ROUTE
Car Import from EU
✓ Checked: 15/08/2026
Importing a car from an EU country is straightforward: no customs clearance and no individual technical approval under §21 StVZO. Three things are needed — a Certificate of Conformity (CoC), an eVB insurance code, and an appointment at the registration office. Everything else is ordinary registration, exactly as for a car bought in Germany.
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Answer a few questions and only the steps you actually need will remain. We will hide the rest.
Does the car need a German roadworthiness test? That depends on whether the EU test is still valid.
COSTS AND DEADLINES
What you pay for on this route
- CoC from manufacturer (if missing)VW Group, BMW, Mercedes usually €50–80; some manufacturers provide it free€50–150
- Certified translation (if not in German or English)€30–80
- Hauptuntersuchung (HU)GTÜ is usually cheaper than TÜV; prices vary by region€80–130
- Kurzzeitkennzeichen (5-day temporary plates)From the Zulassungsstelle — needed if the car has no German plates€12–25
- Kfz-Haftpflicht (mandatory third-party liability)Depends on vehicle, region, age, claims history. New drivers in Germany typically start at class SF½ or SF1from €300/year
- Zulassungsgebühr (registration fee)Check your local Zulassungsstelle website for exact fee€26–60
- Number plates (Nummernschilder)Paid separately at the Schilderpräger€20–35
- Kfz-Steuer (annual vehicle tax)Depends on engine size and emissions class; collected via SEPA direct debitfrom €20/year
Deadlines you cannot miss
- HU must be completed before the Zulassungsstelle appointmentHU/TÜV: technical inspection for your imported carhard deadline
- Register the vehicle promptly after import — driving on foreign plates in Germany is time-limitedZulassungsstelle: one appointment, German platesguideline
Amounts follow official fees as of each step’s verification date. Your city may charge a different rate — check the step itself.
› More about this route
The key document is the CoC, your vehicle's European technical certificate. Without it the registration office cannot enter the car in the register. If the seller did not hand it over, you order it from the manufacturer using the VIN: typically €50–150 and a few days. One detail otherwise costs a whole appointment: the CoC is accepted in German or English, otherwise a translation for €30–80 is required.
Financially the route stays predictable. If there is no valid inspection, it costs €80–130, and transit plates for €12–25 let you drive to the test station without registration. Registration itself is €26–60, plates €20–35, and vehicle tax starts at €20 a year. And one thing most people learn on the spot: the foreign original documents are retained permanently.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
All possible documents for this route
- CoC / EG-Übereinstimmungsbescheinigung (original)
- HU-Bescheinigung (inspection certificate from TÜV/DEKRA)
- eVB number (7-character alphanumeric code from your insurer)
- Personalausweis or passport + Meldebescheinigung (registration certificate)
- Foreign Fahrzeugbrief (vehicle title — will be kept permanently)
- Foreign Fahrzeugschein (registration document — will be kept permanently)
- eVB number (7-character code — write it down, no printout needed)
- HU-Bescheinigung (if you had the HU done)
- SEPA-Lastschriftmandat (signed at the office)
WHERE PEOPLE MOST OFTEN LOSE MONEY AND TIME
- Bringing a CoC in neither German nor English. A certificate in the seller's language is handed straight back at the counter, and the appointment has to be repeated after translation.
- Going to the office without copies of the foreign documents. The original registration papers are retained and stay in the file — take copies beforehand, you will still need them.
- Driving to the inspection without transit plates. An unregistered vehicle on public roads means a fine, while five-day plates cost just €12–25.
- Not checking the VIN in the CoC against the one on the car. A discrepancy surfaces at the worst possible moment — at the appointment, where it can no longer be fixed.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ROUTE
What does an EU import cost on top of the car's price?▾
Registration €26–60, plates €20–35, vehicle tax from €20 a year. If the CoC is missing, add €50–150 from the manufacturer and possibly €30–80 for translation. If an inspection is due, that is €80–130 plus €12–25 for transit plates. Liability insurance starts at around €300 a year.
How long does the whole process take?▾
Two things dominate the wait: the CoC from the manufacturer if you do not have it — usually a few days — and a free appointment at the registration office, which is booked in advance. The appointment itself takes under an hour with a complete file, provided the plates were ordered from the plate maker beforehand.
What should be prepared so that one appointment is enough?▾
Three things. Check the language of the CoC and that the VIN matches. Make copies of every foreign document, because the originals are retained. And order the plates from the plate maker in the building while you wait — by the time you come out with the paperwork they are ready.
How does an EU import differ from importing from a non-EU country?▾
By two particularly expensive stages that simply do not exist here. Importing from outside the EU requires customs clearance with duty and import VAT, plus individual technical approval under §21 StVZO along with a manufacturer's data sheet you have to obtain separately. Within the EU neither applies — the single market does the work.