Motorhome, caravan or trailer from the Netherlands to Germany

The German rule is short: a motor vehicle and its trailers may only be used on public roads once they are registered (§ 3(1) FZV). The exceptions in the same section, such as certain agricultural trailers, showmen's living vans, site huts, sports equipment trailers and single-axle trailers behind motorcycles, contain no weight limit like 750 kg.

That differs from the Netherlands, where a trailer up to 750 kg has no registration of its own and carries the number of the towing vehicle on a white plate. It follows from § 3 FZV that in Germany even a light trailer or an ordinary caravan needs its own registration and number plate.

For a while, a Dutch trailer without its own registration may be towed in Germany behind a car registered in the Netherlands, as long as that car has no regelmäßiger Standort (regular base) there (§ 46(2) FZV). After a move, the car and the trailer both need a German registration.

This is the difficult case. A Dutch trailer up to 750 kg has no registration certificate of its own, and the sources we checked do not say how a Zulassungsstelle (German vehicle registration office) registers such a trailer or which papers it then wants. We cannot promise a solution, so ask the Zulassungsstelle of your place of residence in advance.

Once a caravan or trailer is registered in Germany, it needs its own third-party insurance there.

How often the HU (Hauptuntersuchung, the German roadworthiness test) is due depends on the weight:

The Kfz-Steuer (annual vehicle tax) for a trailer is charged for every 200 kg of permitted maximum mass, for trailers with a rigid drawbar minus the nose weight, up to a maximum. The Zoll (German customs) sets the amount after the Zulassung (registration).

• Licence B: vehicles up to 3,500 kg, with a trailer up to 750 kg, or with a heavier trailer if the combination stays within 3,500 kg.
• B96: a combination over 3,500 kg and up to 4,250 kg, after a Fahrerschulung (driver training).
• BE: a trailer up to 3,500 kg.

A car with a trailer may drive at most 80 km/h outside built-up areas and on the Autobahn. Tempo 100 on the Autobahn and Kraftfahrstraßen is allowed only under conditions: ABS on the towing vehicle, a maximum ratio between the trailer's permitted mass and the car's kerb weight, tyres younger than six years with speed category L or higher, an entry in the trailer's papers and a Tempo 100 sticker at the rear. These conditions refer to a trailer registered in Germany.

A motorhome goes through the same registration steps as a car: see how to register a car in Germany. The federal basic fee is €30 (GebOSt no. 221.1); the total varies by Zulassungsstelle and can be higher.

• Kfz-Steuer: a Wohnmobil is taxed by permitted maximum mass and emission class, not by CO2 like a passenger car. Whether every Dutch motorhome is classed as a Wohnmobil is not certain, so ask in advance.
• HU: up to 3.5 t, first after 36 months and then every 24 months; over 3.5 t up to 7.5 t, every 24 months for the first 72 months and then every 12 months; over 7.5 t, every 12 months.
• Driving licence: B up to 3,500 kg; C1 over 3,500 kg up to 7,500 kg.
• Speed: a motorhome up to 3.5 t towing a trailer may drive at most 80 km/h outside built-up areas and on the Autobahn.
• Toll: whether the Lkw-Maut (truck toll) applies to a motorhome over 3.5 t is not clear; ask BALM or Toll Collect before you drive.

On the Dutch side, a motorhome needs insurance and a valid APK (Dutch roadworthiness test) for the drive on export plates. A caravan or trailer also gets export insurance from us:

• up to 750 kg: the insurance is made out on the chassis number, and the white export plate carries the number of the towing vehicle;
• over 750 kg: the trailer has its own Dutch registration and gets one white export plate at the rear.

A caravan or trailer only needs an APK above 3,500 kg. For a motorhome over 2,500 kg the price is on request; the caravan package and trailer rates are on our price list. Read more about the white Dutch export plates and the export insurance for the drive. A BPM refund applies to used passenger cars, vans and motorcycles; for a motorhome we cannot promise one. Taking a heavier van or lorry? See importing a van or truck.