Convention on Road Traffic (Vienna, 1968) and (Geneva 1949)

Description of a driver’s license as specified by the Convention on Road Traffic (Vienna, 1968 and Geneva 1949)

Convention on Road Traffic (Vienna, 1968):

-> you can find full version of this convention HERE

  • A national driving license must be in the form of a document.
  • The license must be made of plastic or paper. For driving licenses made of plastic, the preferred format is 54×86 mm. The color should be pink.
  • The front of the license shall bear the title “Driver’s License” in the national language (or languages) of the country issuing the license and shall also contain the name or distinguishing sign of the issuing country.
  • The driver’s license must contain the following information, numbered as indicated below:

1.         Surname;

2.         First name, other names;

3.         Date and place of birth (may be replaced by other information specified by national legislation);

4. (a)    Date of issue;

4. (b)    Date of expiry;

4. (c)    Name or stamp of the authority that issued the driving license;

5.         Driver’s license number;

6.         Photograph of the holder;

7.         Signature of the holder;

9.         Groups (subgroups) of vehicles for which the driver’s license is valid;

12.       Additional information or restrictions for each group (subgroup) of vehicles in the form of a code.

If additional information is required under domestic legislation, it must be included in the driver’s license under the following numbers:

4.(d)    Identification number for registration purposes, other than that indicated under number 5 of paragraph 4

8.         Place of normal residence

10.       Date of issue for each group (subgroup) of vehicles;

11.       Date of expiry for each group (subgroup) of vehicles;

13.       Information for registration purposes in the event of a change in the country of normal residence;

14.       Information for registration purposes or other information relating to road safety.

All information on the driving license must be written in Latin characters. If another type of script is used, this information must also be transcribed into the Latin alphabet.

Driving license categories contained in the driving license – A, B, C, D, B+E, C+E, D+E with the relevant pictogram, or driving license subcategories  – A1, B1, C1, D1, C1+E, D1+E with the relevant pictogram.

More detailed information on the model driving license can be found in Annex 6 to the Convention on Road Traffic (Vienna 1968) – Collection of International Treaties, Part No. 46/2013.

Convention on Road Traffic (Geneva, 1949):

-> you can find full version of this convention HERE

  • The national driving license must be in the form of a document measuring 74 x 105 mm and be pink in color.
  • The driving license must be written in the language(s) of the country that issued it.
  • The title “driver’s license” must be written in the language of the country that issued it, and the title “driver’s license” must also be written in French – “Permis de conduire”.
  • The front of the driver’s license must bear the name of the country or the distinguishing sign of the country that issued the driver’s license.
  • The information on the driver’s license must be written in Latin letters; if another type of script is used, this information must be repeated in Latin or English cursive.
  • The driver’s license must contain a photograph or other form of image of the driver’s license holder.

  • The driver’s license must contain the following information marked with the appropriate numerical code:

1. Surname;

2. First name, other names; (the surname of the father or husband of the driver’s license holder may be entered);

3. Date and place of birth (or approximate age at the date of issue, place of birth to be stated if known);

4. Place of residence;

5. Authority that issued the driver’s license;

6. Date and place of issue of the driver’s license;

7. Date of validity of the driver’s license (may not be indicated, in which case its validity is unlimited).

The driver’s license must also contain the following information, but without numerical designation:

driver’s license number; signature of the driver’s license holder (or thumbprint); official signature; seal or stamp of the authority that issued the driver’s license.

The driver’s license must indicate the categories of driving licenses A, B, C, D, and E with the relevant description.

More detailed information on the model driving license can be found in Annex 9 to the Convention on Road Traffic (Geneva 1949) – Collection of International Treaties, Part No. 46/2013.