Moving to Germany in your own car? List of necessary documents for registering a car in Germany.
Glossary
Bring from your country of origin
- Vehicle passport*
- Translation of the vehicle passport
- STS
- STS translation
- Vehicle Type Approval (item 17 in the vehicle passport). Full extract
- Your car’s specification sheet (sticker in the boot or printout from the dealer)
- Certificates from insurance companies regarding accident-free driving. Originals with a blue stamp
- Translations of certificates (we were asked for a translator’s certificate)
- (if the vehicle has been owned for less than 6 months at the time of crossing the border) Sales contract + Translation of the sales contract
*in the case of an electronic PTS, obtain a full three-page extract from the electronic vehicle passport at an MFC
Ordering a Datenblatt (vehicle data sheet) from TÜV:
Required (in electronic format):
- Vehicle passport
- Translation of the vehicle passport
- STS
- STS translation
- Vehicle type approval
- Photos of the car
- Photographs of identification plates from the car.
Passing the TÜV roadworthiness test under Section 21
Required:
- Book an appointment at your TÜV station for a section 21 inspection
- Original Datenblatt
- STS
- Your documents (passport)
- Car
Customs clearance.
Required:
- Original Begutachtung under § 21 StVZO
- STS
- STS translation
- Vehicle passport
- Translation of the vehicle passport
- The car (to check the identification numbers)
- Meldebestätigung (Anmeldebestätigung, proof of registered address)
- a) (in the event that the vehicle has been owned for more than 6 months at the time of crossing the border): Customs declaration on form 0350 (Zoll 0350 form) b) (in the event that the vehicle has been owned for less than 6 months): contract of sale for vehicle valuation
If the car is imported as Übersiedlungsgut (transfer of residence goods), no duty is payable. There are three conditions, and all of them must be met at the same time: you have lived outside the EU for no less than 12 months, you had used the car for at least 6 months before moving and it was registered in your name, and it must be imported within 12 months after moving.
Such a car cannot be sold, given away, rented out or pledged for 12 months from the moment of customs clearance. A violation results in additional duties being assessed.
If the conditions are not met, you pay customs duty of 10 % (for motorcycles, 8 % up to 250 cc and 6 % above) and import VAT of 19 %. What matters is how it is calculated: the 19 % is charged on the value including the duty already added, and not separately. With a cost of €10,000, that is €1,000 in duty and €2,090 in tax — €3,090, i.e. 30.9 %, rather than 29 %. The calculation base also includes delivery costs.
The exchange rate is in the Zoll Datenbank Wechselkurse database. Payment by cash or EC card.
Preparing for a trip to the Zulassungsstelle (vehicle registration office)
Required:
1. eVB number (electronic proof of insurance)
- If you have no-claims certificates, contact the insurance company’s hotline or visit a branch. The insurance company has every right not to accept your certificates. Try all available insurance companies. By law, a no-claims record from EU/EEA countries is recognised. We have already succeeded in getting no-claims records from former Soviet bloc countries recognised. Write to [email protected] or fill in the questionnaire.
- If you don’t have a no-claims bonus certificate - open any aggregator and choose a preferred insurance company there.
2. (optional but faster): Reserve and pay for your number plates
- Type wunschkennzeichen reservieren your_city into a search engine.
- Choose the combination of letters and numbers you like.
- Reserve the number plates.
- Pay for the order and receive the number plates by post.
Trip to the Zulassungsstelle. Car registration.
Required:
- Vehicle passport (they might take it)
- Translation of the vehicle passport
- STS (they might take it)
- STS translation
- TÜV documents (Original)
- Customs documents (Original)
- Meldebestätigung (Anmeldebestätigung, proof of registered address)
- Russian number plates (Original, 2 pcs, will be collected)
- German number plates (Original, 2 pcs)
- Your passport
- eVB number
You can order an eVB number and fill out the application for a car insurance comparison via this link:
How much is that in total
| Stage | How much |
|---|---|
| Datenblatt from TÜV | 220 € |
| Full § 21 StVZO inspection | from €255 |
| Customs clearance as Übersiedlungsgut | 0 € |
| Customs without relief | ≈ 30.9 % of the cost including delivery |
| Registration at the Zulassungsstelle | about 30 € |
| Number plates | about 25–35 € per pair |
| Wunschkennzeichen (personalised registration number, optional) | about 13 € reservation |
Excluding document translations and insurance. Total for the technical part is approximately €550–600, if the car is imported as Übersiedlungsgut.
A separate item of expenditure — car insurance: without an eVB number they won’t register the car, and the premium amount depends heavily on whether your no-claims bonus from your home country is recognised.
You can’t register this online via i-Kfz
The i-Kfz electronic vehicle registration system was introduced in Germany in stages from 2015 and has been fully operational since September 2023: vehicles can be registered, deregistered and ownership transferred online, the registration fee is lower as a result, and the temporary certificate arrives immediately.
For a car imported from outside the EU, this route is closed. The online system only works with German-standard documents and their security codes; vehicles from abroad and cases involving an inspection under § 21 StVZO are processed only in person at the Zulassungsstelle. Plan your visit and booking in advance – in large cities, you can wait weeks for an appointment.
It’ll come in useful later too: exchange of driving licence and driving fines — two questions that arise immediately after vehicle registration.
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