding the endorsement can take a further eight weeks.

Please note: Riding before the official endorsement has been added is treated as driving without a licence and can lead to severe penalties.

In Germany, holders of a car driving licence can qualify to ride A1 motorcycles (up to 125 cc and 11 kW/15 hp) after completing at least 13.5 hours of additional training covering theory and practical riding. No additional test is required, but the endorsement must be added to the driving licence.