Venezuela: Driver’s Licenses and Obligations

Posted on Mar 7, 2025 in Law & Jurisprudence

Driver’s Obligations in Venezuela

Article 73. Every driver or conductor of a motor vehicle is subject to the following obligations:

  1. Wearing a valid driver’s license of the grade of the leading vehicle.
  2. Wearing the Integral Health Medical Certificate of force.
  3. Porting the existing psychological certificate as provided in the Regulation of this Law.
  4. Driving in optimal health, both physically and mentally.
  5. Using seat belts and ensuring that other occupants of the vehicle comply with this obligation.
  6. Not causing noise pollution to the environment.
  7. Ensuring that boys and girls under ten (10) years of age occupy the rear seats of the vehicle. Infants should, in any case, be transported in special seats designed for this purpose.
  8. Complying with and enforcing the rules concerning land transport safety set by this Act, its regulations, and the legal system.

Driver’s Licenses (Article 63)

To drive a motor vehicle, a person must obtain and carry a valid driver’s license, of a degree or grade that corresponds to the respective vehicle type, and a current medical certificate. A driver’s license may only be issued, renewed, or revoked by the National Institute of Land Transport, as long as the requirements specified by the Regulation of the Law are met.

License Classification

First Degree (1st) License

For driving motor vehicles:

  • Type “A”: For persons over fourteen (14) years of age for human-powered vehicles.
  • Type “B”: For people over sixteen (16) years of age to drive vehicles drawn by animals.

Second Grade License

To drive a motorcycle:

  • Type “A”: Allows persons over the age of sixteen (16) years to drive motorcycles with an engine capacity of less than eighty cubic centimeters (80 cm3).
  • Type “B”: Allows persons over eighteen (18) years to drive a motorcycle of any capacity.

Third Grade License

To drive motor vehicles for the private transportation of persons, for up to nine (9) seats, including the driver, and vehicles designed to carry cargo with a maximum weight not exceeding 2500 kilograms:

  • Type “A”: For persons over sixteen (16) years and under eighteen (18), subject to special arrangements to be established in the regulations of this Act.
  • Type “B”: For people older than eighteen (18) years.

Fourth Grade License

For persons over twenty (21) years of age to drive vehicles with a capacity of up to twelve (12) seats for the public transport of passengers, and vehicles with a weight not exceeding six thousand (6000) kg.

Fifth Grade License

For people over twenty-five (25) years of age to drive all types of private vehicles or public vehicles with a capacity not exceeding 9,000 kg, with the exception of vehicles referred to in paragraph 2 of this article (motorcycles).

Special Licenses

The competent authority may issue special licenses to drive to people with partial physical disabilities, provided that such disability can be remedied by the use of mechanical attachments or other appropriate adjustments in the motor vehicle. It shall also indicate any other limitation or condition that is deemed necessary for public safety reasons, all of which shall be recorded in the driver’s license that is issued.

Suspension, Cancellation, and Revocation of Licenses

A license may be canceled, revoked, or suspended. It will be void if granted through an invalid act, due to defects referred to in the Organic Law on Administrative Procedure. It will be revoked upon the occurrence of a disabling impairment that physically, mentally, or legally prevents the holder from driving. It will be suspended in cases determined by this Law.