Also, a German driving license is more precious than a Canadian one. You need to renew the latter every few years (but the Ministry of Transportation is civilized; they send you a notice to do so), whereas the German license is for life (is this still accurate?), and you can use it anywhere in the EU.

Driving licenses have by default an expiration date in Europe. For Belgium (it’s decided at European level, but some modalities vary by country), the licenses issued before 2010 don’t have an expiration date, but it’s not true anymore. These will need to be changed before 2033, and you are obliged to change in some cases (when changing country for example).

what does “renewing” entail? Do you just request a new one? What’s the point?

I’ve also never understood why e.g. passports have an expiry date

@Michael people change, you need updated pictures and details

@Mithical as far as I’m aware there is no requirement to have your photo updated even if your appearance changes drastically

@Michael You ask for a new card, with updated details. Probably an administrative formality in countries where you don't have a point system, but more consequential if you live in a country where there's such a system.