Short-Term License Plates
Short-term license plates: for test and transfer drives
Anyone wanting to buy an unregistered car often wonders how to still take a test drive or transfer drive. The solution is: short-term license plates.
Short-term license plates are national license plates
They are valid for a maximum of five days
No allocation for vehicles located abroad
Frequently asked questions about short-term license plates
Appearance
The short-term license plate has a yellow field showing the expiry date of the plate. Using the plate after this date is not permitted.
Which documents are needed for a short-term license plate?
As a rule, you need the following documents to issue a short-term license plate:
- Electronic insurance confirmation (eVB) for short-term license plates
- Valid original ID document
- Identity card or passport with registration certificate
- Vehicle registration certificate part I (vehicle registration document)
- CoC papers (Certificate of Conformity, EC certificate of conformity), foreign vehicle documents, manufacturer certificates and expert reports in original
- Proof of a valid main inspection (HU) according to § 29 StVZO
(without proof of the HU, only trips to the nearest inspection facility are permitted)
- Purchase contract
This must show the vehicle identification number, the location of the vehicle and both contracting parties.
- For legal entities
Commercial register extract and/or trade registration as well as a valid original ID document of the person appearing
For a sole proprietorship, additionally a valid ID document of the named representative - For freelancers
Proof of the current company address in the form of letterhead or presentation of a certificate of the company address from a tax advisor - For associations
Extract from the register of associations
- When represented by an authorized agent
Presentation of an informal, written power of attorney or the completed and signed registration application as well as the original ID documents of the applicant and the authorized agent
The SEPA direct debit mandate must always be presented in original and signed by the vehicle owner.
Please note that the vehicle must be deregistered at least one business day before the short-term license plate is registered.
Driving without a valid main inspection?
Vehicles with short-term license plates may be driven without proof of a valid main inspection (HU) within the registration district and an adjacent registration district to the nearest inspection facility. The lack of a valid main inspection and the restriction of the permitted trip are noted in the vehicle registration document of the short-term license plate.
Defect found during the HU: what to do?
If a defect is found on your vehicle during the main inspection, you may use the short-term license plate not only for trips to the inspection facility but also for trips for the purpose of immediate repair of minor or significant defects within the registration district or an adjacent registration district.
This does not apply if the vehicle was classified as unsafe for traffic during the main inspection. This is intended to prevent vehicles that significantly impair road safety from participating in public road traffic.
What applies abroad?
Short-term license plates are fundamentally a national marking for test and transfer drives.
It is not permitted to use them for trips to or from abroad (prohibited long-distance registration).
However, since 2007 there has been a recognition obligation for the German short-term license plate within the EU member states. This means that a short-term license plate can also be used beyond the German borders within the EU member states.
Outside the EU as well, there are countries that tolerate the German short-term license plate (without legal entitlement). These include:
Switzerland
North Macedonia
Belarus
Bosnia
Iran