How to Register a Car in Germany: English Guide to the Zulassung
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The essentials
Registering a car in Germany is called Zulassung. The registration office (Zulassungsstelle) of the place where you live is responsible. To register a car you need your ID card or passport with a certificate of your registered address (Meldebescheinigung), the eVB number from your car insurer, the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II and a SEPA direct debit mandate for the vehicle tax. A new car also needs its certificate of conformity (CoC). A used car needs the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and proof of a valid main inspection (Hauptuntersuchung, HU for short, the check most people call TÜV). You have three routes: go to the office in person, use the official i-Kfz portal yourself, or let a registration service file the application for you. This guide covers the documents, the steps, the costs and the licence plates.
zulassungsautomat.de is a private registration service, not an authority: we file your application with the responsible registration office on your behalf, Germany-wide. A registration starts at €89.99, official fee included. Register your car online
What documents do I need to register a car in Germany?
For a registration at the counter, the registration offices name these documents:
- ID card, or passport together with the Meldebescheinigung
- eVB number: the seven-character electronic insurance confirmation of your motor liability insurance
- Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II (the former Fahrzeugbrief)
- Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I (the former Fahrzeugschein), if the vehicle has been registered before
- Certificate of conformity (CoC) for a first registration
- Proof of a valid main inspection (HU) for a used car
- SEPA direct debit mandate so that the vehicle tax can be collected
- Power of attorney and ID documents if another person files the application
ID, eVB number and SEPA mandate belong to every registration. Which vehicle papers you add depends on the case. A new car (first registration) needs the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II and the CoC. A used car that changes keeper needs Teil I and Teil II and a valid main inspection. A car that was deregistered and is registered again also needs Teil I and Teil II and a valid main inspection. If the vehicle comes from a country outside the EU and the EEA, proof of customs clearance is required as well.
Source: Section 6 FZV, application for registration (gesetze-im-internet.de, in German)
How do I register a car step by step?
First, ask your insurer for the eVB number. It confirms that the vehicle is insured, and it belongs to every registration. Second, collect the papers from the list above. Third, choose your route: the counter of your Zulassungsstelle, the official i-Kfz portal, or a registration service. Fourth, decide about the licence plate: keep the existing number where that is possible, take a new one, or pick a personalised one. Once the office has registered the car, the vehicle tax is collected through your SEPA mandate.
With us you do not file the application in the portal yourself. Before payment we ask for the current plate number (for a change of keeper and for a re-registration), your contact details, the eVB number and your plate choice. After payment you add the vehicle identification number, the numbers and security codes of the registration certificates and the bank details for the vehicle tax. You sign the power of attorney electronically and identify yourself with your ID through Verimi.
How much does it cost to register a car in Germany?
What you pay has two separate parts: the official fee that the registration office charges for the procedure, and the fee of whoever files it for you. Under the federal fee schedule (GebOSt), the official fee for registering a car at the registration office is €30.00. A personalised plate number (Wunschkennzeichen) raises the fee by €10.20, and reserving a number costs €2.60. The licence plates themselves come on top.
With zulassungsautomat.de a registration starts at €89.99: €59.99 service fee plus €30.00 official fee. A change of keeper for a used car starts at €89.99: €62.99 service fee plus €27.00 official fee. Both parts are shown separately on the screen before you pay, together with plates and shipping if you order them.
Can I register a car online or without an appointment?
Yes, registration works online through i-Kfz, the internet-based vehicle registration. In the portal of the registration office, security codes replace showing the papers at the counter. You identify yourself with the online ID function (German ID card, eID card or electronic residence permit, each with its PIN) or through the BundID account. The papers must carry security codes: for a first registration, a re-registration and a change of keeper, the latest vehicle papers must have been issued after 1 January 2018.
The portal asks for the previous plate number and the vehicle identification number, the security code of the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and of Teil II, the eVB number, the data for the SEPA mandate and the month and year of the next main inspection. The official portals are in German only. When we file for you, you need no appointment and no trip to the office, and our service is available in English, German, Arabic and Turkish.
Waiting-times index: daily data for registration offices across Germany (German)
Source: Section 26 FZV, rules for internet-based registration (gesetze-im-internet.de, in German)
How do licence plates work when I register a car?
Every registered car gets a plate number from the registration office. If the vehicle carried a plate from another registration office, you either apply for a new plate or state that the existing one is kept. A personalised number is optional and can be reserved in advance. The physical plates are embossed separately. If you wish, we have them made and send them to your home with free shipping.
Do I need a valid TÜV to register a used car?
For a used car the registration office asks for proof of a valid main inspection (HU). You only need the inspection report if the date of the next inspection does not follow from the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I. If the deadline ran out while a vehicle was deregistered, the inspection has to take place before it is registered again. In the online procedure the portal checks automatically whether a valid inspection exists, and for a first registration no inspection date is entered.
Can someone else register the car for me?
Yes. If another person files the application, the office asks for a written power of attorney, the ID document of the authorised person and the ID document of the keeper. For the vehicle tax the keeper also declares in writing that the office may disclose the tax details to the authorised person. The registration depends on that declaration.
Power of attorney for the registration: template (German guide)
Selling the car later or leaving the country? How to deregister a car in Germany: the full guide in English
Register your car in English
We file the registration for you through the official channels, Germany-wide. Enter your details online, sign the power of attorney digitally and follow every step in your order.