Red historic vehicle plates 07: permitted drives and duties

Besides the historic vehicle plate with H, the German Vehicle Registration Ordinance of 2023 has red historic vehicle plates (rotes Oldtimerkennzeichen). This page sums up § 43.

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: 2026-10-12 · Zevra editorial team · Reviewed by M. Gabal, owner

Which drives do red historic vehicle plates allow?

The event must serve the presentation of historic vehicles and the preservation of automotive cultural heritage. The rule names no other drives.

What is a historic vehicle under the ordinance?

Historic vehicles are vehicles that first entered traffic at least 30 years ago. They largely correspond to their original condition, are in a good state of preservation and serve to maintain automotive cultural heritage.

What do red historic vehicle plates look like?

They consist of the district code and an identification number made up of digits only and starting with 07. Design and fitting follow § 12 and Annex 4 of the ordinance.

Unlike a dealer's red plate, it may only be used on the vehicle for which it was issued.

Which duties apply to the vehicle document booklet?

• The authority issues a vehicle document booklet following the template in Annex 15.
• The person driving the vehicle carries it on every drive.
• They hand it to competent persons on request.
• The rules for red plates apply accordingly, including the records of every drive and keeping them for 1 year.

Which permits are still needed?

Permit and approval duties under other rules remain unaffected, in particular under § 29 (2) of the Road Traffic Regulations. § 31 (2) of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations continues to apply as well.

What does this mean for dealers?

For a historic vehicle in regular traffic, registration with a historic vehicle plate is the option. Red plates 07 replace it only for the drives named.

Zevra is the B2B platform for digital vehicle registration and does not allocate red plates. Regular registration costs from €10 per case, deregistration €2 net, plus official fees.

Read more

• Number plate types in Germany: all vehicle plates compared
• Number plates in the digital registration case: own press or order with shipping
• Seasonal plates, E plates and H plates: applying online in Germany
• Interchangeable plates (Wechselkennzeichen): one plate for two vehicles
• Short-term plates or red plates: what dealers need for test and transfer drives
• Export plates: exporting vehicles – what dealers need to know
• Low-emission sticker (Umweltplakette): what dealers should know
• 100 km/h plaque for trailers: requirements and procedure
• Reserving a number plate: term, fee and rules for personalised plates
• Green number plates: plates for tax-exempt vehicles in Germany
• Keeping your number plate: what applies when moving or changing keeper
• Insurance plate: which vehicles need it and how long it is valid
• Fitting number plates: what the FZV prescribes on height, tilt and readability
• Red plates 06: permitted drives, vehicle document booklet and return
• Red insurance plate: drives, structure and reporting to the register
• Insurance plate as a film: carrier plate, hologram and expert report
• Car dealerships
• Registration services
• Fleet operators
• Pricing

Sources: Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung (FZV) § 43 – Fahrten zur Teilnahme an Veranstaltungen für Oldtimer · Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung (FZV) § 2 – Begriffsbestimmungen · Sources · FZV sections § 43 · FZV sections § 2