Importing vehicles

The important thing when importing vehicles is the distinction of whether the vehicle is to be imported from an EU-country or from a non-EU-country.

Vehicle from an EU-country
When importing:

• When buying the new automobile, the buyer should insist on the delivery of the EEC-Certificate of Conformity, also called "COC-paper".
• The German pollutant classification (two-digit pollutant key) should be included in the certificate. This is important for the determination of the automobile tax.

There are several possibilities for transferring the vehicle:

• If the vehicle is to be transferred "on its own wheels", you must ask the foreign officials whether the German temporary license plate is accepted. If not, the importer must additionally procure an export license plate of the respective EU-state.
• The vehicle is transported on a vehicle transporter.

Registration of the vehicle from an EU-country:

• With COC-Paper and registered pollutant classification:
   A certificate of title to a motor vehicle brief is issued by the registration office, which is noted in the EEC- Certificate of Conformity.
• With COC-Paper, but without pollutant classification:
  Confirmation of the vehicle manufacturer is necessary. As an alternative, a confirmation (for a fee) by an officially recognized expert (see our TÃœV-service stations on-site) is also possible.
• Without COC-Paper:
  An assessment (for a fee) by an expert is necessary (see our TÃœV-service stations on-site).

Vehicle from a non-EU-country, such as the USA

Import vehicles from a non-EU-country deviate from the construction and operating regulations of the StVZO. Depending upon the country of manufacture, these differences can be in the area of lighting (especially the headlights), in the exhaust and noise emission regulations and certain parts requiring type approval, such as the trailer hitch.

We recommend requesting a German data sheet of the vehicle manufacturer before purchasing the vehicle.
With the vehicle papers, always have the following given to you:

• A "Certificate of Origin" with a new vehicle
• A "Certificate of Title" ("Title" for short) with a vehicle that is already registered in the USA.

Pay attention to the following before registration:

An assessment of an expert is necessary before registration in Germany. This assessment can be carried out by a TÜV-service station near you. We recommend that you arrange an appointment under 0800 – 88 38 88 38 and come by with the aforementioned papers.

In case of deviations, modifications must be carried out. In certain cases, an exception can be made. For example, the headlights can be tested by the lighting institute of TÃœV, so that these do not have to be replaced.

Registration of the vehicle from a non-EU-country:
absolutely necessary:

• Positive expert assessment.
• Information from the central vehicle registry, which states whether the vehicle was already registered in Germany or if it was listed as stolen.
• Customs law certificate