When you need an export plate and when you do not
You need one when the vehicle drives itself: across the Swiss border, through eastern Europe towards Turkey, or on the way to the shipping port if it is to roll aboard under its own power.
You do not need one when the vehicle travels on a transporter or in a container. Then it is cargo and needs no plate of its own. That distinction saves money and is frequently overlooked. We tell you in advance which case applies rather than applying for a plate nobody needs.
- Needed for journeys across the border under own power
- Not needed on a trailer or in a container
- We check the case before applying
Choosing the validity: 15 days to 12 months
The chosen period appears on the red band and also sets the term of the insurance. For a direct transfer to Switzerland or Italy, 15 days is enough. If the vehicle is going to Turkey or Central Asia, or has to wait for registration at the destination, several months make sense.
The price rises with the term, mainly through the insurance premium. Even so we advise a buffer. Extension is only possible in Germany, and an expired plate abroad is an expensive problem.
- Short term for direct transfers to neighbouring countries
- Longer term when there is a waiting period at the destination
- Extension only possible in Germany
Export insurance has to cover the transit countries
An export plate comes with its own export insurance. Its term matches the validity of the plate. What matters is the geographic scope: it must cover every country on the route, not only the destination.
Anyone driving to Georgia crosses several states. If one of them is missing from the policy, there is no cover there. We therefore ask for the planned route and select the cover accordingly. Here too it is liability cover, damage to your own vehicle is not included.
- Term identical to the validity of the plate
- Scope must include every transit country
- Third-party liability, not comprehensive cover
Technical inspection and deregistration
To be allocated an export plate the technical inspection must be valid, ideally for the whole period applied for. If it expires earlier, the validity of the plate is shortened accordingly. We check this beforehand and arrange a new inspection if needed.
If the vehicle was registered in Germany it is deregistered as part of the export. The old plates are decommissioned, while registration certificate part I stays with the vehicle because it is needed for import at the destination. We make sure the papers travel complete, since forwarding documents abroad routinely costs weeks.
- Valid technical inspection over the period applied for
- We handle deregistration and decommissioning
- Vehicle papers travel with the car
How it fits with the customs declaration
The export plate governs road registration, not customs. Both run in parallel: for a tax-free supply you also need the export declaration and, at the end, the customs exit confirmation. A vehicle with a red plate but no customs papers has not been exported cleanly for tax purposes.
We therefore prepare both together and put the complete folder in the vehicle for the driver: export accompanying document, vehicle papers, insurance certificate and sales contract. The customs side is covered in detail on our customs clearance page.
- Plate and customs declaration are two separate matters
- Complete document folder for the driver
- The exit confirmation secures the exemption
What happens to the plate in the destination country
The export plate is a bridge. In the destination country the vehicle is imported, cleared and registered locally. From that moment the red plate has done its job and is replaced by the local registration.
How long local registration takes varies widely. In Switzerland it can be done in a day, in other countries the inspection takes weeks. Hence the recommendation: apply for a few months more validity rather than standing in a foreign country without a valid plate.
- Replaced by the plate of the destination country
- Local registration times vary widely
- Build in a buffer on the validity
