Scooter registration and insurance in Germany

Hi - can anyone tell me, if I'm buying a used scooter, how I get it registered, how much I have to pay, where I go to find out, whether or not I can use my Canadian car driver's license to drive it (50cc), and how much tax I have to pay and who I pay it to?

Thanks,

Claude

I've been thinking the same thing for a year now, just never posted...though I have a german license, just for a car...

somebody know what you need to drive a 50cc scooter? ..also, how about larger ones? ...know of cheap places to find them?

on a side note, Ettal beer makes this place smell funny but I love the taste of it...

If you have a normal German drivers license, All bikes up to 50cc or 45kph are included it Class M..

Anything more and you need the "Morocycle" part of the license...

Some people get a bike that falls into the "Calss M" catagory, get it inspected and registered, then super modify it...

Sounds good, thanks. Now to find a scooter for a few hundred...know anything on scooter insurance?

For a 50 cc, insurance is purchased yearly and begins on March 1st. Basically you pay your premium and you get a new little license plate (this year white with black script). Just renewed mine and was 54 € at Concordia.

When purchasing a scooter, good to make sure it has not been modified. Since Germans can drive scooters at 16 (before autos) many of the Jungen modify the parts to get more speed, etc. If stopped by the police you can have problems and it can make the insurance invalid.

Thanks for the advice!! Do I need to have a German drivers licence to buy a scooter, or can I still get plates with my North American license? Also, how do I get a license plate?

Thanks - so, does the plate come with the bike, or do I have to go somewhere and get one? What do I need for this?

Sorry no expert there. If you are planning on staying, I would highly recommend getting the German license within the first 6 months. Depending on the state (or country) many times you don't have to take the tests or go to driving school if done quickly after arrival.

The license plate is given to your by the insurance company when the premium for the year is paid.

If purchasing a scooter be sure to also get the "Betriebserlaubnis" for the model from the previous owner. This is a small document that describes your scooter and is needed if stopped by the police and to get the insurance.

Many insurance companies offer the policies (i.e. license plates including HUK and DA Direkt and Concordia. The later is located at Bavariaring 9 near the Theriesenwiese. For a cheap scooter, I would check the Kurz und Fuendig (weekly newspaper with ads) or www.autoscout.de.

Before buying best to check on the license though, I believe I needed to show it along with the Betriebserlaubnis to get the insurance

Thanks for your help - great advice!!

@Claude - I recommend checking your embassy's website regarding exchanging your drivers license. If you're going to be here longer than six months, you'll need a German one. I know the German government has different agreements with different states in the US, and so Pennsylvanians can just trade for a German license while Californians have to do the whole drivers test, written exam and fork over up to 1000 EUR to get one. I'm not sure how it is for Canadians, but I suggest looking into it. It might be worth making a stop elsewhere to quickly get a license that can be exchanged easily here if your current one can't.

This old thread will help:

UK driving license - validity in Germany

http://www.muenchen.de/Stadtleben/Transpor...1avalidity.html

Follow the links thru and you will see:

If your license was issued in one of the following US states, you can convert your license to a German license without any testing: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico.

Licenses from these US states require the applicant to take just the written test: Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee.

Conversion of licenses from all other US states will require you to take both the written and practical (road) tests.

Tschibo are selling scooters at the mo, for €1100 and €1500:
http://www.tchibo.de/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfi..._14&source=NAVI

@JE - Claude has a Canadian license, not American.

@MysteryMan

That scooter looks to be 125cc, 75cc more than the Class-M Limit
and would require a motorcycle license...

Forget that... There's 2 scooters listed on the page.. DUH

1 within limits 1 over...

I'd like a 125cc and a motorcycle license...but the only way I could do that for a reasonable price is to go back to the states

so 50cc it is ...my gf thinks I'm insane...I just need something to get to the train station 2 miles away, mainly.

Claude,

Car licence allows up to 50ccm and insurance is around 60 euro per year - just need papers for the scooter and ID screw the number plate on and away you go.

If your interested in a vespa 50 (=not plastic rubbish) drop me a pm as I'm selling one in Munich soon

Cheers
G

Is Canada not in the USA then?

Nahhhhhh - this is what you want:

http://www.urbanmover.com/urbansurfer.htm

There are tons of scooters on Ebay.. Most between 300-1200 Eur

Now that it is spring and lots of scooters are about, I just wanted to clarify something. What if I don't have a valid German license but only a valid US one? Could I still do what the kids do and drive a <50cc scooter, or do they fall under a parental valid license provision somehow?

Registration and insurance aside, a Vespa would be fun to tool around in but I don't want to shell out 1000 euros for a silly german license.

A question regarding the actual practicalities of this, if I may...

So, to get the insurance, I will most likely need to show the Betriebserlaubnis, and my license?
I may need to pick up a scooter and drive it home in the coming weeks, so is there any possibility of getting some kind of cover note for the insurance, that will sort me out for the handover process? Otherwise I guess I would have to drive around on the previous owner's registration until I can get my own sorted out..

Cheers.

Can anyone give me any advice on the regulations for owning a scooter here in Germany? (I'm talking Vespa like stuff here). Are they subject to road tax? Can you ride them on a car licence? How does insurance work?

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