Eye test for your driving licence: procedure, validity and cost
Who may carry out the eye test, what is tested, how long the certificate is valid – and what you can do if you fail.
In brief
- For the application for class B (also BF17 and B197) you need an eye-test certificate (Sehtestbescheinigung) from an officially recognised eye-test centre (Sehteststelle).
- You pass with a central daytime visual acuity of at least 0.7 – with or without glasses or contact lenses.
- The certificate must be no more than two years old when you apply.
Who may carry out the eye test?
- Opticians (Augenoptiker) are, by law, officially recognised eye-test centres (§ 67 Abs. 4 FeV). There is therefore no official list of opticians.
- Certain medical bodies are also recognised, such as doctors at the public health office or in occupational and company medicine (§ 67 Abs. 5 FeV).
- Other bodies – for example some driving schools or first-aid providers – need recognition from the responsible state authority. In Berlin, the Senatsverwaltung für Mobilität (SenMVKU) publishes these bodies in a list.
Bring your ID card or passport: the eye-test centre must check your identity.
What is tested?
Central daytime visual acuity is tested. The standard DIN 58220 Part 6, April 2021 edition, applies (specified in the Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung since 18 August 2026). For class B, a value of 0.7 is sufficient – also with a visual aid.
And if you fail?
Then you need an ophthalmological examination (augenärztliche Untersuchung) under Anlage 6 of the Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung. Instead of the eye test, you can also submit a certificate or report from an ophthalmologist directly (§ 12 Abs. 4 FeV).
What does the eye test cost?
The price is not set by law – the former fixed fee was deleted from the fee schedule. In our research in October 2026, prices ranged from free (at some opticians) to about €10. Ask beforehand.
When is the best time?
Because the certificate may be no more than two years old when you apply, an appointment shortly before the application makes sense. But do it early enough that any necessary ophthalmological examination does not delay the application.
Next
Sources
- § 12 FeV – Sehvermögen – Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de) (official) · accessed 05/10/2026
- Anlage 6 FeV – Anforderungen an das Sehvermögen – Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de) (official) · accessed 05/10/2026
- § 67 FeV – Sehteststelle – Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de) (official) · accessed 05/10/2026
- Anerkannte Erste-Hilfe- und Sehteststellen in Berlin – Senatsverwaltung für Mobilität, Verkehr, Klimaschutz und Umwelt Berlin (official) · accessed 05/10/2026
- Fahrerlaubnis – Ersterteilung beantragen – Service-Portal Berlin (official) · accessed 05/10/2026