Registering a car for immediate export

Hi all,

I live in Munich, but I want to buy a car to take to my home country. I would to know what I need to do, and specially where do I need to go, to get the insurance (any advice on english speaking would be great) and the license plate. Is there anything needed or is license plate and insurance enough?

Miguel

If I understand correctly, you want to export the car straight away?

You need only to have German export plates for the car (if you plan on driving it out of Germany) which show the expiry date of the insurance. I don't know how you get this, probably you can get some sort of short-term insurance when you buy the export plates? The car must be out of Germany before the insurance expiry date on the plate.

Here is some more info (in German).

Correct. The car is to be exported straight away. I know about this temporary license plates (the red ones if I am not mistake). But what is the netity that gives out this plate? And, from what you say, looks like the plate and insurance are coupled together...is it that we get the insurance in the same place we get the plate (I am already guessing the answer is no)

Red licence plates carry their own insurance.That is why dealerships have them.They can just wip em on any car and its insured.You do however normally have to have a business for these.You will however be billed again and again.
A mate of mine moved back to Scotland with his BMW and registered it there in Scotland.Thinking that his insurance and car tax would be stopped.
NO NO NO he kept getting billed for it until he sent me the German paperwork and the plates and i deregistered it for him.

The YorkshireLad6 guide to German number plates

Dealer plates ("Händlerkennzeichen) are car-dealer plates with red numbers usually for test drives (customer or service) and deliveries. The dealer gets and retains the plates and has a special (and expensive) insurance which covers the cars they are temporarilly attached to. Number always begins with "06"

Export plates ("Ausfuhrkennzeichen") are for cars being exported. The month/year on the right side indicates their maximum validity in Germany. Insurance is a separate matter - you can simply sign up for a short term insurance with the company of your choice, or have the dealer from whom you buy your car arrange it for you as most do. You do need the insurance cover and certificate before you can get the plates.

Other plates include:
Short term plates ("Kurzzeitkennzeichen") with a limited (maximum 5 days) use. Often used to take an unused car from one location to the other or for a TÜV test. Insurance on cars bearing these plates is very expensive. The numbers on the right (day/month/year) represent the expiry. Number always begins with "04"

Seasonal plates ("Saisonkennzeichen") for cars registered annually for a fixed period duroing the year. The two numbers to the right are the "start" and "stop" months. Usually used for sports cars in the summer, saving the hassle of registering and de-registering the vehicle for the period of use. The numbers on the right of the plate represent the start and end month of use

Reduced-tax plates ("Kennzeichen für steuerbegünstigte Fahrzeuge") with green letters are for vehicle entitled to reduced road-tax, usually farm vehicles and trailers. Some tax-free trailers are permitted to use these plates as well as machinery limited to less than 25kph

Historic vehicles I ("Oldtimerkennzeichen") for vehicles older than 30 years maintained in their original state. Recognised by the "H" at the end. Such vehicles also get special tax and insurance treatment.

Historic vehicles II ("Oldtimerkennzeichen") for vehicles older than 20 years maintained in their original state but used infrequently. One plate can be use to cover multiple vehicles (but only one on the road at the same time!). Number always begins with "07"

Diplomatic plates ("Diplomatenkennzeichen") for diplomatic use. The first letter is the city of use or registration (usually "B" for Berlin or "BN" for Bonn) and the second 2 digits represent the country (e.g. 49=UK, 17=USA)

So someone please inform me what are the ones that start with a Y

Bundeswehr (Army) Vehicles

You can buy export plates at a 'shop'. You need to find a Zulassungsstelle (Registration Centre). There are always these plate shops nearby.

And have you noticed all those Bonn number plates which are all company cars:

BN:TO - T-Online
BN:TS - T-Systems

And there are a couple more

KO:NE is...are you ready... Kone.

hi all,
this may be a tricky one for you.
I have lived in an eastern country BG on the blacksea for four year and to live or own anything one needs a company and so to keep the taxes down I bought a car on my BG native wifes name and so I am insured to drive the car with power of attorney, But now Bg is part of the EU and I would like to take a trip to Germany and buy a used car,

So after reading the well explained post here I'm still unsure what I should do as regards the export plates, I see that I will need the plate that has a red dated badge on the right of the plate which also has insurance cover to drive in Germany but does this plate insurance cover me to drive threw Austria, Hungry, Romania and BG ? or would I need other Insurance cover, ?

regards F

Yes you are insured to drive through these countries as long as the insurance is valid for the time stated on the licence plate. What you do with the car after the expiration of the licence plates is up to you.

Just know that the initial insurance is no longer valid.

The insurance need not be expensive - e.g. if you continue to use the same insurance company/policy once the car is permantly registered, the insurance company will normally count the days on tempoary plates as part of the normal policy.

I bought a car from a car supermarket type place way out of Munich (Wemding, north of Augsburg), so I had 2 choices...

1. a. Travel to car dealer, choose car, drive home. b. Return to car dealer, pay for the car, pick up the registration papers. c. Return to Munich, buy insurance, register the car, pick up the plates. d. Return to car dealer, put plates on car, drive home.

OR, what I did was...

2. a. Travel to car dealer, choose car, drive home. b. Return to Munich, apply for insurance, (receive dopplekarte for temp & permanent registration) pick up temp. registration plates. c. Return to car dealer, buy car, put temp plates on car, drive home. d. Permantly register car.

Ok, so the second method involves 2 trips to the KFZ Zulassungsstelle to do parts of the registration, but it did save a 3+ hour round trip to the car dealer. Although the temp plates do cost something to make, make sure you return the temp plates to the company that made them, I got a "part exchange" rebate on my permanent plates, as they take the old plates and recycle the metal.

Fantastic that is a massive wieght off my mind
regards f

Wow it seems so easy in the UK compaired but thats not to say that the DE way is good or bad, hard or easy
for the time i have been in BG all of the cars have come from DE and all have the number plates with the red box which is dated until they have the BG registration plates, and so an old car in DE is a new car in BG " even the 1990 year models " due to the condition of the roads here,

As 90% of cars here are imported there is a mark up price and i would like to save on that mark up price and buy directly

But I have stumbled against another brick wall, when in Germany buying a used car privatly then having to buy plates and deal with the TUV inspectors and so on not specking German myself I would be up the river with out a paddle,

what do you think?
regards F

Sorry to bring this topic up again. I live in South Africa but want to come to Germany to buy a mini-bus to exprot to Democartic Republic of Congo. Do you know what the process my be?

Greetings, I am looking at flying to Germany in June to purchase a vehicle (minivan/bus hopefully with wheel chair lift). I am planning on driving it to Romania via Switzerland, Austria & Hungry and donating it to a charitable organization. Not sure if I can register and insure a vehicle since I am a foreigner from Canada. I am told that I may need to obtain Export plates ("Ausfuhrkennzeichen"). Any information you can provide would be appreciated. Most specifically on insurance company contacts.

Thanks

Kelly Graham
Edmonton, Alberta Canada

Only (registered) residents in Germany can register a vehicle here. Your only choice would be to register the vehicle for export or register it in someone else's name who is resident here. Registering for export can only be for a limited time (maximum 28 days, I recall). You would need valid insurance to register the vehicle but most insurance companies or brokers can provide this for export vehicles, although it is not cheap and usually very basic cover. You will need to send a declaration of import into a another country (or export certification from Germany) to nullify and clear the German registration. This means if you plan to use the vehicle for a longer period than the export plates allow you will need to register it in another country. Even in an EU country, especially if it is an older vehicle that could be expensive and complicated as the vehicle may need additional certification, testing or modification to facilitate registration elsewhere.