Collecting a car from a dealer in Germany

If we collect the car

• You give us a collection power of attorney. With it our driver receives the car, keys and papers in your name and confirms receipt.
• At the dealer the driver fills in a collection record: mileage, fuel level, number of keys, plates, papers, visible damage. We ask the dealer to sign it.
• The driver photographs every document and all keys. We send you the photos and the collection record the same day, so you see what was collected before the car reaches you.
• At handover you receive the car and papers with a handover record and confirm receipt.

What we collect from the dealer

• Registration certificate part I (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I)
• Registration certificate part II (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II). If the dealer hands it over later, the record states where it is
• Certificate of conformity (COC)
• Report of the last main inspection (HU), if there is one
• Warranty documents
• Service book or printout of the service history
• Owner's manual
• All keys to the car
• Plates for the transfer drive and the proof of insurance for them

What you need with you on the road

• Passport and driving licence of the person driving
• The dealer's invoice and proof of payment
• Both parts of the registration certificate and the COC: the car is registered at home with them
• Proof of insurance for the plates. Check that the cover applies in every country on the route
• All keys, the service book and the owner's manual
• If the car leaves the EU: the export declaration with its MRN

Plates for the drive

Without registration the car may only be driven in Germany on temporary plates, and these are issued only with insurance. Two kinds suit you. Short-term plates (Kurzzeitkennzeichen) are valid at most until the end of the fifth day after issue and are meant for transferring a car with a valid main inspection. Export plates (Ausfuhrkennzeichen) are issued by the registration office: they are valid as long as the insurance runs, at most one year, the expiry date is on the plate, and the car may not be driven after it. Whether your country lets a car in on German temporary plates depends on the country: ask us before the trip. We work out the cost of the plates and their insurance in advance and tell you the amount before departure.

Driving to an EU country, for example Spain

There are no customs between Germany and mainland Spain with the Balearic Islands. The Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla count as outside the EU here: a car going there is declared for export, as described below. Before import the car is deregistered in Germany and travels on temporary plates with insurance. In Spain it is registered in this order: first the ITV inspection, which needs the COC, then the taxes, then the DGT issues the number. This needs the original vehicle papers and the invoice of the business seller with its VAT number. So keep the originals with you and do not hand them over to anyone on the way.

Leaving the EU

The car is declared for export: a forwarding agent files the electronic export declaration and customs checks the car and papers. When you leave the EU you present the declaration at the last EU customs office, which confirms the exit. That confirmation serves as proof of export for VAT, so always present the declaration. Customs recommends exporting the car on export plates and entering their number in the declaration. If the car travels on short-term plates, the exit confirmation alone is not enough: after registering the car at home, send the seller proof of registration or customs clearance in your country.

Money on the road

Petrol stations in Germany often refuse 500 and 200 euro notes. Take a card or smaller notes.