Driving test in an automatic car: which restriction is recorded?

Union code 78 identifies a transmission restriction: the licence authorises you to drive vehicles with automatic transmission.

What code 78 means

If you take the practical test in a vehicle with automatic transmission, your licence may be marked with Union code 78. Under the European driving-licence directive, this code limits your entitlement to vehicles without a clutch pedal and with automatic transmission. In practice, you cannot use the same category to drive a manual car. Before choosing the test vehicle, consider which cars you plan to drive afterwards.

The restriction does not change your category B licence or mean that the test is easier or the licence invalid. You must still demonstrate the control and driving skills required in the test. MIT describes the category and test vehicles; code 78 comes from European rules and their implementation in national law. Ask your driving school to show you how the code will appear on the document, then check it when you receive your licence.

How to remove the restriction

If you later want to drive vehicles with a manual gearbox too, private practice or requesting a reprint is not enough. You must follow the procedure to obtain the entitlement without the restriction, which may require another practical test in a suitable vehicle. Since the procedure can depend on your circumstances and current rules, ask the UMC or a driving school which application, documents and payments are required and whether you need lessons before the test.

If you have a medical need or a vehicle adaptation, the choice of transmission may be linked to conditions recorded in your medical fitness assessment. In that case, treat code 78 as more than an administrative preference: consult the certifying doctor and UMC. People who already hold a licence and add categories may receive different codes depending on the vehicles used for their tests. Check that the information applies to your specific case before booking a test or driving a manual car.

Before booking

• Ask which transmission the vehicle assigned to your test has.
• Consider whether restriction 78 suits the vehicles you will use.
• If you want it removed, ask the UMC for the current procedure.

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