Importing a car from Germany: the complete process
Updated 2026-08-23 · 7 min read
Germany is the largest used-car market in Europe, and importing from it to another EU country is a routine transaction: you buy the vehicle, obtain export plates or drive it on the seller's registration, and register it at home using the manufacturer's Certificate of Conformity. The COC is what makes the home-country registration a formality rather than an inspection.
What do you do at the German end?
The seller deregisters the vehicle, or you agree that it stays registered until you collect it. To drive it home legally you normally use Ausfuhrkennzeichen, German export plates, issued for a fixed period with matching insurance.
Take both parts of the German registration document, the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II. Teil II in particular proves ownership and is required at home; a sale without it should be treated as a warning sign.
- Signed purchase contract or invoice showing the price and the VIN
- Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II
- Ausfuhrkennzeichen and short-term export insurance if you are driving it home
- The Certificate of Conformity, ordered by VIN before you travel
- Any TÜV report, which is useful evidence though not a substitute for a home inspection
Who pays VAT on a German car?
For a used vehicle bought from a private seller or under the margin scheme from a dealer, VAT is settled in Germany and nothing further is due at home. This is the ordinary case and the reason importing can be cheaper.
A vehicle that is new under EU rules, meaning under six months old or with under 6,000 km, is taxed where it is registered. You then buy it VAT-free in Germany and pay VAT in your own country. Your home tax office confirms this before registration, through a quitus fiscal in France or the equivalent clearance elsewhere.
How does registration work at home?
Each country runs its own procedure, but the shape is the same: prove ownership, prove VAT is settled, prove the vehicle is EU type-approved, pass a national roadworthiness test if the car is old enough, and pay the registration tax.
Spain routes this through the DGT with an ITV inspection and the impuesto de matriculación. France runs everything through ANTS with a quitus fiscal and a contrôle technique. Italy goes through the Motorizzazione and the PRA. In every case the COC is the item that answers the type-approval question.
Order the certificate before you travel. Manufacturer processing typically takes several days, and it is the one element of the process whose timing you do not control.
Coceu requests the original document from the manufacturer's official channel by VIN and delivers it digitally with the paper original by courier.
Key takeaways
- German export plates and short-term insurance let you drive a purchased car home legally.
- Always collect Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II; Teil II proves ownership.
- Used cars are taxed in Germany; vehicles under six months or 6,000 km are taxed in your home country instead.
- The COC is what makes home registration a paperwork exercise rather than an individual approval, so order it early.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a COC to import a car from Germany?
In practice yes. Every EU registration authority asks for proof of type approval, and the COC is the standard document that provides it.
What are Ausfuhrkennzeichen?
German export plates, valid for a defined period and sold with matching insurance, that let you drive a purchased vehicle out of Germany legally.
Is it cheaper to buy a car in Germany?
Often, because of market size and supply, but the saving has to absorb travel, export plates, the COC, home registration tax and any inspection.
Can I import a German car if I do not speak German?
Yes. The COC's numbered fields are read the same way in every member state, so your home registration office does not need a translation.