Deregistering a car in Germany: cost, steps and what ends
Sale, scrapping, a winter lay-up or export: if you stop using a car, you take it off the road. The fee is small, but a few decisions hang on it.
Deregistering a car is officially called Außerbetriebsetzung and is governed by § 16 of the Vehicle Registration Ordinance (FZV). The keeper shows the registration office registration certificate part I and the number plates; the office removes the registration seal, records the deregistration and hands back the papers and plates. The fee is €15.90 under number 224.1 of the fee schedule, €17.10 at the counter including the Federal Motor Transport Authority’s entry. Online under number 224.2 it is €2.10, €3.30 in all. Berlin quotes €17.10 for deregistering in person, exactly this sum. If you want to register the car again later, you can reserve the plate for up to 12 months for €2.60. Deregistration ends vehicle tax, and the office informs the insurer; neither needs a separate application. A third party who brings all the documents may also deregister.
What does deregistering cost?
Deregistration total
€17.10
| Office fee | €15.90 |
| Federal Motor Transport Authority (no. 125) | €1.20 |
| Online would be lower by | €13.80 |
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
The cost step by step
Deregistering is the cheapest registration procedure. It only gets dearer when the car is to go back on the road. The table shows both sides: the deregistration itself and the possible ways back.
| Step | GebOSt no. | Fee | With small items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deregister at the counter | 224.1 | €15.90 | €17.10 – €17.10 |
| Deregister online | 224.2 | €2.10 | €3.30 – €3.30 |
| Deregister and reserve the plate | 224.1 + 230 | €18.50 | €19.70 – €19.70 |
| Later: re-register with the reserved plate | 221.6 | €23.00 | €25.60 – €27.10 |
| Later: re-register online | 221.7 | €10.90 | €13.50 – €15.00 |
| Later: register with a new plate | 221.1 | €30.00 | €34.60 – €36.10 |
A reservation is worth it above all for a personalised number or when the old plates are still in good shape. It costs €2.60 and holds the number for up to 12 months from the day of deregistration. One exception: a plate you brought from another district after a move cannot be reserved when you deregister in the new district.
What to bring
At the counter, registration certificate part I, both number plates and an ID are enough. Registration certificate part II is not needed to deregister, though it is for a later registration to a new keeper. If a plate is missing because it was stolen, offices usually ask for a police confirmation; if the certificate is lost, a statutory declaration. Both cost extra and lengthen the appointment.
Deregistering online
Online deregistration is the registration offices’ oldest internet service and costs €2.10 instead of €15.90. You need an ID card with the online function, registration certificate part I with the security code uncovered, and plates whose seals carry a hidden code. Seals from before 2015 do not have it; then only the counter will do. You uncover the code by scratching the seal, which destroys it, after which the car may no longer be driven.
How much do I save online?
Online saving
€16.90
| Fee in person | €30.00 |
| Fee online | €13.10 |
| Saving in per cent | 56 % |
Deregistering, laying up, scrapping: the differences
A deregistered vehicle may neither be driven on public roads nor parked there; it has to stand on private land or in a garage. If you only want to lay the car up for the winter, consider a seasonal plate: it saves deregistering and registering every year. When a car is scrapped, the approved recycling firm issues a certificate of disposal that the office wants to see at deregistration. For selling abroad there is the export plate.
Registering again
A deregistered vehicle stays in the register and can be registered again at any time. If the roadworthiness test fell due in the meantime, it must be done before re-registration. With a reserved plate, re-registering costs €23.00 at the counter and €10.60 online; without a reservation it is a normal registration under number 221.1, and the costs are under registration costs.
Four occasions and what matters in each
Selling privately. Deregistering before handing over is the safe route: from the day of deregistration you pay neither tax nor insurance, and the buyer’s fines do not reach you. The buyer then needs a short-term plate or a trailer to collect the car.
Selling to a dealer. Dealers often deregister the car themselves and take the certificate and plates for that purpose. Put in the contract by when this will happen, and check the notice confirming that tax has ended.
Scrapping. The approved recycler issues the certificate of disposal. Some deregister the car for you; otherwise you take the certificate, the registration document and the plates to the office.
A longer break. A car standing for months still costs tax and insurance unless it is deregistered. It pays once the break saves more in tax and premium than the fees for deregistering and re-registering; with a reserved plate you keep the plates and the number.