You bought the car. It is sitting in a parking spot outside your building, or on a dealer lot waiting for handover. You cannot drive it yet. Not one metre. Not legally. The Kfz-Zulassungsstelle — your local vehicle registration office — stands between you and your keys, and it runs on a short, inflexible list of documents that has to be complete before anything happens.

This guide walks you through the full registration process in 2026, including the i-Kfz online route that has expanded in the last year. Every document is named. Every fee is explained. Every mistake I have watched expats make gets flagged before it costs you another appointment. The counter visit itself is usually short if your paperwork is clean.

What documents do you need to register a car in Germany?

The Zulassungsstelle runs on originals. Photocopies are rejected at the counter. Bring the originals that apply to your case (the list differs for a new car, a used German car and an import):

  1. Valid passport or national ID card. Non-EU citizens: passport plus Aufenthaltstitel (residence permit).
  2. Meldebescheinigung — proof of your registered main residence in the district of the Zulassungsstelle. A German Personalausweis already shows the address; foreigners with a passport need the Meldebescheinigung from the Bürgeramt.
  3. eVB number — seven-character electronic insurance confirmation code from your Kfz-Haftpflichtversicherung provider.
  4. Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II — names the keeper (Halter), who is often not the owner (for example with leasing or financing). It is not proof of ownership; whoever holds it is only presumed entitled to dispose of the vehicle.
  5. Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I (vehicle logbook) — stays in the car after registration.
  6. Valid HU (TÜV) — required for used vehicles, cannot be expired. The HU report is only needed if the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I does not show the next due date; for imports the office may accept an EU inspection report.
  7. SEPA-Lastschriftmandat — direct debit authorisation for Kfz-Steuer collection.
  8. Kaufvertrag or original invoice — required when registering a car imported from abroad; not generally required for an ordinary Umschreibung, but keep it. For a private purchase, you can use our German-language Kaufvertrag template (PDF).
  9. Certificate of Conformity (COC) — only for new cars and imports.
  10. Licence plates (not a document) — ordered from a Schilderdienst before the appointment.

The seven-step registration process

Step 1 — Complete your Anmeldung. If you have not already registered your German address, this comes first. The Zulassungsstelle requires your Meldebescheinigung.

Step 2 — Choose insurance and request your eVB number. Online insurers issue the eVB number within minutes of signup. Save the seven-character code.

Step 3 — Book your Zulassungsstelle appointment. Search '[your city] Kfz-Zulassungsstelle Termin'. Book the moment you sign the Kaufvertrag, not after. In big cities, appointments can take weeks.

Step 4 — Order licence plates. Most Schilderdienste near the Zulassungsstelle produce plates in 10–15 minutes. Plates run roughly €20–€40 per pair.

Step 5 — Arrive with everything. Print the document checklist. Check it off before you leave the house.

Step 6 — Pay the fees and get your plates stamped. Counter fees typically run from about €20 to €40 or more, and higher for imports or special cases; they follow the federal fee schedule (GebOSt) and are charged by the local Zulassungsbehörde. The clerk applies the Stempelplakette and hands back the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I.

Step 7 — Drive home, legally. Fit the plates. Your vehicle is now registered.

What does car registration in Germany cost in 2026?

Item Cost
Zulassungsstelle counter fee From about €20 to €40+ (more for imports or special cases)
Licence plates (pair) Roughly €20–€40
Reserved plate combination €12.80 optional
Kfz-Steuer (annual, 1.5L petrol) Example: about €77 (1.5 l petrol, 118 g/km, first registered 2021 or later)
Haftpflicht insurance (annual) Roughly €150–€400

Sources: Gebührenordnung für Maßnahmen im Straßenverkehr (GebOSt) and local Zulassungsbehörde fee lists; rough ranges, not exact quotes. The KBA does not set registration fees.

Can you register a car online with i-Kfz?

Yes — with conditions. i-Kfz requires the German Personalausweis, an electronic residence permit (eAT) or the German eID card for EU/EEA citizens, each with the activated online function and the six-digit PIN. A national ID card from another EU country is not on the official lists. You also need security-coded documents (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I issued from 2015; for a change of keeper, a Teil II from October 2017 with code; plates with new-type seals), a valid HU, an eVB, an IBAN for the SEPA mandate and online payment. i-Kfz is not available for vehicles coming from abroad. Most foreigners with only a passport register in person.

The five mistakes that cost expats the most time

Not checking how your office takes payment. Payment methods differ by office: Munich, for example, accepts cash, girocard and credit cards, while other offices may be more limited. Check before your visit and bring cash or a Girocard as a fallback.

Forgetting the SEPA-Lastschriftmandat form. Fill it out at home, in ink, with your IBAN.

Expired TÜV/HU on used vehicles. A car with an expired inspection certificate cannot be registered until it passes a fresh HU.

No Anmeldung. The registration is tied to your place of residence. Sort your Anmeldung first, always.

Bringing photocopies instead of originals. The clerk needs your actual passport, actual Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II, actual Meldebescheinigung.

Key takeaways

  • Sequence matters: Anmeldung → insurance (eVB) → Kaufvertrag → Zulassungsstelle appointment → plates → registration.
  • The documents you need depend on the case: new car, used German car or import.
  • Budget roughly €40–€80 for fees and plates, plus €12.80 for a reserved plate; more for imports or special cases.
  • i-Kfz online registration works if you have a German Personalausweis, an eAT or a German eID card for EU/EEA citizens with the online function activated. It is not available for imports; expats with only a passport register in person.
  • Payment methods differ by Zulassungsstelle: check before your visit and carry cash or a Girocard as a fallback.
  • Appointment wait times can run to weeks in major cities.
  • Electric vehicles first registered between 18 May 2011 and 31 December 2030 are exempt from Kfz-Steuer for ten years, at the latest until 31 December 2035.
  • Kurzzeitkennzeichen (short-term plates) are valid for five days plus the day of issue and only for test, inspection and transfer drives; they need an eVB. Authority fee about €13 and plates about €25, plus short-term insurance. Abroad they are recognised only partly.
  • Originals only. Photocopies get rejected at the counter.

Sources

  • Bundesministerium für Verkehr (BMV) — i-Kfz app (digital Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I), November 2025.
  • Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA) — Digital vehicle registration document (DFZ) information, 2025–2026.
  • Gebührenordnung für Maßnahmen im Straßenverkehr (GebOSt) and local Zulassungsbehörde fee lists.
  • Kraftfahrzeugsteuergesetz (KraftStG) — current vehicle tax rate tables and EV exemption provisions.
  • ADAC — Kurzzeitkennzeichen guidance.