Vehicle registration – in germany, vehicles and their trailers subject to registration must be registered for public road traffic by an administrative authority in whose area of jurisdiction the vehicle owner is domiciled. This is a sovereign administrative act in the form of an approval. Here you can find out at a glance what you need to know about vehicle registration.
content: vehicle registration
vehicle registration
Before driving for the first time, a vehicle has to be registered (c) istock.Com / viewapart
The manner in which a vehicle is registered is governed first and foremost by the Road Traffic Act, or stvg for short, as the legal basis for the registration authority. Vehicle registration is always carried out at the request of the owner or his authorized representative, which is ultimately concluded by the allocation of an official license plate. Further details of the registration procedure for motor vehicles with a maximum speed of more than 6 km/h and their trailers are governed by the Vehicle Registration Ordinance (FVZ). Before the 1. March 2007, these regulations were included in the road traffic licensing regulations, or stvzo for short.
The competent authorities for vehicle registration are called lower state administrative authorities. The responsible authorities are the district offices or municipal administrations in whose area of responsibility the vehicle owner’s main place of residence is located. In addition, there are special regulations for official vehicles of the state and federal governments as well as the diplomatic corps. Even the german armed forces or the technical aid organization have their own registration regulations for the vehicle registration of their vehicles.
Number of vehicle registrations in germany
According to a press release from the Federal Motor Transport Authority, 3.44 million new cars were registered in 2017. More than half of all passenger cars (57.7 percent) are gasoline-powered. Nearly 40 percent rely on diesel. Alternative drive systems have been on the rise for years. The share of electric cars, for example, has risen to 0.7 percent. Currently there are about 25.000 e-vehicles on the roads in germany. Among the brands, the mini (+ 6.1 more vehicle registrations), skoda (5.6 percent and Renault (3.9 percent) are the winners of the year. The traditional German brand VW felt the effects of the emissions scandal. Compared to the previous year, 3.3 percent fewer vehicles were registered. With 18.4 percent, the carmaker from wolfsburg nevertheless remains market leader.
vehicle registration
For vehicle registration, documents such as a driver’s license and identification card and an electronic insurance confirmation are required (c) istock.Com / photoworldwide
In order to register a vehicle for public road traffic, it first needs to be approved in accordance with § 21 of the German Road Traffic act (stvzo). This type approval is issued in the form of a report by a recognized expert. This is, for example, a TuV or DEKRA appraiser. As a so-called authorized agent of the administrative authority, the latter is provided with sovereign tasks and therefore works in the name of and on behalf of the latter. Understandably, only motor vehicles that are technically flawless and meet the requirements of the stvzo may be registered for public road traffic.
insurance
Another prerequisite for vehicle registration is existing liability insurance for the vehicle. In the past, this was proven in the form of a double card. Today, this is an electronic insurance confirmation, or evb for short, which every owner receives from his insurance company by email.
Summarized
- Operating license / TuV
- Liability insurance with confirmation
registration journeys& short time
A registration drive is when a vehicle is to be presented to the registration authority by the dealer or by a private seller for the purpose of vehicle registration. According to § 10 abs. 4 of the vehicle registration ordinance, these are trips that are related to the registration procedure. This includes journeys to affix the inspection sticker, return journeys to remove the sticker or journeys for the purpose of a main inspection. However, these journeys with unstamped license plates are only permitted if the traffic authority has previously issued a valid license plate in its administrative district.
However, an existing liability insurance policy must still be in place for such journeys. Even if the insurance company describes in its insurance conditions that driving with unstamped license plates is also possible, this clause does not replace a final allocation by the traffic authority. Any driving with expired short-term license plates or even with a vehicle that has been permanently deregistered is punishable by law. They are a violation of the tax code and the compulsory insurance law. It is further valid: without vehicle registration no operating license for the vehicle is required.
car on& re-register
Anyone wishing to register their vehicle with the road traffic authorities should have all the necessary documents for vehicle registration to hand in advance in order to avoid unnecessary journeys and waiting times. First of all, an electronic insurance confirmation is required for the vehicle. If you want to register a car, you also need an identification of the vehicle owner. an identity card or passport is required for this purpose. The owner does not always have to appear at the road traffic office himself. A written authorization is also sufficient for this purpose. However, he should give his identity card to the authorized representative. Furthermore, the registration certificates nr. I and II required. They now replace the vehicle registration document and the vehicle certificate. Finally, the two license plates must be carried so that the authorities can seal them and apply the inspection sticker after inspection. Online vehicle re-registration is not yet possible. The developments go however strongly into this direction. Since 1 January 2009, the registration certificate II has been bearing the following number. January 2018 a security code for internet-based registration procedures.
If you want to re-register your car, you need all the written documents that you would also need for a new vehicle registration. When you re-register a vehicle, please do not forget to bring the previous owner’s old license plate with you, as it must be unsealed. Regardless of whether you want to re-register or re-register a vehicle, each administrative process is subject to corresponding fees, which are not regulated uniformly throughout Germany and vary from one traffic authority to the next. Only for the issuance of a license plate, uniform fee rates apply, which currently amount to 10.20 euros.