Which licence you need to ride a motorcycle
AM, A1, A2 and A: what each category lets you ride, from what age, when a car licence is enough and how you move up from one to the next.
5 min read · Updated October 2026
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The four categories
The four motorcycle licences come from the same European rule, so they are the same across the EU. Each country can adjust some ages.
| Licence | What it lets you ride |
|---|---|
| AM | Mopeds up to 45 km/h and light quadricycles, from age 16. |
| A1 | Motorcycles up to 125 cc and 11 kW (at most 0.1 kW per kg) and tricycles up to 15 kW, from age 16. |
| A2 | Motorcycles up to 35 kW (at most 0.2 kW per kg) that are not derived from a version with more than double the power, from age 18. |
| A | Any motorcycle, from age 24, or from 20 with two years on an A2 licence. |
The car licence and the 125s
Each country decides whether the car licence (B) lets you ride a 125. That right only counts inside the country that grants it, and it does not show on the licence.
The rules change from country to country: in Spain you need more than three years of B licence, in France two years and a 7-hour training course, and in Germany five years, age 25 and a training course. In Italy the B licence is enough. In all of them it only counts inside the country.
The A2 and restricted motorcycles
A more powerful motorcycle can be restricted to 35 kW for the A2 licence, but only if the original version does not go over double, 70 kW. A 100 kW motorcycle restricted to 35 is still an A licence motorcycle.
Before you buy a restricted motorcycle, check the power in the documents and ask for proof of the restriction. On Motoland, the A2 filter shows the motorcycles the seller marked as restricted to 35 kW.
Moving up to the next category
The European rule is the same across the EU: after two years in one category, moving to the next one only takes a practical exam or a training course. Schools and exams change from country to country.
Riding without the right licence
Across the EU, riding a motorcycle without the right category is punished. Fines change from country to country.
What changes in 2029
The new European driving licence directive (2025/2205) applies from 26 November 2029. For motorcycles little changes: the categories and the ages stay, the A2 says outright that the original version cannot go over 70 kW, and the B licence that lets you ride a 125 will be recognised between the countries that grant it.
Know what you can ride yet?
See the motorcycles that sellers marked as restricted for the A2.
Still choosing? Read the first motorcycle guide