Reserving a personalised plate in Germany: five minutes online
If you want a personalised plate (Wunschkennzeichen), reserve it before your appointment. It is done online with your registration office, costs little and saves a trip at the counter.
You reserve a personalised plate (Wunschkennzeichen) in the online portal of the registration office responsible for your home address; private reservation sites use the same portals and charge for their service on top. You enter your district code, the combination you want and your name, see at once whether it is free, and receive a reservation confirmation. The road traffic fee schedule (GebOSt), last amended by Art. 6 of the Ordinance of 12 August 2026, charges €2.60 for the reservation under number 230; the €10.20 surcharge for the personalised number is due only at registration. How long a reservation lasts is set by each office; after it expires the number becomes free again. Deregistration is different: there you can reserve your existing number for up to 12 months so that the same vehicle gets it back when it is re-registered. With the confirmation you can have the plates made beforehand.
What does my personalised number cost?
Extra for the personalised number
€12.80
| Fee with personalised number | €42.80 |
| Fee without | €30.00 |
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Step by step
Find the responsible office. You can only reserve with the office that will later register the car, the one for your main residence. The search by town or postcode names it together with the code your district issues.
Open the portal. The district or city website links to the reservation portal, usually under “Wunschkennzeichen”. No account is needed.
Check the combination. Choose the district code if there is more than one, then type the letters and number. The portal shows at once whether the combination is free, taken or blocked. Many portals suggest free alternatives nearby.
Reserve. Enter the future keeper’s name and address, confirm, and save or print the confirmation. It shows the number, the reservation reference and the expiry date.
Have the plates made. With the confirmation any plate maker will stamp the plates in advance. At the counter they are then only sealed.
Register. Quote the reservation reference at your appointment or in the online application. Only now are the personalised surcharge and the reservation fee charged.
What the reservation costs
| Item | GebOSt | Amount | When due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reservation | no. 230 | €2.60 | depending on the portal, at once or at registration |
| Personalised number surcharge | no. 221 | €10.20 | at registration |
| New registration with both, in person | no. 221.1 | €42.80 | at registration |
| New registration with both, online | no. 221.1.1 | €25.90 | in the portal |
Going to your appointment without a reservation and choosing a free number there saves the reservation fee, but you risk the number being gone and must have the plates made after allocation. Where appointments are scarce, that is the more expensive route because it costs time.
What does my personalised number cost?
Extra for the personalised number
€12.80
| Fee with personalised number | €42.80 |
| Fee without | €30.00 |
Why every portal looks different
Registration offices work with case-management software from a small number of vendors, and the reservation portal is part of that software. The Federal Motor Transport Authority’s directory gives the code of each office’s system. The breakdown shows that almost every main office uses one of four systems; once you know one portal, you will find your way around the others built on the same system.
| Software code | Main offices | Share |
|---|---|---|
| OK | 165 | 40 % |
| IKO | 102 | 25 % |
| VIA | 91 | 22 % |
| KM | 57 | 14 % |
The codes are shown as the directory abbreviates them. What matters is that you use your own office’s portal; a reservation made in another district’s portal is not valid in yours.
Keeping your number when you deregister
A second way to reserve runs through deregistration. If you take a vehicle off the road, say for the winter or a long repair, you can reserve its current number for €2.60 for up to 12 months. When the same vehicle is re-registered, the same plates go back on and no new ones are needed. Many districts will also let you move such a number to another vehicle if the office agrees. More under deregistering a car.
Mistakes that cost a reservation
Most often a reservation lapses because the appointment at the registration office falls after its expiry date. So first check that you can get an appointment, then reserve. Second, a wrong name: if the reservation names the father but the car is registered to the daughter, the office need not accept it. Third, mixing up O and zero or I and one when typing; read the confirmation carefully before the plates are made. Fourth, reserving with a private provider posing as the authority. The real reservation costs €2.60 under the fee schedule, no more.
Reserving for special plates
You can also reserve a combination for a later H plate or E plate; the suffix is added only at allocation. Check that the combination with its suffix still fits on the plate. Seasonal plates can be personalised as well; the season is set at registration. The rules for the characters themselves are on the personalised plates page.