ZEVRA › Knowledge

i-Kfz for companies and dealers: portal, large-customer interface or service

In short: i-Kfz for companies: since September 2023 legal entities can register vehicles online – via the authority's i-Kfz portal, via the KBA's large-customer interface (from regularly more than 500 applications per year) or via a connected service such as Zevra with no minimum volume, from €10 per case.

Companies can register vehicles digitally without driving to the authority. There are three routes: the single application in the registration authority's i-Kfz portal, a direct connection to the large-customer interface (GKS) of the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt – or a service that is already connected. Which one fits depends above all on your annual volume.

Zevra is the B2B platform for digital vehicle registration for car dealers, registration services and fleets: cases are entered in the dealer portal and filed nationwide by power of attorney with qualified electronic signature – from €10 per registration, no base fee, no minimum volume.

Last updated: · Zevra editorial team · Reviewed by Mohamed Gabal, owner

i-Kfz for companies and dealers: portal, large-customer interface or service

Route 1: single application in the authority's i-Kfz portal

Every registration authority offers its own i-Kfz portal. The application is filed there per vehicle. For occasional cases this is sufficient – anyone regularly working for customers in many registration districts deals with correspondingly many portals.

Route 2: direct connection to the KBA large-customer interface

The large-customer interface is the technical access of the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt for high-volume applicants. According to the KBA, large customers within the meaning of the Vehicle Registration Ordinance are legal entities under private law that regularly file more than 500 registration applications per year. They must register with the KBA, are admitted to the procedure and must meet technical requirements and self-commitments – including naming at least three contact persons.

For large dealer groups and fleet operators with their own IT this is worthwhile. For a dealership with a few dozen registrations a month the threshold is usually out of reach or the effort is out of proportion.

Route 3: a service that is already connected

This is where Zevra comes in. You work in a dealer portal, Zevra files the case digitally – nationwide, in one uniform procedure. The connection to the large-customer interface is provided in cooperation with Sunstone UG (haftungsbeschränkt). You need no registration of your own with the KBA, no technical connection of your own and no minimum volume.

The keeper grants a power of attorney with a qualified electronic signature (QES); an activated online ID card is not needed. The decision on the application still rests with the competent registration authority.

Which route suits which business?

  • Few cases a year, one registration district: single application in the authority's portal.
  • Regularly more than 500 applications a year and your own IT: consider direct registration as a large customer with the KBA.
  • Everything in between – dealerships, registration services, smaller fleets: a connected service with no minimum volume.
RouteRequirementSuits
Authority's i-Kfz portalCompany account with ELSTER certificate, application per vehiclefew cases, one district
KBA large-customer interfaceLegal entity, over 500 applications per year, registrationgroups with their own IT
Connected service (Zevra)Dealer account, power of attorney with QES, no minimum volumedealerships, registration services, smaller fleets

What does the route via Zevra cost?

From €10 per registration, deregistration €2. No base fee, no minimum volume. Official fees are passed on 1:1. All prices net plus VAT.

Read more

Sources: Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA): Large-customer interface – registration (German)

Answers to common questions

From how many registrations may I use the large-customer interface directly?
According to the KBA it is aimed at legal entities under private law that regularly file more than 500 registration applications per year and register with the KBA.
Can I still register digitally as a small dealership?
Yes. Via a connected service such as Zevra you file cases digitally – without your own KBA registration and without a minimum volume.
Does Zevra offer an API for my dealer system?
An API/DMS connection is planned. Currently you start cases in the dealer portal.
Who decides on the registration?
The competent registration authority. Zevra prepares the case and files it digitally.