At which authority is a vehicle registered? This page sets out the rules of the German Vehicle Registration Ordinance of 2023 on local competence.
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
Which authority is locally competent?
| Case | Competent authority |
|---|---|
| Natural person with one place of residence | authority of the place of residence |
| Several homes | authority of the place of the main residence within the meaning of the Federal Registration Act |
| No place of residence and no main residence | authority of the place of stay |
| Legal entity, trader, self-employed person with a fixed business seat, public authority | authority of the seat or of the place of the branch or office involved |
| No residence, seat or branch in Germany | authority of the place of residence of an authorised recipient |
What applies to keepers without a residence in Germany?
If such a keeper's vehicle has its regular location in Germany, the keeper names an authorised recipient in Germany to the registration authority on request.
This does not apply if the keeper is based in another EU or EEA state to which documents can be served. Then the authority at the vehicle's regular location is competent.
Can another authority handle the application?
With the consent of the locally competent administrative authority, an equivalent authority elsewhere can handle and complete an application. With the consent of the supreme state authorities or the bodies they designate, this is also possible in another federal state.
If road safety requires immediate action, any equivalent authority can take provisional measures.
Who is competent after a change of keeper or when insurance is missing?
For measures after a change of keeper and where insurance cover is missing, the authority that allocated the plate is competent. This changes once the authority of the new residence has already amended the registration certificate part I after a move.
What is the Federal Motor Transport Authority responsible for?
The Federal Motor Transport Authority is responsible for registering a large customer under the rules on the large-customer interface. Otherwise the authorities competent under state law implement the ordinance.
Which services have their own competences?
- Bundeswehr,
- Federal Police and Federal Criminal Police Office,
- customs administration,
- Federal Agency for Technical Relief,
- state police forces.
There, their own offices exercise the competences as determined by the responsible ministries.
What does this mean for dealers?
What counts is the applicant's place of residence or seat, not the location of the dealership.
With Zevra dealers file cases digitally for customers from other registration districts. Registration costs from €10 per case, deregistration €2 net, plus official fees.
- 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
Read more
- Digital vehicle registration in the dealership: the complete guide
- Who offers digital vehicle registration for companies in Germany?
- Registration service, authority or i-Kfz: which route pays off for dealers?
- Registration service at the dealership: how does registration become a selling point?
- Registration service costs: what does a dealership pay per registration?
- How long does online vehicle registration take in Germany?
- Vehicle registration in Germany: official figures, deadlines and key dates
- Vehicle registration fees in Germany: official fees at the counter and online
- Car dealerships
- Registration services
- Fleet operators
- Pricing
Sources: Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung (FZV) § 75 – Zuständigkeiten · Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung (FZV) § 6 – Antrag auf Zulassung · Sources · FZV sections § 75 · FZV sections § 6