Theorie · StVO

What is the legal alcohol limit for driving in Germany?

0,0 ‰ during the two-year Probezeit and for everyone under 21, 0,5 ‰ for every other driver, 0,3 ‰ becomes criminal the moment your driving shows it, and 1,1 ‰ is always a crime regardless of how well you drove. A first 0,5 ‰ offence costs roughly €500 plus two points. Checked 2026-08-03.

Four different limits sit on top of each other, and they are not the same rule. Which one applies to you depends on your age, your licence and how you were driving.

Level	Status	In practice	Rule
0,0 ‰	Compulsory in the 2-year Probezeit and for everyone under 21	Around €250, one point and a compulsory course. There is no 'one small beer' version of this rule, and it also forbids starting the journey at all.	§24c StVG
0,3 ‰	Already criminal IF you drive noticeably badly or cause a crash	Relative Fahruntüchtigkeit. Weaving, a late reaction or an accident turns a legal level into a criminal one.	§316 StGB
0,5 ‰	The general legal ceiling for everyone else	First offence roughly €500, two points and a one-month driving ban.	§24a StVG
1,1 ‰	A crime no matter how well you drove	Absolute Fahruntüchtigkeit: criminal record, licence withdrawn, and your insurer can claim its payout back from you.	§316 StGB
3,5 ng/ml THC	The cannabis limit	Zero during the Probezeit and under 21, and mixing any alcohol at all with cannabis is banned outright.	§24a StVG

How long until it is out of your blood?

Set a starting level and slide the clock forward. The shaded wedge is the whole range of plausible outcomes: the top edge is the slow body (0,1 ‰ per hour), the bottom edge the fast one (0,2 ‰ per hour). Nothing you can do moves either edge.

Blood alcohol when you stopped

0,20 ‰2,50 ‰

Hours since your last drink

0 h13 h

After 0 h

1,20 ‰ – 1,20 ‰

Slowest case: absolute Fahruntüchtigkeit, a criminal offence (§316 StGB)

Below 0,5 ‰ after

3 h 30 min – 7 h

fast body – slow body

Down to 0,0 ‰ after

6 h – 12 h

the Probezeit and under-21 limit

This is a teaching aid, not a green light. Elimination rates vary with body mass, sex, food, liver function and how much you drank; 0,1–0,2 ‰ per hour is the range German driving schools teach and the exam marks. Nobody can measure their own level, and the exam has exactly one correct answer to “how do I sober up faster?” — you cannot.

Points in Flensburg

1–3 recorded, nothing happens
4–5 written reminder (Ermahnung)
6–7 formal warning (Verwarnung)
8 licence withdrawn

They expire on their own: a 1-point entry after 2½ years, 2 points after 5, 3 points after 10.

§4 StVG

The Probezeit — two years

First serious offence → compulsory seminar and the probation extended to four years
Second → written warning, counselling recommended
Third → licence withdrawn
Two minor offences count as one serious one

§2a StVG

Not statute: Every euro figure on this page comes from published Bußgeldkatalog tables rather than from statute, and is last verified 2026-08-03. Points and bans are set by regulation and change; the binding number is always the one on your own Bußgeldbescheid.

Original practice questions — not the amtlicher Fragenkatalog. Every question, sign description and scenario here is written by us and covers the same StVO rules as the official Klasse B test. We are not TÜV, DEKRA or a Fahrschule, and we do not reproduce the official catalogue. Road signs themselves are amtliche Werke (StVO Anlage 1–3). Rules checked against StVO and FeV on 2026-08-03.

Fines and Punkte are indicative. The amounts shown come from published Bußgeldkatalog tables, not from statute, and are last verified 2026-08-03. The binding figure is the one on your own Bußgeldbescheid.

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Last updated: 2026-08-03