Sources
14 sources on record
Links rechecked nightly · 2 points not established
Tracked since
2026-07-29
Method
Aggregate, not mirror
official source per row
Coverage
14 of 14
all tracked markets sourced
Checked
Jul 2026
confirm before travel
Range
3.5 t – 11,000 kg
car-licence ceiling, EU/UK → CA
What licence a camper van needs, worldwide
Every market in this table draws its own line between 'ordinary car licence' and 'you need something extra' — and the line moves by a factor of more than 3, from 3.5 t (most of Europe, UK) to 11,000 kg (Canada). The US figure most often quoted (26,000 lb) is real but is a commercial-driving threshold, not a private-motorhome one. The nine more European markets this Beacon tracks (France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria) all run the same harmonised 3.5 t / 7.5 t EU split in outline — but the exemptions that let a driver skip the C1 licence do NOT harmonise: France and Germany grandfather older licences (by two very different cut-off dates), the Netherlands and Portugal instead exempt by vehicle fuel type or by driver age/experience, and for Spain, Italy and Belgium this research found no such exemption at all. Switzerland's and Austria's rules on this specific point could not be confirmed and are flagged rather than guessed.
How this is compiled
Aggregate, never mirror. Every threshold is quoted from the licensing authority itself, with the qualifier that actually governs it (private use vs. commercial use, GVWR vs. GVM vs. GLW vs. MAM).
Official licensing-authority source per rowPrivate-use vs. commercial-use distinction kept explicitChecked Jul 202614 of 14 tracked markets sourced — national exemption/grandfather rules never assumed to be EU-wide
Car licence onlyExtra licence neededCommercial threshold
| Country | On a car licence | Next tier up | Key threshold | Catch | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US United States | Any privately used motorhome, regardless of weight, under federal rules | State non-commercial Class A/B licences exist in some states for heavy RVs — verify per state | 26,001 lb (11,794 kg) GVWR/GCWR triggers a CDL, but only for vehicles used IN COMMERCE. Combination rule also needs a towed unit over 10,000 lb | FMCSA: drivers of vehicles used strictly for non-business purposes do not need a CDL unless the state of licensure requires it. The 26,000 lb figure is real but almost always quoted without the commerce limiter | ecfr.gov ↗ |
| CA Canada | Ontario: RV up to 11,000 kg on a full Class G (or E/F) | Ontario: RV endorsement ('T') to 14,000 kg; Class D with RV restriction ('Q') for any weight above that | 11,000 kg gross or registered gross weight (O. Reg. 340/94); towed vehicles not over 4,600 kg | Rules changed 1 July 2025. The Class D RV road test must be taken in an RV over 14,000 kg, after the online RV Learning Module. Licensing is provincial — do not apply Ontario's numbers elsewhere | ontario.ca ↗ |
| AU Australia | Class C covers a vehicle up to 4.5 tonnes GVM carrying no more than 12 adults including the driver | LR (light rigid) for over 4.5 t up to 8 t GVM; MR (medium rigid) for over 8 t on 2 axles | 4.5 t GVM — the lowest car-licence ceiling of the four non-EU markets. Towed trailer max 9 t GVM | Licence classes are identical in every state and territory, but they are issued by each state. LR eligibility normally requires 12 months on a car licence | qld.gov.au ↗ |
| NZ New Zealand | Full Class 1: motorhome up to 6,000 kg GLW. Learner/restricted (1L/1R): up to 6,000 kg GLW but on-road weight 4,500 kg or less | Class 2 for rigid vehicles 6,001–18,000 kg GLW; Class 4 above 18,000 kg | 6,000 kg GLW | A full overseas car licence is treated as a full Class 1 (up to 6,000 kg). From 1 November 2026 the overseas-licence window drops from 18 months to 12 months from last arrival. RUC applies over 3,500 kg | nzta.govt.nz ↗ |
| UK United Kingdom | Category B: motorhome/van up to 3,500 kg (3.5 t) MAM | Category C1: up to 7,500 kg (7.5 t) MAM; Category C: any weight | 3,500 kg (3.5 t) MAM — the ceiling shared by the UK and most EU markets in this table | MAM (Maximum Authorised Mass) is the UK term for GVW/GVWR used elsewhere in this table | gov.uk / DVLA ↗ |
| FR France | Permis B: motorhome up to 3,500 kg GVW (9 seats maximum, driver included) | Permis C1: from 3,500 to 7,500 kg GVW | 3,500 kg Poids Total Autorisé en Charge (PTAC) — above that, C1 is required unless code 79 applies | Grandfather exception: code 79 (ministerial order of 15 July 2009) allows holders of a Permis B obtained before 20 January 1975 — not 1997 — to drive a motorhome whose PTAC exceeds 3.5 t, without C1. It does not extend to later licences (confirmed by a ministerial answer in the Assemblée nationale). The Permis B96 (7-hour training) raises to 4,250 kg the PTAC of the towing vehicle + trailer combination, not the motorhome's solo PTAC. | service-public.gouv.fr ↗ |
| DE Germany | Klasse B: motorhome up to 3,500 kg permissible gross weight (zGG) | Klasse C1: over 3,500 kg up to 7,500 kg zGG | 3,500 kg zulässiges Gesamtgewicht (zGG) — the boundary between B and C1 | Acquired rights: the old Klasse 3 (issued before 1 January 1999, the cut-off of the EU letter reform) still allows driving motorhomes up to 7.5 t, and combinations up to 18.7 t — from age 50 the permitted combination weight drops to 12 t without a separate CE79 extension. | kba.de (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt) ↗ |
| ES Spain | Permiso B: autocaravana hasta 3.500 kg de Masa Máxima Autorizada (MMA), máximo 9 plazas | Permiso C1 (o C1-97 no profesional): de 3.500 a 7.500 kg de MMA | 3.500 kg de Masa Máxima Autorizada (MMA) | No se ha localizado ninguna excepción por antigüedad del permiso B (a diferencia de Francia o Alemania): el límite de 3.500 kg aplica con independencia de la fecha de obtención del carnet. Desde 2014 existe el permiso C1-97, versión simplificada del C1 pensada específicamente para autocaravanas de uso no profesional (examen teórico reducido a 10 preguntas, sin materia de tacógrafo). | dgt.es ↗ |
| IT Italy | Patente B: camper up to 3,500 kg laden gross mass (9 seats maximum) | Patente C1 (or the non-professional C1-97): from 3,500 to 7,500 kg | 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass | The research carried out found no grandfather exception based on the age of the Patente (unlike Germany or France): the 3,500 kg limit applies regardless of when the Patente B was issued. Since 2013/2014 there is the Patente C1-97, a simplified version intended for non-professional camper use (reduced theory exam, no tachograph subject matter). | mit.gov.it (Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti) ↗ |
| NL Netherlands | Rijbewijs B: camper up to 3,500 kg permitted maximum mass (TMM) | Rijbewijs C1: 3.500–7.500 kg TMM | 3,500 kg permitted maximum mass (TMM) | No historic exemption based on the age of the licence was found. There is, however, a new exemption (since 1 July 2025): the Rijbewijs B allows up to 4,250 kg if the vehicle uses alternative propulsion (electric, LPG, hydrogen, CNG/LNG — so not purely petrol/diesel), the holder has held the Rijbewijs B for at least 2 years, with no trailer, and only within the Netherlands. | rdw.nl ↗ |
| BE Belgium | Categorie B: camper up to 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass (MTM), 8 passengers maximum | Categorie C1: 3.500–7.500 kg MTM | 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass (MTM) | No exemption to the vehicle's own 3,500 kg threshold based on the age of the licence was found. The only documented "old licence" exception concerns trailers: a Categorie B obtained before 1 January 1989 is automatically valid for category BE, not for a heavier solo vehicle. | mobilit.belgium.be ↗ |
| CH Switzerland | Kategorie B: motorhome up to 3,500 kg gross weight (8 seats maximum besides the driver's) | Kategorie C1: over 3,500 kg up to 7,500 kg gross weight | 3.500 kg zulässiges Gesamtgewicht | Not established — check official source | fedlex.admin.ch (VZV, SR 741.51) ↗ |
| AT Austria | Klasse B: motor vehicle up to 3,500 kg maximum permissible gross mass (max. 8 seats besides the driver's) | Klasse C1: more than 3,500 kg up to 7,500 kg maximum permissible gross mass | 3.500 kg höchstzulässige Gesamtmasse | Not established — check official source | oesterreich.gv.at ↗ |
| PT Portugal | Categoria B: motorhome up to 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass (up to 9 seats, driver included) | Categoria C1: more than 3,500 kg up to 7,500 kg | 3,500 kg maximum authorised mass — above that, and up to 4,250 kg, the recreational exception applies (see note) | Portugal does not use a cut-off by licence issue date, but an exception by age/experience: Decreto-Lei n.º 40/2016 allows Categoria B drivers over 21 with at least 3 years' licence seniority to drive vehicles up to 4,250 kg intended exclusively for recreational or social purposes (non-commercial, up to 9 passengers), without needing Categoria C1. | diariodarepublica.pt (Decreto-Lei n.º 40/2016) ↗ |
showing 14 / 14
Sources
What this page is based on — every source is verified, and links out whenever the document is still reachable.
- Verified / official
- Provisional
- Out of date
- eCFR — 49 CFR §383.5, CDL definitions (US)
- Ontario.ca — Driving a recreational vehicle (Canada)
- Queensland Government — Driver licensing types (Australia)
- NZTA Waka Kotahi — Licences by vehicle type (New Zealand)
- gov.uk — Convert your vehicle into a motorhome (DVLA, UK)
- Service-public.fr — Quels permis de conduire selon la catégorie du véhicule (France)
- Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt — Fahrerlaubnisklassen vor dem 1.1.1999 (Germany)
- DGT — Clases de permisos de conducir (Spain)
- Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti — Conseguimento patente C1-C (Italy)
- RDW — Voertuigen t/m 4.250 kg met rijbewijs B besturen (Netherlands)
- SPF Mobilité et Transports — Camions (catégorie C, C1, CE, C1E) (Belgium)
- Fedlex — Verordnung über die Zulassung von Personen und Fahrzeugen (VZV, SR 741.51) (Switzerland)
- oesterreich.gv.at — Führerscheinklassen (Austria)
- Diário da República — Decreto-Lei n.º 40/2016 (Portugal)