Apply for a short-term license plate

Responsibility lies with the district and the independent city in which you have your residence or with the office responsible for the location of the vehicle.

The main place of residence according to the identity card is decisive. In the case of legal entities, this is the registered office of the main branch or the registered office of the branch.

The application must be submitted to the responsible office in person or by a person authorized in writing (e.g. car dealer). If an application form is required, you can obtain it in advance from the relevant office and complete it at home. Depending on the service offered by the competent body, a download form or an online service via the Internet is available. You will receive a special vehicle registration certificate from the relevant office, which you must complete.

• Originalregistration certificate Part I
• Valid main inspection report or corresponding entry in the registration certificate part I and part II
• Identity cardorpassportwithregistration certificate - not older than 3 months
• Electronic insurance confirmation (eVB) in accordance with § 23 of the Vehicle Registration Ordinance (FZV)

In the case of processing by a third party, additionally

• informal, written power of attorney from the applicant and identity card of the person for whom the vehicle is to be registered

for persons without a primary residence in the registration district additionally:

• Purchase contract with proof of vehicle location

for companies additionally:

• Extract from the trade register orcommercial register
• the identification documents of the person responsible and authorized to sign (managing director, authorized signatory) and their power of attorney
• for companies without a registered office in the registration district
  • Purchase contract with proof of vehicle location

for associations additionally:

• Extract from the register of associations
• ID of the person responsible and authorized to sign (board of directors) and their power of attorney

for underage vehicle owners additionally:

• Declaration of consent and signature of both parents
• their identity cards
• Specification of the intended use and the type of vehicle

• § 23 Vehicle Registration Ordinance (FZV)

Fees will be charged. Please contact the responsible office.

The short-term license plate contains the abbreviation of the registration district and a number beginning with 03 or 04. The official stamp plate is blue.

You can have the license plates produced while your application is being processed. To do this, contact a private provider, which is usually located near the relevant authorities. The costs for the plates are not included in the fees. The license plates are stamped by the responsible office.

The data must be collected and entered in full in the vehicle registration certificate for short-term license plates by the competent authority.

If the vehicle does not have a valid main inspection, a short-term license plate can be applied for, with the note in the vehicle registration document that journeys will only be made to the nearest inspection station in the registration district and back. It is only possible to continue driving if the vehicle has passed the main inspection.

If the vehicle does not correspond to an approved type or if no individual approval has been granted, a short-term license plate can be applied for, with the note in the vehicle registration document that journeys will only be made to the nearest inspection station in the registration district or an adjacent district and back.

The short-term license plate is valid for a maximum of 5 days. The expiry date is noted on the license plate in a yellow field on the right-hand side. After this time, the plate may no longer be used in road traffic.

Short-term license plates are not valid abroad. They may only be used within Germany.

The license plates and the vehicle registration document do not need to be returned to the competent authority after the period has expired. They lose their validity after the period has expired.

• § Section 16a of the Vehicle Registration Ordinance (FZV)