The Danish Road Traffic Authority, Færdselsstyrelsen, has admitted that its own website guidance was wrong. Drivers with the national code 148 on their license may drive both manual and automatic cars abroad, on the same terms as in Denmark.
Færdselsstyrelsen confirmed the correction in a written response to DR Nyheder on August 17, 2026. DR reports that the authority now states clearly that code 148 does not restrict the holder’s right to drive a manual car outside Denmark.
Until the correction, the authority’s public page said something different. According to DR, the website stated that holders of code 148 could drive both manual and automatic cars in Denmark, but only automatic cars abroad. Færdselsstyrelsen says the page was updated before the holidays, but unfortunately not with the correct information about how a national code such as 148 works.
What code 148 means
For the past two years, learner drivers in Denmark have been able to take most lessons and the practical test in an automatic car under a trial scheme. They still receive a category B license valid for both manual and automatic transmission, marked with code 148. Færdselsstyrelsen’s guidance page, updated on August 17, 2026, states that the code requires at least seven practical lessons in a manual car before the automatic-gear test.
A clarification note that Færdselsstyrelsen sent to Danish municipalities explains the legal background. Per that note, code 148 applies only to category B and does not limit the holder’s driving rights. It also notes that EU code 78 is the code that restricts drivers to automatic cars in other EU and EEA countries, and that licenses with code 148 do not carry code 78.
The uncertainty has caused frustration among Danish driving instructors. As reported by regional paper Dagbladet Ringsted, instructors feared that new licenses issued under the trial scheme were partly unusable abroad. That reporting brought the question to national attention.
TV 2 reported earlier on August 17, 2026, that the authority’s website described code 148 as not recognized outside Denmark. According to that coverage, the guidance recommended that affected drivers choose automatic cars abroad to avoid misunderstandings. TV 2 noted that most Danes who obtained a license in the past two years were covered by the now disavowed advice.
Why the correction came now
Færdselsstyrelsen states that it had experienced interest in guidance on driving in Denmark and abroad with code 148 for some time. That was why the website was updated before the holidays, the authority told DR. The information published then was incorrect, and the page was revised on August 17, 2026.
