Home
car

Vehicle registration – costs, documents and checklists


This is the vehicle registration

The documents of the vehicle registration are among your most important vehicle documents. They prove that your car or other vehicle is approved for road traffic. In 2005, the EU standardized the documents throughout Europe. Since then, vehicle registration has consisted of registration certificates parts 1 and 2. During a vehicle inspection, you must show the registration certificate Part 1 (vehicle registration document) and your driver's license. The registration certificate part 2 (vehicle registration document), on the other hand, should be kept safe in another location.


You will also need the documents of the vehicle registration in the following cases:

  • You sell your vehicle.

  • They are moving with their car.

  • You scrap your car.

Here you can get your vehicle registration

You can register your car with various vehicle registration authorities – in person on site or even online:

  • You can obtain the registration certificate, for example, from the road traffic office responsible for you in your area, sometimes colloquially referred to as a motor traffic office or motor vehicle office.

  • In some cases, the district administration serves as a motor vehicle registration office.

  • The TÜV also offers itself as an approval body.

You can always find the opening hours of your vehicle registration office on the respective website.

You can read what you need for your personal visit to the vehicle registration service in the next section.

Registering, deregistering or re-registering a car – What do I need for vehicle registration?

Registering, re-registering or deregistering a vehicle is easy. However, the visit to the vehicle registration service takes a relatively long time. Tip: To make sure it goes as quickly as possible, it is best to make an appointment with the road traffic office or your registration office in advance by phone or online. You should also bring all the documents you need to register or register your car.



We will show you which documents you need for vehicle registration and the like.

What papers do I need to register a car?

To register a car, bring these documents with you to the registration office:

  • Identity card or passport (with registration confirmation from the Residents' Registration Office)

  • Vehicle registration document (registration certificate part 1) and vehicle registration document (registration certificate part 2)

  • The insurance number for registration, the so-called eVB number

  • SEPA direct debit mandate so that the tax office can debit the vehicle tax

You will need additional paperwork in the following special cases:

  • If you are importing your vehicle from abroad: EEC Certificate of Conformity (Certificate of Conformity) to prove compliance with European vehicle standards

  • Is it a new car from the EU: Import VAT return

  • Is it a used vehicle from abroad: Full report from a technical inspection body or COC papers/data confirmation from the manufacturer

  • For vehicles from outside the EU: Certificate of Customs Clearance

  • If your vehicle is more than three years old: Proof of the main and emission test

  • If you register a vehicle that has already been deregistered: Deregistration or decommissioning certificate

  • For company or club vehicles: Business registration and excerpt from the commercial register or register of associations

  • For the registration of a motor vehicle in the name of a minor: written consent of both legal guardians and their identity cards

  • If you register the car to someone else: Power of attorney for vehicle registration and identity card of the vehicle owner as well as your own identity card or passport.

  • For classic cars: Classic car appraisal

What documents can I use to re-register my car?

In the event of a change of address or ownership, vehicle registration is also important: For example, if you move to a new city or district and take your car with you or buy a used vehicle, you must re-register the car.

Good to know: If you re-register your car after moving, you can keep your previous license plate, but the registration office must rewrite the vehicle documents. The reason for this is that your new address must be in the car registration, as the amount of your car insurance premium changes with your place of residence.

You will need the following documents for the vehicle re-registration or change of ownership at the vehicle registration office:

  1. Identity card or passport (with confirmation of registration from the Residents' Registration Office)

  2. Vehicle registration document (registration certificate part I) and vehicle registration document (registration certificate part II)

  3. eVB number to confirm motor vehicle liability insurance (formerly double card)

  4. Proof of the main and exhaust gas inspection

  5. SEPA direct debit mandate for the debiting of motor vehicle tax by the tax office

  6. In case of license plate change: Previous license plate

  7. If you instruct a third party: power of attorney and the vehicle owner's identity card as well as his own identity card

How can I deregister my car?

You must deregister your car if you resell it, immobilize it for up to seven years, or scrap it. Some drivers also deregister their cars because they switch completely to public transport. As soon as you have deregistered the vehicle, the tax office and insurance company will refund you any overpaid vehicle taxes and car insurance premiums.

For the classic deregistration at the vehicle registration office, also known as decommissioning, you need the following documents:

  • Identity card

  • Vehicle registration document (registration certificate part 1) and vehicle registration document (registration certificate part 2)

  • The license plates

  • Proof of recycling if the vehicle deregistration is final, for example if you scrap your car

Good to know: You may instruct a third party to deregister without giving him or her a power of attorney for the vehicle registration office.

Vehicle registration online – this is how it works

Since 1 October 2019, you can register, register, re-register or deregister a car or other vehicle online. More than half of the German registration authorities now offer the so-called i-Kfz – the internet-based vehicle registration.

You can now complete the following processes online:

  • New registration / registration of a brand-new motor vehicle

  • Re-registration of a vehicle

  • Re-registration (with change of residence and/or owner)

  • Decommissioning / Deregistration

What you need to register a vehicle online

In addition to the usual documents for vehicle registration, you will need the following for the online service:

  • New ID card with activated online ID function (eID)

  • Card reader or a smartphone with the free "AusweisApp2"

  • Vehicle registration document (registration certificate part 1) and vehicle registration document (registration certificate part 2) with a scratch-off security code

And how does vehicle registration work online? You can read how to register your car online with just a few clicks in our guide: Register your car online – i-vehicle registration explained in simple terms.

How much does vehicle registration cost?

How much vehicle registration costs is not uniformly regulated nationwide. This means that the cost of vehicle registration depends on where you live. However, the prices usually only fluctuate within a range of a few euros. Therefore, you can roughly use the following list as a guide to calculate the costs of registering your car:

  • For the vehicle registration of a new car, fees of about 30 euros are incurred.

  • For the re-registration of a used vehicle, the costs are in the range of 20 to 30 euros.

  • You will have to pay about 5 to 10 ten euros for deregistering your vehicle.

  • If you want to re-register your deregistered car, costs of about 10 ten euros will be incurred.

  • An environmental sticker will cost you about 5 euros.

Costs for different types of license plates:

  • The cost of a new license plate varies more because it is manufactured by a private provider. As a rule, the prices are between 10 and 30 euros.

  • If you reserve a desired license plate at the registration office, you pay an additional fee of 12 euros.

  • The cost of a short-term license plate starts at about 13 euros.

You can find out more about license plates in the next section.

Interesting facts about license plates

With a license plate, the registration authority registers your vehicle and assigns it to you as
the rightful owner. A distinction is made between various standard and special license plates.

Custom license plate

Your desired license plate can be reserved and ordered nationwide at the vehicle registration office, online or when buying a new one through the car dealership.
You can simply specify whether you want a random or a custom license plate. You can find out how to reserve your desired license plate in the DA Direkt guide: Vehicle license plate in just a few steps - here's how.

Seasonal license plates

If you don't need your vehicle all year round, you can apply for a so-called seasonal license plate. It is only valid for a certain period of time of at least two to a maximum of eleven months, but every year. Outside this period, you are not allowed to drive the car and must park it on private property. You can find out all the details about the seasonal license plate in our guide: Seasonal license plates – drive seasonally, always save!

By the way: With a seasonal license plate you benefit from many advantages at DA Direkt:

  • You save on car insurance, as we only calculate the insurance premium for seasonal license plates for the registered period to the day.

  • Your vehicle remains insured with us outside the contractually stipulated period in the liability and comprehensive insurance free of charge.

  • With partial comprehensive insurance from DA Direkt, we waive your deductible in the event of damage during decommissioning.

Short-term license plates

You need a short-term license plate, for example, for the test drive of a vehicle that has been deregistered or not yet registered. The same applies if you bring home the vehicle you have just bought. Accordingly, the short-term license plate is also known as a transfer license plate. The vehicle registration of the transfer license plate is valid for a maximum of five days. By the way, you can only get the vehicle registration of the short-term license plate without TÜV if you drive it to the workshop or to the TÜV. You can find out more in the DA Direkt guide: Useful information about the short-term license plate – well insured during test drives.

Frequently asked questions about vehicle registration

Power of attorney for vehicle registration: What must be in it?

If you instruct someone to register your vehicle, the person must bring a power of attorney to the registration office. In addition, the person will need all other documents for vehicle registration as well as your own identity card or passport.

In the registration power of attorney, you declare that the office may inform the authorized representative about possible outstanding vehicle taxes and ancillary benefits. You must also sign the power of attorney for the road traffic office.

You can download a free template for a power of attorney on the website of the ADAC, the Road Traffic Office or your responsible registration authority.

Can I register my car without an MOT?

A vehicle registration without TÜV is only possible in a few exceptions. As a general rule, if the vehicle was registered for the first time more than three years ago, you will need proof of the general inspection.

New cars are an exception: Since you only have to undergo a general inspection after three years from the first registration, you do not need to present a TÜV certificate when registering.

Another exception are short-term license plates. With the yellow license plate, cars can be registered for a short time without a TÜV - but without the main inspection, you are only allowed to drive to the nearest workshop or inspection center.

Can I register my car anywhere?

Can I register my car in another city? Many car owners ask themselves this question.
However, which vehicle registration office is suitable for you actually depends on where you live. Unfortunately, registering a car in a city other than your place of residence is not possible. Vehicle registration in another district or at a second home is also not permitted. On the other hand, digital vehicle registration is now possible almost everywhere. So you don't necessarily have to make your way to the office.

Tip: Regardless of whether you need a vehicle registration office in Munich, Berlin, Nuremberg or Hamburg - you can usually find a registration office nearby on the official website of your city or municipality.


source : Vehicle registration – costs, documents and more