From when is a vehicle insured after registration? This page summarises § 9, § 5 and § 1 of the German Motor Vehicle Compulsory Insurance Ordinance.
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 M. Gabal, owner
From when does provisional cover apply?
When the insurer promises provisional cover by handing over the insurance confirmation, it applies from the time of official registration.
For a vehicle that is already registered it applies from the time the insurance confirmation is filed with the registration office. It has to be granted until the insurance policy is paid for.
When can provisional cover lapse retroactively?
The insurer can reserve this when the insurance policy is not paid for within a period fixed in the contract of at least 2 weeks.
The conditions are that the application was accepted unchanged, the policyholder is responsible for the delay and has been informed of this in writing.
Which duties may be agreed?
- to use the vehicle only for the purpose stated in the contract,
- not to use the vehicle without authorisation or allow such use,
- not to use the vehicle without the required driving licence,
- not to drive the vehicle under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants,
- to use a vehicle with an interchangeable plate only with the complete interchangeable plate.
Other duties before the insured event occurs cannot be agreed.
Which limits apply to the insurer?
| Point | Rule |
|---|---|
| release from liability after a breach of duty | at most 5 000 euros each towards the policyholder and co-insured persons |
| exception | The limit does not apply to a driver who obtained the vehicle through a criminal act. |
| territorial scope | Europe and the non-European territories within the scope of the Treaty on European Union |
The cover must have at least the extent prescribed in Germany.
How are start and end calculated?
The start and end of cover are determined by § 187 and § 188 of the German Civil Code.
What does this mean for dealers?
For dealers this means: with the insurance confirmation there is cover from registration, even when the policy document is still missing.
With Zevra the dealer files registration and deregistration in the dealer portal. Registration costs from 10 € per case, deregistration 2 € net, plus official fees.
- eVB number in vehicle registration: proof of third-party insurance in the digital application
- Insurance confirmation: content, transmission and notifications to the insurer
- Compulsory motor insurance in Germany: duty to insure, term and penalty
- Interchangeable plates (Wechselkennzeichen): one plate for two vehicles
- Temporary registration proof: valid for 10 days
- Documents posted by the authority: within 6 days
- Digital deregistration: documents from 01.01.2015
- Digital registration: documents from 01.01.2018
- Registration with Zevra: €10 net
- Deregistration with Zevra: €2 net · base fee: €0
Deadlines and cut-off dates according to: Bundesministerium für Verkehr
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- Individual operating licence under § 21 StVZO: application, expert report and retention
- Historic vehicle report under § 23 StVZO: requirements for the H plate
- Compulsory motor insurance in Germany: duty to insure, term and penalty
- Minimum insured sums in German motor liability insurance: amounts per claim
- Making, selling and issuing number plates: notice duty under § 6b StVG
- Number plate misuse under § 22 StVG: punishable acts and penalty
- Fines in German vehicle registration: standard rates from the schedule of fines
- German vehicle tax: car rates by engine size and CO₂ (§ 9 KraftStG)
- German vehicle tax liability: start, end and minimum term under § 5 KraftStG
- German number plate size and font: dimensions, FE font and character count (annex 4 FZV)
- Paying German vehicle tax: yearly, half-yearly or quarterly (§ 11 KraftStG)
- German vehicle tax for motorhomes, vans and trucks: rates by total weight
- German vehicle tax and severe disability: exemption and reduction under § 3a KraftStG
- Trailer without vehicle tax in Germany: green plate and trailer surcharge (§ 10 KraftStG)
- Operating licence for vehicle parts under § 22 StVZO: licence, inspection and type mark
- Claims history statement in Germany: deadline, content and equal treatment (§ 5c PflVG)
- Foreign vehicle in Germany: insurance, Green Card and frontier insurance
- General operating licence for vehicle types in Germany: grant, duties and lapse (§ 20 StVZO)
- Design approval for vehicle parts in Germany: duty, test mark and exceptions (§ 22a StVZO)
- Vehicle tax notice in Germany: assessment, reassessment and tax base (§ 12 and § 8 KraftStG)
- E-scooter and other small electric vehicles in Germany: operating licence, insurance sticker and minimum age (eKFV)
- German vehicle tax: who is the tax debtor and what is taxed? (§ 7 and § 1 KraftStG)
- Logbook order in Germany: order, entries and retention for keepers (§ 31a StVZO)
- Keeper liability for stopping or parking offences in Germany: when the keeper bears the costs (§ 25a StVG)
- Individual approval for vehicles in Germany: conditions, expert report and revocation (§ 13 EG-FGV)
- Car dealerships
- Registration services
- Fleet operators
- Banks & insurers
- Pricing
Sources: Kraftfahrzeug-Pflichtversicherungsverordnung (KfzPflVV) § 9 – Vorläufiger Deckungsschutz · Kraftfahrzeug-Pflichtversicherungsverordnung (KfzPflVV) § 5 – Obliegenheiten vor dem Versicherungsfall · Kraftfahrzeug-Pflichtversicherungsverordnung (KfzPflVV) § 1 – Räumlicher Geltungsbereich · Sources · Vehicle figures: tax, insurance, fines