Vehicle bought, not yet registered, but it has to move: to the customer, to the workshop, to the roadworthiness test. The Vehicle Registration Ordinance knows two ways – and digitally there is often a third.
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
Short-term plates and red plates compared
| Feature | Short-term plates (§ 42 FZV) | Red plates (§ 41 FZV) |
|---|---|---|
| Number starts with | 03 or 04 | 06 |
| For whom | any applicant | reliable motor dealers, workshops, manufacturers |
| Validity | until the end of the fifth day after allocation | limited in time or revocable, for recurring business use |
| Vehicles | only the vehicle it was allocated for | also on different vehicles |
| Drives | test drives and transfer drives | inspection, test and transfer drives |
| Document | vehicle certificate under Annex 14 | vehicle certificate booklet under Annex 13 |
What do you need for short-term plates?
- The vehicle corresponds to an approved type or has an individual vehicle approval.
- Valid proof of roadworthiness test and – where required – safety inspection.
- Third-party motor insurance for the period.
- Application at your own registration authority or the one at the vehicle's location.
- The vehicle certificate for the short-term plates must be carried on every drive.
Without a valid roadworthiness test, § 42 (7) only allows drives to a test centre in your own or an adjacent registration district and back.
When are red plates worthwhile for dealers?
Red plates are allocated to a reliable dealer and may be used on changing vehicles – even without type approval of the individual vehicle. In return the holder bears the documentation: for every vehicle a separate page of the vehicle certificate booklet must be completed before the first drive. Anyone who regularly does test and transfer drives saves the application per vehicle.
When does digital registration replace the transfer drive?
Many short-term plates are only applied for to bring a sold vehicle to the customer or to the registration office. With digital registration exactly that disappears: the application is decided online, the temporary registration proof is valid for 10 days, and the vehicle already drives with its final plate.
- Sale to a customer in another district: digital registration instead of a transfer with short-term plates.
- Test drive by a prospect or a trip to the workshop: red plates or short-term plates.
- Vehicle without a valid roadworthiness test: first to the test centre – digitally no registration is possible without a valid HU.
What does Zevra offer – and what not?
Zevra is a digital registration service for new registration, day registration, transfer, re-registration and deregistration. Short-term plates and red plates are not part of the offer; they are applied for at the registration authority. The Federal Ministry of Transport does not list them among the i-Kfz procedures either. Registration via Zevra from €10 net, €0 base fee.
Read more
- New registration online: register new cars digitally and hand over the same day
- Vehicle deregistration online: take vehicles out of service digitally – for dealers and fleets
- Transfer online: re-register a used car to the buyer digitally
- Re-registration online: put deregistered vehicles back into service digitally
- Day registration online: first registration for one calendar day – digitally from the dealership
- eVB number in vehicle registration: proof of third-party insurance in the digital application
- Digital registration power of attorney: how the dealership registers for the customer with legal certainty
- Vehicle registration without online ID: why the customer needs no eID when the dealership registers
- Number plates in the digital registration case: own press or order with shipping
- Digital vehicle registration in the dealership: the complete guide
- i-Kfz for companies and dealers: portal, large-customer interface or service
- Vehicle registration by the dealer – also in another federal state
- Who offers digital vehicle registration for companies in Germany?
- Uncovering the security code: registration certificate part I, part II and stickers
- Registration certificate part II lost: procedure, deadlines and consequences for the trade
- Export plates: exporting vehicles – what dealers need to know
- Registering motorcycles and trailers online: what is the same for dealers – and what differs
- i-Kfz stage 4: what is new – and what does it mean for dealerships?
- Registering a company car: which documents does each legal form need?
- Registration service, authority or i-Kfz: which route pays off for dealers?
- Registering a leased vehicle: who is the keeper – and where does the registration certificate part II stay?
- Registration service at the dealership: how does registration become a selling point?
- Registration for used-car dealers: which vehicles work online?
- Registration service costs: what does a dealership pay per registration?
- How long does online vehicle registration take in Germany?
- Seasonal plates, E plates and H plates: applying online in Germany
- Low-emission sticker (Umweltplakette): what dealers should know
- Change of address after a move: re-registering a vehicle online
- Registering motorhomes and caravans online: what dealers need to know
- Interchangeable plates (Wechselkennzeichen): one plate for two vehicles
- Vehicle registration in Germany: official figures, deadlines and key dates
- Vehicle registration fees in Germany: official fees at the counter and online
- Registration without a valid HU: what is possible when the inspection has expired
- Importing an EU vehicle and registering it in Germany: what dealers need to know
- Registering an electric car in Germany: tax exemption and E plate
- Keeper's change of name: having the vehicle documents changed
- Documents for vehicle registration: printable checklist per case
- Reserving a number plate: term, fee and rules for personalised plates
- Registering rental cars and taxis: reporting the use and meeting deadlines
- Certificate of destruction (Verwertungsnachweis): scrapping and deregistering a car
- Green number plates: plates for tax-exempt vehicles in Germany
- Online registration rejected: common reasons and solutions
- Becoming a KBA large customer: requirements, details and duties
- HU intervals: when is the general inspection due for which vehicle?
- Vehicle tax at registration: SEPA mandate and tax arrears
- Temporary registration proof: content, validity and duties
- CoC (certificate of conformity): the proof at first registration
- Car dealerships
- Registration services
- Fleet operators
- Leasing companies
- Rental & car subscription
- Banks & insurers
- Manufacturers & importers
- Remarketing & resellers
- Pricing
Sources: Vehicle Registration Ordinance (FZV) – gesetze-im-internet.de (German) · Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV): Internet-based vehicle registration – how i-Kfz works (German)