The short-term plate explained

The EVB is activated immediately after purchase and can be used for a registration. So you can buy the EVB online on site at your registration office and use it straight away.

The insurance applies to a single vehicle and is tied to it.

No, we already do this fully automatically and save you this extra effort. This means the insurance card already carries an EVB and can be used directly. You do not need to do anything else.

With us, cancelling an unused EVB is free of charge. Please send us an e-mail or a message via our contact form.

You have not used the EVB? No problem.

You send us a short message with your order number and we confirm receipt of the cancellation request.

Once the EVB becomes invalid (currently 12 days), we cancel the EVB and you receive a refund. An earlier refund is unfortunately not possible, as we first have to wait for the status of the EVB usage.

So you can also let us know before the EVB expires. We take care of everything else for you.

You have two options:

• Please check whether the payment failed or still needs to be approved by you.
• Did you perhaps forget to enter your phone number, or mistype it? Then please check your e-mail inbox (including the spam folder). Alternatively, you can check the order overview on our website.
• In all other cases, please contact us. We will quickly make sure you receive your documents.

No, but you can print the insurance card yourself and take it with you.

No, you have to buy the short-term plates on site.

You get the plates for the short-term registration on site at the plate maker. We only sell the EVB, i.e. the insurance for it, and do not ship any plates.

The total cost of a 5-day short-term plate is usually between 60 and 130 euros. It consists of the administration fee (approx. €13.10), the cost of having the plates made (approx. €15-50) and the short-term third-party liability insurance (approx. €50-100). Online eVB numbers save money; they are often available from around €35.

Cost structure in detail:

• Registration office: €13.10
• Plate making: approx. €15 to €50
• Insurance (eVB): approx. €35 to €100

Important notes:

• Insurance tip: many insurers credit the cost of the short-term insurance if the vehicle is then permanently registered with them. You can avoid a follow-on insurance altogether by choosing a policy from kurzzeitkennzeichen.express
• Requirements: a valid general inspection (HU/TÜV) and an eVB number are needed to apply.

Validity: the plate is valid for a maximum of 5 days (more or less depending on the insurance) and expires automatically (visible from the expiry date on the yellow strip).

The cost of a short-term plate does not depend on whether the vehicle has a valid inspection or not. Registration, insurance or driving without a valid inspection is not possible.

Short-term plate insurance has no uniform fixed price, as it varies by provider and scope. Liability cover for 5 days is typically in the range of about 30 to 80 euros.

Providers such as kurzzeitkennzeichen.express are at the lower end of this range and offer rates from around 35 to 45 euros for the insurance, plus the usual fees for plates and registration.

Yes, your vehicle must have a valid general inspection (HU) so that you may take part in road traffic.

If the inspection has expired or is otherwise invalid, the vehicle may no longer be moved.

For the registration you must present the following documents.

1. Registration certificate
2. Identity card or passport with registration certificate of residence
3. Inspection documents
4. EVB number
5. Registration certificate part I/part II

If you are a company or an association, you should bring the trade licence or the proof of association.

If you register on behalf of a third party, you must bring a signed power of attorney.

You receive the EVB number from us after you have taken out your insurance with us.

For a short-term plate (5-day plate) you need the following at the registration office:

• eVB number (electronic insurance confirmation)
• Identity card or passport
• Vehicle documents (registration certificate part I/II or CoC paper)
• Valid inspection report (general inspection, HU/TÜV)
• Power of attorney, if someone acts on your behalf

Key facts:

• Vehicle-specific: the plate is tied to one specific car.
• Inspection: without a valid general inspection, only direct trips to the testing station within the registration district are allowed.
• Costs: approx. €13 administration fee + plates and insurance (often approx. €60-100 in total): Detailed breakdown

Steps to apply:

1. Insurance: request an eVB number from an insurer for short-term plates.
2. Registration office: take the documents to the registration office where you live or where the vehicle is located
3. Plates: have the short-term plates (starting with 04) made and mount them on the vehicle.

Validity: 5 days from assignment. Other periods are possible depending on the insurance.

Yes, you can receive a short-term plate immediately on the day of application if you present all required documents in full. These include: an electronic insurance confirmation (EVB number), your identity card or passport with registration certificate of residence, the vehicle documents and, if applicable, proof of a valid general inspection.

Validity begins immediately on the day of assignment and cannot be postponed to a later date.

The plate is then valid for a maximum of five days plus the day of application, i.e. six days in total. Keep this in mind in particular when applying before a weekend or public holidays.

Applying on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday is not possible, as the registration offices are closed then.

You can, however, register at the vehicle's location if there is no public holiday there (another federal state).

No, without vehicle documents it is not possible to obtain a short-term plate.

Since 2015 you can only apply for short-term plates if you have the vehicle documents.

A registration with a short-term plate is suitable for this, as the trip to the nearest testing station can become possible if all requirements are met.

Alternatively: transport on a trailer or by a towing service.

The application is made by whoever transfers the vehicle or puts it into operation. In practice this is usually the buyer or the person transferring it.

The seller applies only if they transfer the vehicle themselves or do a test drive. What matters is not the ownership role but the actual use and responsibility for the trip.

Yes, a short-term plate can be applied for without a purchase contract.

What matters is not the purchase contract but the proof of the vehicle and its identifiability. As a rule, vehicle documents such as registration certificate part I or II, an EVB number and an identity document are required.

A purchase contract may be requested as proof of the right of disposal, but it is not a mandatory legal requirement in every case.

The short-term plate becomes valid once the insurance has been activated at the registration office. So you may drive off the same day, and the insurance expires automatically afterwards.

The shortest short-term plate is the 5-day plate.

Validity is a maximum of 5 calendar days from the entered start date. Shorter periods do not exist in the German registration system.

A transfer plate in the sense of the short-term plate is valid for a maximum of 5 calendar days.

Trips are only allowed within this period. Afterwards the registration expires automatically and the vehicle may no longer be moved on public roads.

Your insurance card lists where you may drive your vehicle. A non-binding list of the current countries (as of May 2024) is on the page Abroad & Green Card.

No.

The term “Green Card” has historical reasons, so it can also be printed on ordinary (white) paper if you want to carry the insurance documents with you.

You receive the insurance documents by e-mail and can save them on your smartphone to have them at hand at all times.

With a 5-day short-term plate any person may drive who uses the vehicle as keeper or authorised user within the scope of the transfer or test drive. No special driving licence beyond the regular licence class is required.

The prerequisite is that the vehicle is insured for the trip (EVB number) and that the vehicle documents required for applying for the short-term plate are available. The plate is tied to the vehicle, not to a person.

Insurance cover may exist as long as the driver is authorised and the vehicle is used with the knowledge and consent of the person entitled to dispose of it.

Short-term plate insurance is generally tied to the vehicle and not limited to individually named drivers. What matters is the authorisation to use the vehicle and a valid driving licence.

There is no insurance cover if the driver is not authorised, the vehicle is used without consent or the legal or insurance conditions are violated. In that case the insurer can refuse benefits or take recourse against the person responsible.

The vehicle keeper with a short-term plate is the person to whom the vehicle is actually registered or who applies for the short-term plate.

This is usually the applicant for the short-term plate. This person is listed as keeper in the registration procedure, even if the vehicle is only registered temporarily for 5 days.

A vehicle with a short-term plate is insured via a special motor liability insurance for short-term plates. This insurance is taken out in advance and proven by the EVB number.

The cover applies exclusively to the specifically assigned vehicle and only for the validity period of the short-term plate (maximum 5 days). It covers statutory liability, i.e. damage to third parties caused by the use of the vehicle.

Damage to your own vehicle is not insured. The cover applies only to trips within the intended use (test and transfer drives).

With short-term plates no trips outside the permitted purpose are allowed.

Everyday use and commercial continuous trips are not allowed. The vehicle may not be used regularly or as a permanent means of transport.

Use for races or motorsport events as well as driving without a valid licence or under the influence of alcohol or drugs is not allowed.

Also not allowed is use outside the intended purpose of the test and transfer drive, in particular when there is no connection with a vehicle inspection, transfer or commissioning.

Car dealers generally do not use short-term plates for their ongoing business.

They use red dealer plates instead. These are intended for commercial use and can be used for test drives, transfers and workshop trips on changing vehicles.

Short-term plates, on the other hand, are intended for individual vehicles and time-limited use by private individuals or non-commercial transfers.

You basically have three options for getting a deregistered car home:

1. Short-term plate (5-day plate)

The most common option is to obtain a short-term plate, which lets you drive a roadworthy but not regularly registered vehicle exclusively for test and transfer drives.

Requirements:

• Registration certificate part I and/or II (copies are usually sufficient)
• eVB number (insurance confirmation)
• Identity card
• With a valid inspection: you may drive anywhere in Germany
• Without a valid inspection: you may only drive the vehicle to the nearest testing station or workshop - observe the insurance conditions and the statutory provisions!

2. Transport on a trailer

This requires a valid trailer licence, a car with a tow bar and the trailer itself. For vehicles without a valid inspection this is often the only option.

3. Haulage/transport company

You can commission a service provider to transport your vehicle. Transporting a used small car from Hamburg to Wiesbaden costs roughly 400 euros.

"Überführungskennzeichen" (transfer plate) is an umbrella term for the short-term plate, the export plate and the red plate.

The terms are often used interchangeably, but there are important differences:

1. Short-term plate (yellow edge)

• Also called a transfer plate
• Valid for a maximum of 5 days
• For test and transfer drives within Germany
• As a national plate it is only valid in Germany, but it is recognised by some European countries (e.g. Austria, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland)

2. Export plate (red edge)

• Also known as a transfer or customs plate
• Valid between 14 days and 12 months
• Used for transfers to non-EU countries

3. Red plate

• Intended exclusively for commercial use by car dealers, experts or inspectors - private individuals cannot apply for these plates at all

In short: in everyday language most people mean the German short-term plate when they say "Überführungskennzeichen".

One alternative to the short-term plate is transporting the vehicle on a trailer. The car is loaded and moved without its own registration. This requires a suitable towing vehicle, a tow bar and the appropriate driving licence.

Another option is transport by a towing service or a haulage company. The vehicle is carried entirely on a transporter and moved without its own road registration.

Red dealer plates are also an alternative, but they are available exclusively to commercial car dealers, workshops or testing stations and cannot be used by private individuals.

In some cases the seller or an authorised person can transfer the vehicle under their own registration, provided there is an agreement to that effect.

A further option is to register the vehicle fully before the transfer, so that it can then be driven regularly with normal plates.

There are no different “types” of short-term plates in the sense of different classes. It is a uniform plate type with a clear purpose.

A distinction is made solely by the intended use of the vehicle:

Short-term plates for transfer and test drives within Germany. It is limited to a maximum of 5 days and is used for vehicles without regular registration.

Short-term plates abroad are possible only to a limited extent. Use outside Germany is not standardised and depends on the national rules of the destination country.

A distinction from other plate types exists separately, not within the short-term plate system.

A day registration is a regular, full vehicle registration to a person or a company. The vehicle receives normal plates and legally counts as a registered vehicle. It mostly serves sales promotion and can then pass into regular operation.

The short-term plate is a temporary registration for a maximum of 5 days. It serves exclusively test and transfer drives of a vehicle that is not permanently registered. Afterwards the validity ends automatically.

The central difference lies in duration and purpose: a day registration is a real, full registration in the regular system, the short-term plate is a strictly time-limited special registration for short-term trips.

Suitable for transferring a vehicle are short-term plates, export plates and regular plates for vehicles that are already registered.

The short-term plate is used for domestic transfer and test drives of an unregistered vehicle and is limited to a maximum of 5 days.

The export plate is used for transferring a vehicle abroad and is valid for a longer period.

A vehicle with an existing registration can be transferred with regular plates, provided it has not been deregistered.