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Germany

Sundays and public holidays from 00:00 to 22:00 for vehicles over 7.5 t. In summer the holiday ban is added on Saturdays, on designated motorways.

Applies to: Goods over 7.5 t and vehicles with a trailer behind a lorry ·Updated on 23 October 2026

When you cannot drive

  • Sundays and public holidays

    00:00 → 22:00

    Sonn- und Feiertagsfahrverbot. It applies to national holidays and to each Land holiday.

  • Holiday ban (Ferienreiseverordnung)

    1 July to 31 August, Saturdays 07:00 → 20:00

    Only on the motorways and sections listed in the annex to the rules.

Most common exemptions

  • Fresh milk, dairy products, fresh meat, fresh fish and perishable goods
  • Live animals and the carriage of fresh flowers and fruit
  • Combined transport between the shipper and the nearest terminal, or from the terminal to the consignee, within the set radius
  • Vehicles on emergency, rescue or recovery duty

Exemptions vary from country to country and almost always depend on paperwork on board proving what the load is.

Planning notes

The German Sunday ban is one of the longest in Europe — 22 hours straight — but also one of the most predictable, because it always ends at 22:00 and lets you pull away at that hour with the rest of the week clear.

The risk lies in the Länder holidays. Dates such as Corpus Christi or the Assumption are not public holidays everywhere: they are in some states, and there the ban applies. A north-south run can cross one Land under the ban and another one not, on the same day.

In summer, add the Ferienreiseverordnung: on Saturdays in July and August, between 07:00 and 20:00, some motorway sections are closed to lorries to make room for holiday traffic.

Road closures and works of the day are published, in Portuguese, on the traffic page.

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