If you buy a car, you must register it, if you sell it, you must deregister it.For this, you will need several documents – and an appointment with the vehicle registration authority.The most important information.
- Sale: the vehicle must be deregistered or re-registered
- The seller must deregister the vehicle before delivery
If you want to re-register or de-register your car now, you will need to make an appointment in advance in many places.This isevidenced by the results of a surveyconducted online by the club at motor vehicle registration offices in 16 state capitals.
You can make an appointment toderegister a vehicle in Germany online in 13 of the 16 provincial capitals.In some authorities, you can also make an appointment by email or phone.Bremen and Wiesbaden continue to allow on-site processing without prior appointment.
In Berlin, Hanover, Dusseldorf, Saarbrücken and Munich, you sometimes had to wait weeks for an appointment.In half of the provincial capitals, an appointment could be made on the same day, while in the remaining three it took a day or two.
Tore-registera car in Germany, it was possible to register online in 15 of the 16 provincial capitals.In Potsdam it was only possible by phone.
You can make an appointment on the same day in the capitals of five states (Bremen, Magdeburg, Erfurt, Saarbrücken and Munich).In seven capitals, we had to wait longer than three days, sometimes even up to five weeks (Kiel, Schwerin, Berlin, Hanover, Dusseldorf, Mainz and Stuttgart).
In order to register a car in Germany, the following documents must be submitted:
- ID cardor passport
- Vehicle insurance confirmation ( EVB number : seven-digit combination of numbers and letters) for vehicle liability insurance.You give it to the admissions office when you register.Attention: driving on public roads without insurance is a criminal offence.
- Registration certificatepart I and part II
- Confirmation of the lastmajor review
- Authorization for direct debit of vehicle tax
- Custom number plate : If you need a specific number plate, you can reserve it in advance.The commission for this is 10.20 euros.
If you senda representativeto the Admissions Committee for registration, you must issue awritten power ofattorney.The person must also carry an original ID and a copy of your ID.A statement ofconsentis required for admission to aminor .
Tip:usually the regulatory bodieshave their own templatesof powers of attorney and declarations of consent.In many regions of Germany, you can also register your car online or transfer it to a new owner.
When registering a new vehicle, in addition to the documents mentioned above, you will need confirmation of the license for operation.In most cases, this is the manufacturer’s COC certificate (it can be obtained from the dealer).
This is done by the admissions committee
The registration department by main place of residence deals with the following:
- Issuance of documents for thecar
- Registration numberand seals
- Environmental stickeron the registered car (on request)
If you do not yet havelicense plates, contact the license plate serviceafter approval.In this case, the number plates must be stamped by the registration authority.
To deregister an old car, you will need the following documents:
- Certificate of Registration Part I, also known as “Vehicle Registration”
- Markfor cancellation
- The office automatically informsthe main customs officeand theinsurance companythat the vehicle has been deregistered.
- The license platecanbereserved.The maximum reservation period depends on the registration area and is usually between three and twelve months.
In principle,the previous owner can use hislicense platefor another car.In this case, it is necessary to pay 10.20 euros for the required license plate.
The buyer does not register the vehicle: what to do?
If you sell your car while it is not yet registered, youmustnotify theregistrationservice about the sale.The obligation does not apply if the buyer himself informs the registration service about it.
If the buyer does not register the carimmediatelyor removes it from service, it should be reported to the registration service.The latter can submit a registration certificate to the Verkehrsblatt with afour-week deadline for submission to it.This means that the registration certificate is sought publicly.Once the term expires, the approval ends, and with it, your tax liability.
However, there is no right to initiate this procedure, therefore,beforetransferring the vehicle, it is strongly recommendedto deregister it.
Upon sale, the insurance contractis transferred to the buyer.As a result, in case of a claim, the seller does not lower the rating.As this only applies when theinsurance company is aware of the sale, it is strongly recommended that you also notify the insurance company of the sale.
Driving with unstamped license plates
Trips related to the registration process, including stamping trips and trips for general inspection or security checks, may be madewithin the registration areaandthe surrounding areawith unstamped license plates.However, it is a prerequisite that the registration authority has assigned such a number plate in advance and that the trips are covered by motor liability insurance.
Return tripsafter removal of the sticker with the seal can be made with a pre-assigned number plate until the end of the day the vehicle was taken out of service, if they are insured by a motor civil.
Cars can also be registered, re-registered and de-registered online.This is how online vehicle registration works.
- A new ID card with online eID functionality is required
- Vehicle registration and title must have hidden security codes
- Payment is made online using EC or credit card
Digitization in registration offices: bothinitial registrationandtransfer to a new ownerare possible via the Internet.Thisonline registration of vehicles*, abbreviated i-Kfz, complements the deregistration and re-registration of passenger cars via the Internet.However, so far only about two-thirds of registration departments offer a full range of online registration on their Internet portals.
Until now, online registration was only possible forgeneral license plates.For all others, such as seasonal number plates and so-called electronic number plates , which give electric car drivers advantages when parking, for example, this is not yet possible.
What is required for online access to vehicle registration in Germany
In order to be able to use the online service, a number of requirements must be met: For all processes, the vehicle owner needs anew identity cardwith the activatedonline eID function* andthe corresponding PIN code.Also a card reader or smartphone with thefree ID app*.Second, the registration documents (vehicle registration and car title) must have ahidden securitycode * that must be scratched off.This applies to Part I of the registration certificate from 2015 and Part II from 2018.
Here’s how consent works
You must first identify yourself on the online portal of the local registration authority: with a new identity card or an electronic residence permit.Here’s how it works whenregistering for the first time: enter the vehicle identification number (VIN) and then the security code in the registration certificate, part II (vehicle registration document) – you must notify it in advance.You will then need the insurance company’s eVB number as proof of vehicle liability and account details for vehicle tax collection.
Now you can choose the next available license plate or enter a reserved license plate.After the automatic verification of the application data, you pay usingePayment, such as Giropay or credit card.Which payment methods are accepted depends on the IT of the respective registration service.
Once all records have been verified, the application will be reviewed by the Admissions Clerk.You will then be mailed an approval notice and certificates, a stamp sticker carrier and a HUstickercarrier to be affixed to the license plate.After pasting the sticker on the license plate, you can start driving.
Deregistration of a car in Germany online
When de-registering a vehicle during official decommissioning in Germany, do the following: Enter the vehicle registration number andtheopen security code ofPart I of the registration certificate (vehicle registration) as well as the number plate.If the vehicle is later re-registered with the same number plate in the same registration area, the number plate can be reserved.Next, payment of the fee through the electronic payment system, verification and confirmation of the application.After a positive verification of the data, confirmation of deregistration can be called online.
The following documents are required for online re-registration with a change of ownership and for re-registration: Certificate of Registration, Part I and Part II, each with a hidden security code,numbereVB.(electronic confirmation of insurance), confirmation of a valid basic technical inspection, IBAN for deducting transport tax.
Important: duringre-registration, part II of the registration certificate is required only if the owner changes at the same time.
Online car registration in Germany: this is the cost of the service
Prices and feesare the same throughout the country: thestatementof operation, the deregistration certificate, is cheaper than at the registration office – it costs 5.70 euros online instead of 6.90 euros.Other online procedures are slightly more expensive than in person at the registration office: the registration fee is €27.90 instead of €27, and the transfer to another registration area is €28.20 instead of €27.
The Federal Ministry of Transport cites material and personnel costs foronline processing.For example, to create cover letters so that the user of the new service knows what to do.Instead, the driver saves himself a trip to the registration office, which is often associated with a long wait, especially in cities.As the Certificate of Registration Part II must be sent by registered letter or postal delivery document, an additional fee of €10.20 will be charged in these cases.
German sites for selling and buying cars
List of sites for selling and buying cars in Germany:
Registration and deregistration of a car in Germany.How to register or deregister a car in Germany online.How to buy a car in Germany on your own.
