car license plates in germany: federal states, special license plates, dimensions
Vehicle license plates: what regulations apply in germany?
The vehicle registration number, colloquially often also called the license plate called, is used for the marking of motor vehicles and is issued by the official vehicle registration authority issued. The following article deals with the subject of license plates, describes what a license plate is made up of and how much the license plate is worth license plates cost.
In addition, we will go into the penalties that can be imposed according to the catalog of fines if the license plate is missing from a vehicle or the misused become. Because the stvo sees in germany the mandatory license plate for all registered vehicles before and a violation of this regulation currently subject to a maximum of catalog of fines a penalty notice for payment of a fine as well as points in the flensburg traffic offence register. Below you will find interesting information about the license plates in germany.
FAQ: license plate
With the help of the license plates, the various vehicles can be distinguished and assigned to their owners. This is particularly important if the vehicle is involved in a misdemeanor or felony.
In the case of the information, a distinction can be made between the distinguishing sign and the identification number. What it is all about, you can read here.
In this case, the catalog of fines provides for a fine of 65 euro.
Which letters do car plates consist of??
The vehicle registration number consists of a distinguishing signs and an identification number. This bipartition is represented throughout Europe, therefore it is often called a euro license plate or. The license plate europe spoken. The following are the two parts that together make up maximum eight characters may amount to, described in more detail.
distinguishing sign
- Consists of up to three letters
- The letters refer to:
- On the administrative district the registration authority (= regular location of the vehicle) or
- On vehicles of the federal& national authorities (z. B. federal police, federal armed forces, nato etc.)
identification number
- Consists of 1 to 2 letters and up to four digits
- letters are omitted in official license plate (for all other license plates all letters are possible, except umlauts)
- All digits are possible, however, the combination of digits do not start with 0
- The combination of license plates must not be contrary to public decency
vehicle registration number: function& history
What is the purpose of an official license plate??
German license plates are primarily used as a means of registration in addition to the registration certificate proof of vehicle registration, which are allowed to move on the road according to traffic law. Vehicles that only have general operating license belong to the registration-free motor vehicles and are special insurance license plates provided.
In the following, the most important historical backgrounds of the vehicle license plates will be discussed in order to explain the meaning of license plates to describe in more detail.
- From 1870 introduction of license plates for bicycles
- 1896: first license plate on a car in baden
- 1907: first uniform regulation for the states of the german empire (with roman numerals for the territory and a letter for the administrative district and a sequence of numerals, z. B. "IA20" for prussia-berlin)
- 1948: uniform system, license plates with white lettering on black background (marking the occupation zones)
- 1956 introduction of the current system
- 1994 introduction of euro license plates (car license plates europe): since 2000, only these license plates have been used for new vehicle registrations
Vehicle number plates: special features and things to know
In the following the particularities around the car license plates listed in germany and described in more detail.
- inspection sticker: the round inspection sticker is located on the rear license plate and gives the next Date of the main inspection at. As a rule, the sticker is a sticker that is destroyed when it is removed, so that counterfeiting made more difficult become. some registration offices also use solid fuel stickers. However, these are hardly ever used since the introduction of the EU license plate (European license plate).
- exhaust and main inspection: the hexagonal sticker for the exhaust emission test (AU) was until 2009 on the front license plate – with the exception of diesel vehicles, which only have a indication of the fuel type on the license plate exhibited. From 2010, the AU became part of the main inspection (HU), so that the sticker for this was no longer required for new registrations. Old AU stickers removed or pasted over at the next HU. Every car must have in germany every 2 years for the main inspection – for first-time registration only from the third year onwards. Commercial vehicles such as buses or cabs must be inspected every year.
- official seals: the service seal (registration plate) with the reference to the respective city or county of the registration office, is located below the dash, which in turn is located between the abbreviation of the individual letters or. Between the distinguishing mark and the identification number is located. As of 2012, a multicolored sticker, according to the names and the coat of arms of the country, in which the motor vehicle is registered carries. The seals exist both as adhesive plates as well as hard plastic plates, whereby the latter are less frequently in use.
The technical details of car license plates
what dimensions may car license plates have?
In germany legal regulations regarding the technical nature of license plates on any car. License plates, for example, must have a specific, standardized size and lettering. In the following, these regulations concerning the technical details will be discussed, which have been vehicle registration ordinance be regulated.
- Standardized dimensions: the standardized, single-line license plate is 520 mm wide and 110 mm high (two-line license plate: max. 340 mm wide and 200 mm high, motorcycle license plates: 180 – 220 mm wide and 200 mm high)
- Standardized lettering: on all license plates, the forgery-preventing FE-lettering in the variants medium or narrow font specified. the font height is 75 mm – for reduced two-line motorcycle license plates it is 49 mm. The characters are all the same width, from eight characters the narrow font is used due to lack of space (until the year 2000 the DIN font according to DIN 1451 applied)
- mounting on the vehicle: the vehicle registration number with black lettering on a white background must be clearly visible and neatly affixed to the outside of the vehicle. It may have a maximum angle of inclination of 30° and may not be covered under any circumstances. In addition, it must be permanently mounted – with the exception of vehicles for test, transfer or workshop journeys. tampering place according to fine catalog and fine calculator constitute license plate misuse and are sanctioned with a fine notice, points in flensburg and an increased fine. A driving ban does not usually take place. If the car license plate is obscured by a trailer, a second plate must be mounted on the trailer.
- Material: the license plate resp. license plates must be reflective, have standardized dimensions and the test u. include the registration number and the registration number. they are made of aluminum and covered with a self-luminous plastic (LED reflective layer).
special license plates in germany: special license plates
in germany, there are certain license plates that can be lettering of the standard license plates registered vehicles differ: the so-called special license plates, which are enumerated below:
1. authority license plates (general)
Until 2007, every authority vehicle had a code of the respective registration district, where the authority is headquartered, followed by a specific number sequence. For the municipal administration, a 1 was prefixed (1XX, 1XXX or 1XXXX, z.B. 1-89), for courts a combination of 9X or 9XXXX, for police a 3XXX, 3XXXX, 7XXX or 7XXXX etc. these number combinations have not been used since 2007. Special vehicles like z. B. However, cabs still bear certain abbreviations, such as the "TX" as a distinguishing mark. ("SW" stands for vehicles of the public utility company.)
- Example: buses of the berliner verkehrsbetriebe have the combination "B V XXXX"
- Authority vehicles have distinguishing signs of the federal states: for example B for berlin, BBL for brandenburg or BYL for bavaria (the competent registration authority is the one of the respective state capital)
2. Police license plate
Which special feature applies to police license plates?
the allocation of police license plates is governed by the discontinuation of the authority license plates since 2007 also regulated differently. There are also police license plates or state distinguishing signs of the respective state administration, for example in north rhine-westphalia "NRW4-XXXX"& "NRW5-XXXX" and "NRW5-XXX"& "NRW6-XXX" for motorcycles. An example of civilian license plates for police vehicles would be for the riot police in bamberg: "BA P XXXX".
3. license plates of federal institutions
institutional federal body license plate abbreviations
| official car of the president of the federal republic |
"0 – 1" |
| official cars of the federal chancellor |
"0 – 2" |
| official car of the minister of foreign affairs |
"0 – 3" |
| official car of the first secretary of state |
"0 – 4" |
| official car of the president of the federal parliament |
"1 – 1" |
| german parliament |
BD 1 – . |
| Bundesrat |
BD 3 – . |
| Federal Constitutional Court |
BD 4 – . |
| Office of the Federal President |
BD 5 – . |
| Federal Chancellery |
BD 6 – . |
| Press& information office (federal government) |
BD 6 – . |
| foreign office |
BD 7 – . |
| Federal Ministry of the Interior |
BD 9 – . |
| Federal ministry of justice |
BD 10 – . |
For the license plates of the customs authorities, the federal railroads and the federal postal service, the federal waterways and shipping administration, the federal armed forces and the federal technical aid organization there are also special license plates and abbreviations with corresponding distinctive signs.
german license plates and their variety
in germany, there are a wide variety of license plates
vehicle plates in germany show a great variety and bandwidth. In addition to the special license plates of the federal authorities there are also seasonal license plates, changeable license plates, desired license plates, diplomat license plates as well as short-term license plates. In the following the most important variants of the "car license plates germany" shown.
- seasonal license plates: they have behind the identification number on top of each other the first and last month of validity and have a maximum of 7 characters for space reasons. The period of registration can be freely selected between two and eleven months within a calendar year (automatic an& registration, lower license plate costs, suitable for vehicles that are only seasonal in use such as cabriolets, motorcycles or motor homes). vehicles with seasonal license plates are insured during the registration period.
- Changeable license plates: in germany, it is possible to have two vehicle to be registered with only one license plate. However, the two vehicles must belong to the same vehicle class. The license plate cost for this type of registration is about 65 euros. However, the federal government does not want to restrict the use of changeable license plates not grant tax savings.
- License plates of historical vehicles: old car? License plates for classic cars have an "H" after the registration number for a historic vehicle. The car must be proven to have been on the road for the first time at least 30 years ago. the license plates follow the same scheme of civil, official or diplomatic license plates, except that they have an additional "H" as a final sign (ex.: "AB DE 123H", tax& insurance benefits).
- Red license plates: they consist of a registration code and an identification number without letters and are issued as license plates for test drives, test drives and transfer drives. They start with the numbers "05" or "06". In addition, they are used for trips to participate in vintage car events (in this case with the number "07"). A special vehicle registration document for red license plates must be carried at all times.
- Green license plates: these are license plates with green writing on a white surface and in all other points identical to the normal license plates. They are used for tax-exempt vehicles such as z. B. Agricultural vehicles, work machines and vehicles of aid organizations issued. A tax exemption permit must be obtained from the tax office for this beforehand.
- short term license plate: these are vehicle plates intended for vehicle transfers, testing and test drives. These license plates are valid only for a single vehicle and do not require proof of a passed HU/AU. These license plates are valid for a maximum of five days and the period of validity is on the edge of the license plate noted. Over the period of the five days the vehicle is insured. Just like all other license plates, short-term license plates must be applied for at the responsible registration authority.
catalog of fines: sanctions for missing or manipulated license plates
In germany, you are not allowed to drive without a car license plate, because this is against the current traffic law resp. Against the stvo. likewise, car license plates in germany may not be tampered with or covered up. Who does it nevertheless, risks according to current catalog of fines severe sanctions, as the following table illustrates:
Violation fine points driving ban
| motor vehicle put into operation, although the prescribed official, the red o. The short-term license plate was missing |
60 euro |
no points |
no driving ban |
| license plates with glass, foil o. similar cover |
65 euros |
no points |
NO DRIVING BAN |
In order to avoid these sanctions as far as possible violations of traffic law and against the stvo are omitted. Likewise, it is not advisable to independently use the number plate issued by the licensing authority to remove or damage a license plate.
license plates online?
Can be searched for a license plate online?
On fine catalog.Net makes it possible, certain license plates online to search and obtain the abbreviations of the german license plates according to the state and city district. These so-called license plate databases are helpful when license plates are searched for online or the question arises as to which region a license plate belongs to.
In germany, it is also possible since 1994, for a fee, to get a requesting a license plate. The best way to do this is to make a reservation with the relevant registration authority. With a reservation in advance, the application is designed with regard to a desired license plate hassle-free and simple.
