How to register a car in Germany after buying it in the Netherlands

The RDW advises against deregistering a car for export before you know which documents the other country needs. For a German registration these are the export certificate, also called kentekenbewijs deel II, together with the kentekencard (registration card) with one corner cut off. You hand both to the Zulassungsstelle.

If you buy the car from a Dutch seller, you export it in your own name. Your details then appear on the export certificate, and the seller receives the vrijwaringsbewijs, the proof that their registration has ended. If you cannot travel to the Netherlands, a contact person there may arrange the export for you. The page on Dutch car export documents explains each paper.

Is the car already in Germany, for example after a move? Then we can still arrange the export with deel II, fully remotely by post: DHL standard takes about 5 working days, DHL Express about 1 working day. Please contact us first, so we can tell you what we need and what it costs.

After deregistration the car may be driven on Dutch roads for 14 days, and never longer than its APK (the Dutch roadworthiness test) is valid. There are no transit countries on the way. German law temporarily admits a foreign vehicle with a valid foreign registration and third-party cover, and the ADAC names the Dutch export plate as the usual route for this drive. The rules for Dutch export plates vary by country, so ask the Zulassungsstelle before you drive on after the first 14 days.

Plan the HU and the appointment within those 14 days, or choose transport on a trailer. Read more about the white Dutch export plates and the export insurance with a Green Card.

The Zulassungsstelle asks for, among other things, the papers below. Berlin and Munich publish similar lists; Berlin's list for used vehicles from another EU country is a clear example.

1. Registered address and the right office

You apply at the Zulassungsbehörde, also called Zulassungsstelle, of your place of residence; if you have more than one, that of your main residence. Companies go to the office of their seat or of the branch concerned. Without a residence in Germany you need an Empfangsbevollmächtigter (authorised recipient) and apply where that person lives. Bring an identity document with a Meldebescheinigung, the proof that you are registered at a German address.

2. CoC, Datenbestätigung or Gutachten

With an EU type approval you show the CoC (EU certificate of conformity). With a national type approval you need a Datenbestätigung (the manufacturer's data confirmation), and with an individual approval the matching certificate. Without any type approval, a Gutachten nach § 21 StVZO (a full technical report) is required. We offer CoC assistance on request.

3. HU or an inspection report

Whether the car needs a new HU depends on its inspection history; the next section explains the rule.

4. eVB from a German insurer

An eVB (electronic insurance confirmation) proves the German Kfz-Haftpflichtversicherung, the compulsory third-party cover. You get it from the German insurer you choose; our Dutch export insurance cannot replace it.

5. SEPA mandate for the Kfz-Steuer

For the Zulassung you sign a SEPA direct debit mandate for the Kfz-Steuer, the annual vehicle tax. Berlin states that bank details are compulsory.

6. Appointment with all originals

Plan for an appointment at the counter of the Zulassungsstelle: online registration (i-Kfz) has not been confirmed for a car with Dutch papers only. Bring all papers in the original, including the purchase contract or invoice. A representative with a power of attorney may apply on your behalf.

The HU (Hauptuntersuchung) is the German periodic roadworthiness test, carried out by inspection bodies such as TÜV or DEKRA. For a car with EU type approval that was already in use in another EU country, § 8(2) FZV requires an HU before registration only if, under the German intervals, an inspection would have been due in the meantime and no inspection from the previous EU country is shown. A passenger car has its first HU after 36 months and then one every 24 months.

You must also show when the car was first put into use. If you cannot, an HU comes first. Munich only accepts inspection reports from EU countries for vehicles with an EC type approval, in the original. A valid APK report (the Dutch periodic test) can therefore make a new HU unnecessary, but ask your Zulassungsstelle in advance whether it accepts the report.

At the appointment the car is registered: it receives a registration number, the number plates are stamped and you receive the Zulassungsbescheinigung, the German registration certificate. Part II is issued once you show, with the purchase contract or invoice, that you are entitled to the car. You have the German number plates made yourself, and the Zulassungsstelle stamps them. A Wunschkennzeichen (personalised number) costs an extra fee.

The Zulassungsstelle keeps the original Dutch papers. That is one more reason to have the export certificate in the right name before you go.

The federal basic fee for a Zulassung is €30 (GebOSt no. 221.1). The total at the counter varies by Zulassungsstelle and can be higher. After registration the Zoll (German customs) sends the Kfz-Steuer assessment, and a private buyer only pays German VAT on a new vehicle. On the Dutch side our prices start from €50 for the export document. All costs are listed on the page about the cost of registering a car in Germany.

If you move house, the car must be registered straight after the move: see moving to Germany with a car. There is no official average processing time. With complete papers the registration itself is usually one appointment; as an indication, allow a few days to a few weeks, depending on waiting times in your city. If you want a BPM refund on export, the German registration must be completed within 13 weeks of the RDW giving the car export status.

• No CoC: without type approval papers you need a Gutachten, which can take longer.
• Missing deel II: if part II of the Dutch certificate is missing, the car can only be registered after a confirmation from the Dutch authority via the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA).
• Expired inspection: if the APK has run out, expect a new HU before registration.
• Appointment booked too late: the 14 days on export plates run out while you wait.
• Deregistering the car yourself: according to the RDW, you then receive no export certificate.