Fahrverbot an Sonn- und Feiertagen (Sonntagsfahrverbot), Ausnahme beantragen

• § 30 Absatz 3 Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung (StVO) – Sonn- und Feiertagsfahrverbot

Trucks with a gross vehicle weight of more than 7.5 tonnes and truck trailers may not be used on sundays and public holidays between 00:00 and 22:00 for the commercial or paid transport of goods, including associated empty runs ("Sunday driving ban").

Public holidays

In addition to sundays, the driving ban applies on the following public holidays:

• New Year's Day (01.01.)
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• Labour Day (01.05.)
• Ascension Day
• Whit Monday
• Corpus Christi
  (only in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland)
• Day of German Unity (03.10.)
• Reformation Day (31 October)
  (in Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia)
• Day of Prayer and Repentance (Saxony)
• All Saints' Day (1 November)
  (only in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland)
• 1. Christmas Day (25.12.)
• 2. Christmas Day (26.12.)

Exceptions for certain vehicles and transport

The vehicles and transports listed below are generally exempt from the driving ban, even if they are travelling empty. This means that they are permitted on Sundays and public holidays even without an exemption.

Vehicles:

• Tractors used exclusively to tow other vehicles
• Tractors and semi-trailer tractors with an auxiliary loading area whose payload is not more than 0.4 times the total authorised mass
• Vehicles in which the transported objects are part of the inventory (e.g. exhibition, film and television vehicles as well as fairground vehicles, also with trailers)
• self-propelled work machines
• Emergency journeys by recovery, towing and breakdown assistance vehicles in the event of an accident or other emergency
• Caravan trailers and trailers towed behind lorries with a maximum permissible mass of up to 3.5 tonnes for sports and leisure purposes

Goods, goods in transit and journeys (including the associated empty journeys):

• Mineral oil and liquefied petroleum gas (initially limited until 01.01.2023)
• fresh milk and fresh dairy products
• fresh meat and fresh meat products
• fresh fish, live fish and fresh fish products
• perishable fruit and vegetables
• combined road-port transport of goods between the place of loading or unloading and a port located within a radius of no more than 150 kilometres (arrival or departure)
• Transport of Category 1 material in accordance with Article 8 and Category 2 material in accordance with Article 9(f)(i) of Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 laying down health rules concerning animal by-products not intended for human consumption and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 (Animal by-products Regulation) (OJ L 300, 14.11.2009, p. 1; L 348, 4.12.2014, p. 31),
• the transport of live bees.
• combined road-rail transport of goods from the consignor to the nearest suitable loading station or from the nearest suitable unloading station to the consignee, but only up to a distance of 200 km,

For all other journeys on Sundays and public holidays, you require a special permit.

Saturday driving ban during the summer holiday season

During the summer holiday travel period, a Saturday driving ban also applies on numerous motorways and federal roads outside Saxony:

You must submit the following documents with your application:

• application with justification (including details of the goods being transported, for example on the basis of the freight and accompanying documents)
• registration certificate part 1 (or vehicle registration certificate), trailer licence if applicable
  • for foreign vehicles in whose registration documents the maximum authorised mass is not entered: a corresponding official certificate
• in the case of loading and unloading of sea-going vessels and aeroplanes as well as journeys for which urgency must first be checked: Proof of the necessity of transport during the period of prohibition with the requested means of transport.

As a rule, the following goods, other transport goods and journeys (including the associated empty journeys and return journeys) are authorised without a special urgency check:

• live animals
• cut flowers and live plants (potted plants, shrubs, trees)
• fresh, perishable foodstuffs (e.g. washed potatoes, fresh baked goods, agricultural produce during harvest time)
• equipment and exhibition items as well as food for trade fairs, exhibitions, markets, public festivals, cultural or sporting events
• newspapers and magazines with a publication date on a Sunday or public holiday or the following day
• relief supplies in or for crisis and emergency regions
• outward and return journeys of vintage lorries in connection with special events

For the authorisation of all other transports, urgency must be proven. Economic or competitive reasons alone are not sufficient.

The following requirements must be met:

• there is a public interest in the journey during the prohibited period,
• the refusal of the authorisation would constitute undue hardship for the applicant or
• proof is provided that transport is not possible either by other means of transport or outside the prohibited period.

Journeys for on-time loading or unloading of sea-going vessels (including sea ferries) or aircraft may be authorised if it is proven that the use of a specific ship or flight connection or an immediate connecting transport on sundays or public holidays by road is urgently required for reasons of public interest or in the interest of the applicant.

EUR 10.20 to EUR 767.00 (depending on the type and scope of the exception)

You can apply for the licence using the prescribed form, which you can obtain from the responsible office or on the Internet, or informally.

• Submit the application in writing, by e-mail or by fax.
• The authority will then decide on your application and send you the exemption licence (including requirements and conditions).

• Processing: usually one week

Tip: Apply for the permit in good time, as you must have it with you when travelling.

• Validity periods: at least one Sunday/holiday, maximum 1-year permit
• Application deadlines: at least 14 days before the start of the requested Sunday/holiday

Appeal (more details on the procedure in the notification)