If you are planning to drive in Germany, it is a good idea to learn the different road signs and their meanings before you set off. There are over 1,000 road signs in the German traffic regulations, including warning signs, speed limit signs and information signs.
Whether you are learning to drive in Germany for the first time, want to take the test to renew your driving license or simply want to brush up on your driving knowledge before visiting the Federal Republic, this page provides an overview of all the most important road signs in Germany.
The road sign system in Germany is fully standardised. All road signs in Germany have the same shape and colour, use easy-to-understand pictograms and symbols and are very close to European standards. The German road sign system is regularly updated to keep up with changes in traffic and transport; the last major overhaul was carried out in the early 1990s.
In the official German traffic regulations, all signs are assigned a unique number, which the police use to issue fines and report cases where the sign has caused an accident. German flags are officially divided into four main categories:
To make things easier to understand, this page has grouped the flags a little differently, making it more logical. We have included the most important signs from the 2017 road sign catalog (Verkehrszeichenkatalog), as well as some new signs from 2020.
Road signs in Germany use a standard set of symbols to indicate the type or class of vehicle indicated on the sign. Some symbols also include other types of vehicles. For example, the symbol “Vehicle” means that the sign applies not only to cars, but also to trucks, vans, buses, vehicles with trailers, etc. Below is an overview of these symbols, their meanings, and their associated subcategories:
Warning signs warn you in advance of dangers on or near the road. The German warning sign is an equilateral triangle with a thick red border and a white background. They usually contain an internationally recognized black pictogram describing the danger:
Speed limit signs in Germany indicate the maximum speed in kilometers per hour (km/h). For most road users, the speed limit sign is a number inside a red circle.
However, Germany also has minimum speed limit signs (blue circles), which are most often found on German motorways. The speed limit sign ends with a black and white symbol, indicating that the legal speed limit now applies.
Mandatory signs are signs that contain mandatory instructions, such as what to do or not to do. They are orders, not suggestions, and must be followed.
Like speed limit signs, most regulatory signs in Germany are circular. Red circles represent prohibitions (meaning that you must not do the action shown in the picture), and blue circles represent rules (meaning that you must do the action shown in the picture). All prohibitory and mandatory signs have black and white endings (although there are exceptions).
These signs are designed to indicate who has the right of way (priority) at an intersection. If you come from a country where traffic drives on the left, then in Germany the priority will be the opposite of what you are used to – for example, at roundabouts you give way to vehicles driving on the left.
Below is a list of all the parking related signs you may see in Germany, both prohibitory and regulatory.
Information signs are the most common road signs in Germany and are generally used to provide road users with general information about the road they are on and the road ahead.
Direction signs used on motorways have a blue background, while signs outside built-up areas (federal roads/Bundestraẞen) have a yellow background and signs inside built-up areas have a white background. As in other countries, signs related to tourist attractions have a brown background.
If you are driving in an urban or built-up area (for example, in a city in Germany), you will see signs like these:
Holidaying in Germany? Look out for these brown signs that will point you in the direction of tourist attractions and provide additional information about them:
These signs are used to indicate directions to services and facilities on or near the road. They are mainly used along motorways. The service sign is a symbol in a white area on a blue square or rectangle:
The German traffic sign system also frequently uses additional signs (Zusatzschilder). These black and white rectangular or square signs are installed below the “main sign” (e.g. a warning sign) to modify or provide additional information, such as the duration or exemption indicated by the main sign.
Post time: Feb-27-2025