Facts with source and status

For every driving license in Germany you need first aid training of at least 9 teaching units of 45 minutes each, with theory, practical exercises and basic knowledge about organ donation. Proof is a certificate from an officially recognised body or a public body such as the Bundeswehr, the police or the federal police. Courses may be offered by bodies recognised under Section 68 FeV or authorised by an accident insurance institution; the course content is identical to first aider training at work.

Source: FeV § 19 Schulung in Erster Hilfe · FeV § 68 Stellen für die Schulung in Erster Hilfe · DGUV Fachbereich Erste Hilfe: Änderung der Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung (2015) · as of 14 Oct 2026

The FeV sets no expiry for the first aid certificate. If you extend your license or have it reissued, you do not need a new course if you already took such training before. According to the City of Dortmund, an old course "Lebensrettende Sofortmaßnahmen" (8 lessons) is not enough for an extension: then you need proof of the course with 9 teaching units; if in doubt, ask your driving license office (Führerscheinstelle).

Source: FeV § 19 Abs. 2 · Stadt Dortmund: Führerschein, Erste-Hilfe-Nachweis · as of 14 Oct 2026

Your employer must make sure that, as a first aider, you are retrained as a rule every two years (Section 26(3) DGUV Regulation 1). The DGUV describes the first aid training with 9 teaching units for this, at the latest every 2 years. If the deadline is exceeded in exceptional cases, the refresher must follow at the next possible date.

Source: DGUV Vorschrift 1, § 26 Abs. 3 (Textfassung der Unfallkasse Brandenburg) · DGUV Fachbereich Erste Hilfe: Betrieblicher Ersthelfer · DGUV Fachbereich Erste Hilfe: FAQ (4.1, 4.2) · as of 14 Oct 2026

The fees for the standard training and refresher are paid by the accident insurance institutions (Berufsgenossenschaft or Unfallkasse) as a flat rate; for you as an employee the course is free. Billing is between the authorised training body and the insurance institution, not directly with the company; depending on the institution you need a cost coverage declaration beforehand or register directly. Continued pay and travel costs are paid by the company.

Source: DGUV Fachbereich Erste Hilfe: Betrieblicher Ersthelfer · DGUV Fachbereich Erste Hilfe: Kostenübernahme · DGUV Fachbereich Erste Hilfe: FAQ (6.1 bis 6.5) · as of 14 Oct 2026

Besides theory, the FeV explicitly requires practical exercises. The City of Dortmund states that first aid courses completed online are generally not accepted; so book a course in person.

Source: FeV § 19 Abs. 1 · Stadt Dortmund: Führerschein, Erste-Hilfe-Nachweis · as of 14 Oct 2026

You may drive forklifts with a driver's seat or platform on your own only from the age of 18. As an apprentice under 18 you may only drive under qualified supervision, and that training section should as a rule not last longer than three months.

Source: DGUV Vorschrift 68 § 7 (BGN Branchenwissen) · DGUV Grundsatz 308-001, Dezember 2022, Abschnitt 2.1 · as of 13 Oct 2026

The forklift license alone is not enough: your employer must authorise you in writing, naming the site or part of the site and the trucks. Before that you need a truck-specific briefing and an instruction on the conditions at the workplace.

Source: DGUV Vorschrift 68 § 7 und Durchführungsanweisung (BGN Branchenwissen) · DGUV Grundsatz 308-001, Abschnitt 4 · as of 13 Oct 2026

No expiry: DGUV Principle 308-001 names no expiry date, and according to the occupational safety authority of NRW the license stays valid even if an instruction was missed. The annual instruction must still be made up.

Source: KomNet NRW (Landesamt für Gesundheit und Arbeitsschutz NRW), Dialog 29297 · DGUV Grundsatz 308-001 · as of 13 Oct 2026

The general qualification should take three to five days or 20 to 32 teaching units of 45 minutes each. At least 10 of these units are theory.

Source: DGUV Grundsatz 308-001, Abschnitt 3.5 · as of 13 Oct 2026

On public roads you additionally need a driving license. Forklifts up to 25 km/h fall under class L (from age 16), which is already included in classes B and T.

Source: DGUV Grundsatz 308-001, Abschnitt 2.2 · FeV § 6 (Klasse L, Einschluss in B und T) · FeV § 10 (Mindestalter Klasse L) · as of 13 Oct 2026