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Digital registration power of attorney: how the dealership registers for the customer with legal certainty

In short: The digital registration power of attorney (Zulassungsvollmacht): if a dealership registers a vehicle for a customer, it needs their power of attorney. Annex 12 of the Vehicle Registration Ordinance sets out its content – as a single registration for one vehicle or as a multiple registration for up to 100 vehicles. At Zevra the power of attorney is granted digitally with a qualified electronic signature (QES); the customer does not need an online ID card.

In the trade the power of attorney is the bottleneck: paper, signature, copy of ID, proof of authority to represent for companies. Digitally it becomes one step on the customer's smartphone.

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

Digital registration power of attorney: how the dealership registers for the customer with legal certainty

What must the registration power of attorney contain?

Annex 12 of the Vehicle Registration Ordinance describes the authorisation to file applications with the registration authority. Mandatory entries include:

  • Grantor (vehicle keeper): name, address, date and place of birth.
  • Authorised representative: company or person with address.
  • Scope: registration including re-registration, day registration and change of keeper or address.
  • Vehicle: vehicle identification number or registration certificate part II – for vehicles not yet produced the HSN/TSN key numbers.
  • Delivery of documents: to the keeper, the representative or a third party (e.g. the registration certificate part II to a bank).

Single or multiple registration – which applies when?

OptionForTypical case in the trade
Option 1 – single registrationone vehicleSale to a customer
Option 2 – multiple registrationup to 100 vehicles in one listFleet, rental company, company car pool

Power of attorney for companies: the most common mistake

If a legal entity is the keeper, the person granting the power of attorney must be authorised to represent it – provable, for example, by a commercial register extract. A power of attorney signed by an employee without such authority is the most common reason company registrations get stuck. Clarify signature and proof before applying.

Paper or qualified electronic signature?

At Zevra the keeper grants the power of attorney digitally with a qualified electronic signature (QES) under the EU eIDAS Regulation (910/2014) – by identification on the smartphone, without an activated online ID card and without printing. The signed power of attorney is stored tamper-proof on the case; the application then goes digitally to the competent authority, which alone decides.

Standing power of attorney for your business

For vehicles where your business itself is the keeper – day registrations, demonstrators, your own fleet – you file a standing power of attorney with Zevra once. After that you start every further case without a new signature. For customer vehicles the customer signs as keeper.

Costs

All Zevra prices include the standing power of attorney for your company: registration from €10 net per case, deregistration €2, no base fee.

Read more

Sources: Vehicle Registration Ordinance (FZV) – gesetze-im-internet.de (German) · Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV): Internet-based vehicle registration – how i-Kfz works (German)

Answers to common questions

Does the customer need an online ID card for the power of attorney?
Not at Zevra. The qualified electronic signature is granted by identification on the smartphone.
Does one power of attorney cover several vehicles?
Yes – Annex 12 FZV provides for multiple registration of up to 100 vehicles in one list.
Who may grant the power of attorney for a GmbH?
A person authorised to represent the company – provable, for example, by a commercial register extract.
Where are the registration documents sent?
The power of attorney decides: to the keeper, the representative or a third party, e.g. the registration certificate part II to the financing bank.
What is the standing power of attorney at Zevra?
A power of attorney granted digitally once by your business for vehicles where you are the keeper – afterwards no new signature per case.
Does deregistration need a power of attorney from the keeper?
Under § 16 of the Vehicle Registration Ordinance, a third party who presents all required documents is deemed authorised by the keeper to apply for deregistration.
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