German-born Lucas Baier, whose appearance has been likened to the Russian President, presented the ID card during a train journey from Salzburg to Munich.
The Russian-speaking 27 year old was stopped as part of a routine check in southern Bavaria but when he produced a driving licence that claimed he was Putin it was immediately confiscated.
After being passed to Latvian authorities, where the ID purported to be from, it was confirmed as a realistic forgery.
Latvian traffic authorities dismissed any notion the card had been originally owned by the Russian leader.
Every licence issued in Latvia is recorded in an official register and has a unique number, they said.
No driving licence was ever issued to the Russian President.
Mr Baier claims he bought the card as a joke at a Russian market after friends told him of his striking resemblance to the leader.
I was always being ribbed about it, he said. On holiday I saw a realistic looking driving licence in his name, so I snapped it up.
Mr Baier's attempt to pass himself off as Putin left him with a caution and a warning from police that he would be heavily fined should he continue to use fake IDs.
Coincidently, the Russian leader was not far from his doppelganger this week as he met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Hannover. He was himself accosted, this time by a topless protester who branded him a dictator.
Mr Putin attempted to laugh off the incident, saying he liked it.
