Register a Car in Germany 2026: Step by Step

Register a Car in Germany as a Foreigner (2026)

Yes, foreigners can register a car in Germany. You need a completed Anmeldung, a passport plus residence permit, and a valid EVB number from a German car insurer. The official registration fee is €30.00, or €12.80 if you can use the i-Kfz online route. Allow one to three weeks for the whole process.

Key Takeaways

• Start with car insurance, your EVB number is the gateway document. You will not get an appointment without it.
• Complete your Anmeldung at the Bürgeramt before booking the Zulassungsstelle. No exceptions.
• The registration fee is the same everywhere in Germany: €30.00 at the counter, €12.80 online. Plates and the emissions sticker are separate and are not official fees.
• No authority publishes binding appointment wait times. Open your local booking portal and check what is actually free before you plan around it.
• A non-EU licence is valid for six months from the day you establish ordinary residence, extendable by up to six months on request. The car can be registered in your name either way.

Moving to Germany and bringing a car, or buying one once you arrive, adds another layer to the bureaucracy. The good news? The process itself is well-defined. The bad news? Each step depends on the one before it, so getting the order wrong can cost you weeks. This guide walks you through every step in plain English, with sources you can verify yourself.

If you already have your documents ready and just need car insurance, you can compare offers from 300+ German providers in English. Most expats get their EVB number within five minutes. Already insured and only need the confirmation code for your appointment? Get a quick EVB number here.

Can a Non-Resident Register a Car in Germany?

In most cases, you need to be officially registered as a resident (Anmeldung) to register a car. The Zulassungsstelle requires a Meldebescheinigung as proof of address. There are narrow exceptions for second residences or seasonal users, but for the vast majority of expats: Anmeldung first, car registration second.

If your Anmeldung appointment is still weeks away (a common reality in Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg), you have two options:

1. Wait it out. Most cities offer same-day Bürgeramt slots if you arrive at opening time.
2. Use a registration service. Specialized agents (Kfz-Zulassungsdienst) can register a car in your name once you have your Meldebescheinigung. Their service fee comes on top of the official fees and differs a lot by provider and city, so get a concrete quote first. What you buy is not having to go yourself, and no language barrier.

Verbraucherzentrale has a useful overview of consumer rights around car ownership in Germany, which is worth bookmarking.

What You Need Before Going to the Zulassungsstelle

Missing even one document means a wasted trip. Here is the full checklist:

• Valid passport or EU ID card, plus your residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) if you are non-EU
• Proof of registered address (German: Meldebescheinigung) from your Anmeldung at the Bürgeramt
• EVB number, your 7-character car insurance confirmation. Get an EVB number in minutes
• Vehicle title (German: Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II, also called Fahrzeugbrief)
• Previous registration certificate (German: Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I) if you are buying a used car
• Valid TÜV inspection (Hauptuntersuchung), required for used cars older than three years. New cars come pre-inspected
• SEPA direct debit form for vehicle tax (download from the Zoll website)
• German bank account with IBAN, the SEPA mandate is mandatory

Practical tip: Order your documents in a folder in the sequence above. Clerks at the Zulassungsstelle work through them in order, and an organized folder shaves five minutes off your appointment.

Step 1: Get Car Insurance and Your EVB Number

This is where most guides bury the point. Car insurance is not just one document on a checklist, it is the first thing you arrange. Without the EVB number, nothing else moves forward.

The EVB number (German: elektronische Versicherungsbestätigung) is a 7-character code your insurer issues once you have at least third-party liability coverage. The Zulassungsstelle verifies this code electronically during your appointment.

How to get your EVB number

1. Compare car insurance from German providers in English
2. Choose at least liability coverage (German: Haftpflichtversicherung), this is the legal minimum under the German Compulsory Insurance Act
3. Your insurer sends the EVB number by email or SMS, usually within minutes
4. The full online process takes about five minutes

Important details:

• How long your EVB stays valid is set by your insurer, not by law. The ADAC puts the common range at three to six months. Ask for the exact window, and if your appointment is weeks away, request a fresh code closer to the date.
• Without a claims record an insurer can count, you are rated as a beginner, usually SF class 0 and with some insurers SF ½. What decides this is not your nationality but whether you can document previous cover.
• What you end up paying depends on the car, your postcode, your age and your classification. We deliberately do not quote a price range: no independent body publishes reliable figures for newcomers without German cover. For context, the GDV reports an average annual third-party premium of €276 for 2024, across all vehicles and all no-claims classes. As a newcomer you will sit above that.
• If you were insured in the EU or EEA, ask your previous insurer for a Bescheinigung über den Schadenverlauf (claims record certificate). Under § 5c PflVG your former insurer has to issue it. Whether and how far a German insurer credits those years is its own decision, not an automatic entitlement, so ask before you sign.

Step 2: Book Your Zulassungsstelle Appointment

The Zulassungsstelle (vehicle registration office) handles all car registrations. You must go to the office in the municipality where you completed your Anmeldung.

To find your local office, search "[your city] Kfz-Zulassungsstelle" online. Each Landkreis (district) runs its own.

Booking realities

• Most offices require an online appointment. Walk-ins are rarely accepted in larger cities.
• Wait times in 2026: one to four weeks in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, and Frankfurt. A few days in smaller towns and rural districts.
• Look for "Terminbuchung", "Online-Termin", or "Wunschtermin" on the city portal.
• Early morning slots (07:30-08:30) are usually less competitive than mid-day.

City-specific guidance

City	Official vehicle registration page
Berlin	service.berlin.de, new registration
Hamburg	LBV Hamburg, vehicle registration
Munich	stadt.muenchen.de, registration office
Bonn	bonn.de, new registration

If you cannot wait, a registration service will make the trip to the authority for you. Their fee sits on top of the official charges and varies widely between providers and cities, so ask for a quote before you book. It makes most sense if your German is still limited, your schedule is tight, or you have several vehicles to register.

Step 3: Get Your License Plates Made

Here is something that surprises most foreigners: you buy your license plates before the appointment, not after.

1. Reserve your plate number online if you want a custom combination. That costs €12.80 in total nationwide: €10.20 for the assignment plus €2.60 for the reservation. Otherwise the office assigns a random one at no extra cost.
2. Visit an Autoschilder (plate-pressing shop) near the Zulassungsstelle, they are nearly always next door.
3. Get your plates embossed. It takes five to ten minutes and costs around €15-30 for a standard pair.
4. Bring the plates (still un-stamped) to your appointment.
5. The clerk stamps them, which officially activates them.

Most plate shops accept card payment. Some smaller ones are cash-only, confirm before you go.

Step 4: Your Appointment at the Zulassungsstelle

Bring all your documents organised in a folder. How long the appointment takes depends on the case, and the registration offices do not publish a figure. Plan for the morning rather than assuming you will be out in ten minutes.

What happens during the appointment

1. The clerk verifies all your documents one by one.
2. Your EVB number is checked electronically against the federal insurance database.
3. Vehicle data is recorded in the central vehicle register (operated by the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt).
4. You receive your Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I, keep this in the car at all times.
5. Your license plates get the official stamp.
6. Your SEPA data is forwarded to the Hauptzollamt for vehicle tax processing.

Payment: Bring cash or a German EC or Girocard. Credit cards are not always accepted, even in 2026. The official registration fee is €30.00; plates and the sticker are paid separately.

Online Registration via i-Kfz: Who Can Actually Use It?

You can, and for more transactions than most guides admit. According to the Federal Ministry for Transport, the online route covers registration, de-registration, re-registration, transfer of ownership with or without a change of keeper, day registration, and the choice of electric, seasonal or classic-car plates. The decision is automated, and you may drive off as soon as the vehicle is released.

Here is the part that matters for you: you do not need a German ID card. The ministry names the electronic residence permit explicitly as a valid means of identification, and the legal basis runs through § 20 FZV together with § 78(5) AufenthG. You need one of these three:

• A German ID card with the eID function switched on
• An electronic residence permit (eAT) with the online function activated
• BundID or an ELSTER certificate as an alternative

The second hurdle is the one almost nobody mentions, and for used-car buyers it is the decisive one: it comes down to the issue date of the vehicle papers. If the registration certificate is too old, it lacks the concealed security codes the online system reads, and then no amount of eID helps. In that case you are going to the registration office in person.

The digital vehicle registration document, live since November 2025

Since 6 November 2025 there is also the i-Kfz app with the digital Fahrzeugschein, meaning your Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I on your phone. Keep the two apart: the app is the digital copy of your registration document, the i-Kfz portal is where you register the car. Different things. The app also requires the eID function, it is free, and it works in German and English.

One detail that can save you at a border: if you drive abroad, take the paper document with you. The ministry is blunt about it: the digital Fahrzeugschein can for now only be used inside Germany, and internationally you still have to carry the paper version. Worth remembering if you regularly drive home for the holidays.

How Much Does Car Registration Cost in Germany?

One distinction matters more than any number here: the office fee is fixed by law nationwide, everything else is a free market price.

The registration office charges what the GebOSt fee schedule says it charges. That amount is the same in Hamburg and in a rural district office, and no one can quote you a different one.

Cost Item	Amount	Basis
Registration at the counter	€30.00	GebOSt No. 221.1, fixed nationwide
Registration online via i-Kfz	€12.80	GebOSt No. 221.1.1, fixed nationwide
Custom plate (optional)	€12.80 total	€10.20 assignment + €2.60 reservation, fixed nationwide
Physical plates	plate shop sets its own price	not an official fee
Environmental sticker (Umweltplakette)	seller sets its own price	not an official fee
Roadworthiness test (used cars only)	inspection body sets its own price	TÜV, DEKRA or GTÜ, varies by region

So for a new car, budget the €30 office fee plus whatever the plate shop next door and the sticker cost. If you can use the online route, the official fee alone drops by more than half. For a used car with an expired inspection sticker, add the cost of a fresh Hauptuntersuchung. We deliberately do not quote fixed prices for the non-official items, because plate shops and inspection bodies set their own rates.

Ongoing costs after registration

• Vehicle tax (German: Kfz-Steuer) under § 9(1) no. 2 KraftStG. The engine part is simple: €2.00 per 100 cc for petrol, €9.50 for diesel. The CO2 part depends on when the car was first registered anywhere, not on when you register it in Germany. For first registrations between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2020 it is a flat €2 per gram above 95 g/km. For first registrations from 1 January 2021 it is tiered: €2.00 for the band over 95 up to 115 g/km, then €2.20 up to 135, €2.50 up to 155, €2.90 up to 175, €3.40 up to 195, and €4.00 per gram beyond that. Buy a recent used car with a thirsty engine and the tax bill is noticeably higher than the simple calculation suggests.
• Electric vehicles stay tax-free if first registered between 18 May 2011 and 31 December 2030: ten years from first registration, and no longer than until 31 December 2035 (§ 3d Abs. 1 KraftStG). The window was extended at the end of 2025. Our guide to the EV tax exemption in 2026 works through what that means in practice.
• Car insurance, the second recurring cost. Third-party liability is mandatory; partial and fully comprehensive cover are optional and cost more. The premium tracks the car, your postcode, your age and your no-claims class, which is why it pays to compare several providers before you sign.

We are not going to give you a single first-year total, because without your specific car and your insurance classification the number would be meaningless. Work out the vehicle tax exactly with the customs authority calculator, then get your insurance quote from a comparison. Those two together give you a figure that actually applies to you.

New Car vs Used Car: Two Different Workflows

The process is similar but the documents differ.

Registering a new car

• The dealer usually has Teil II ready and applies for Teil I on your behalf, or hands you the paperwork.
• The Übergabevertrag (transfer agreement) acts as proof of purchase.
• TÜV is already valid for three years from first registration, no inspection needed.
• Some dealers offer a Zulassungsservice that handles the whole appointment for you.

Registering a used car

• Confirm the seller has both Teil I and Teil II before paying. Without Teil II, you cannot register the car. Period.
• Check the TÜV sticker on the rear plate. If expired or close to expiring, factor in €80-150 for a new inspection at TÜV, DEKRA, or GTÜ.
• Use the standardized Kaufvertrag template from ADAC, it covers ownership transfer, payment terms, and basic warranty disclaimers.
• Register the car in your name as soon as possible after purchase. There is no formal national deadline, but driving an un-re-registered car puts both insurance coverage and liability in legal limbo.

Importing a Car from Another EU Country

If you are bringing a vehicle from another EU country into Germany, you need a Certificate of Conformity (COC) from the manufacturer plus your foreign registration documents.

• No customs duties apply within the EU.
• 19% VAT may apply if the car is under six months old or has fewer than 6,000 km, the German tax authority treats it as a "new means of transport".
• German TÜV inspection is required. Foreign roadworthiness certificates (UK MOT, Spanish ITV, Italian Revisione) are not transferable.
• For non-EU imports, customs duties and additional homologation steps apply. Contact your local Zollamt for guidance.

Driving License: EU vs Non-EU

License origin	Validity in Germany
EU/EEA	Stays valid, no conversion needed; the lorry and bus classes C and D carry their own time limits under § 28(3) FeV
UK (post-Brexit)	Conversion required; Annex 11 FeV grants no exemption from the theory or practical test
USA, Canada, Australia	Six months from establishing ordinary residence; whether you are exempt from the tests depends on your state or province (Annex 11 FeV)
Japan, South Korea	Six months from establishing ordinary residence; listed in Annex 11 FeV for conversion without a test
Other non-EU	Six months from establishing ordinary residence; theory and practical test usually required unless Annex 11 FeV lists your country

Two different sections govern this and they get mixed up constantly. EU and EEA licences fall under § 28 FeV; everything else falls under § 29 FeV. The conversion itself is governed by § 31 FeV, and the attached Annex 11 lists which countries are exempt from the test.

One detail worth knowing, because it can buy you half a year: the six months do not start on the date printed on your Meldebescheinigung. They start when you establish your ordinary residence in Germany (§ 7 FeV). And the clock can be extended. Under § 29 Abs. 1 FeV the licensing authority may grant up to six additional months on request, if you can show you will not be resident here for longer than twelve months. For a fixed-term posting that is often simpler than a full conversion. Call your local Führerscheinstelle before the deadline anyway. Our guide to driving in Germany on a foreign licence goes through the conversion routes in detail.

Important: The car can be registered in your name regardless of your license status. But you can only legally drive it while your license is recognised.

Five Common Mistakes Foreigners Make

1. Skipping the Anmeldung step. Without a Meldebescheinigung, the Zulassungsstelle will refuse your application. Every time.
2. Letting the EVB number expire. If your appointment moves, request a fresh EVB before going in.
3. Not having a German bank account. The SEPA mandate for vehicle tax requires a German IBAN. Open a free Girokonto first if you have not already.
4. Buying a used car without Teil II. If the seller hides this, walk away. No Teil II means no ownership transfer.
5. Assuming English support. Berlin and Hamburg have made progress, but most Zulassungsstellen still operate in German only. Bring a German-speaking friend, hire an interpreter, or use a registration service.

Can Someone Else Register the Car For Me? (Vollmacht)

Yes. You can authorise another person (a friend, lawyer, or registration service) to register a car on your behalf using a Vollmacht (power of attorney). Requirements vary slightly by city, but most Zulassungsstellen accept:

• A signed Vollmacht specifying the vehicle and the scope of authority
• Copies of your passport/ID and Meldebescheinigung (some offices require originals, so check first)
• The original documents listed above (Teil II, EVB, license plates)
• The proxy's own valid ID

This is especially useful if you cannot get time off work, are non-resident at a distance, or just prefer to delegate the paperwork.

Financing Your Car Purchase

Need a loan to buy your car? You can compare offers from German banks even without a long German credit history. Whether a loan is granted, and on what terms, is the bank's decision after its own creditworthiness assessment, which it is legally required to carry out under § 505a BGB. So we cannot promise you an approval, and we deliberately do not quote amounts or rates here. What you realistically need to bring is proof of income and a valid residence permit.

Your Schufa score shapes both your loan terms and your insurance premiums. If you are new to Germany, take five minutes to understand how the Schufa system works before applying.

Bottom Line: What to Do Next

If you are still gathering documents, start with the EVB number, everything depends on it. Compare car insurance providers in English, get your EVB within minutes, then book your Zulassungsstelle appointment as soon as your Anmeldung is done. The whole process is manageable in two to three weeks if you sequence it correctly.

Buying your first car in Germany? Make sure your German bank account is open before the appointment, without an IBAN for the SEPA mandate, the registration cannot complete. And if financing is on the table, our loan comparison for foreigners covers offers from German banks that work with expat profiles.