What a short-term plate covers and what it does not
Permitted are inspection runs, test drives and transfer journeys. That covers exactly the trips that come up in export work: collecting the vehicle from the seller, taking it for detailing, presenting it for the technical inspection or driving it to the loading point.
Ordinary use is not permitted. A short-term plate is not a temporary registration and no substitute for a normal plate. Nor is it intended for journeys abroad: legally it applies in Germany, and recognition abroad is not guaranteed and varies by country. For export the export plate is the right route.
- Inspection, test and transfer journeys
- Valid in Germany, no guaranteed recognition abroad
- No substitute for a normal registration
Five days, counted from the day of issue
The period runs from the day the plate is allocated and ends on the date printed on the yellow band, whether or not the vehicle was actually driven. A plate issued on a Monday is valid for the last time on the Friday. Weekends and public holidays count.
That is why we match the issue date to the planned schedule. Collect the plate too early and you waste days. Too late and you have a vehicle that may not be moved. With several vehicles we plan the appointments so the journeys fall in the same week.
- Five days at most, no extension possible
- The period runs by calendar, weekends included
- Issue date matched to your schedule
Technical inspection: where it most often falls apart
For journeys on public roads the technical inspection, the German HU, must be valid. Many people miss this because they treat a short-term plate as a free pass. If the inspection has expired, the plate only covers the direct journey to a testing station, within the registration district and adjoining districts.
We therefore check the inspection status before applying for the plate. If it is due we arrange it at the same time. That costs half a day more and stops a transport from stalling over an expired test seal.
- A valid technical inspection is a precondition for road use
- Without one, only the direct trip to the testing station
- We arrange the inspection appointment on request
Insurance confirmation and cover
No registration office issues a plate without an electronic insurance confirmation. The confirmation for short-term plates is its own category and covers exactly the period of validity. It is third-party liability cover and does not replace comprehensive insurance.
That distinction matters. Damage to the transferred vehicle itself is not covered by liability insurance. For valuable vehicles we therefore recommend either additional cover or transport on a trailer rather than driving it.
- Insurance confirmation specifically for short-term plates
- Third-party liability, not comprehensive cover
- For valuable vehicles, prefer the transporter
What we take care of for you
We apply for the plate at the responsible registration office, usually in the district of Konstanz. That includes presenting the vehicle documents, the proof of technical inspection, the insurance confirmation and identification of the applicant. Then we have the plates embossed and fit them.
If you are based abroad we need a power of attorney and a copy of your ID for this. Everything else runs without your involvement. You receive the plate number and the expiry date in writing so you can plan the journey.
- Application, embossing and fitting from one source
- A power of attorney and ID copy is all we need from you
- Plate number and expiry date confirmed in writing
Short-term plate or export plate?
The decision is simpler than it sounds. If the vehicle stays within Germany for the journey, the short-term plate is right. If it is to be driven across the border under its own power, you need an export plate with a red band and matching export insurance.
Often both come into play one after the other: short-term plates for collection and the trip to the detailer, then the export plate for leaving the country. If the vehicle is loaded onto a transporter anyway, the export plate is not needed at all, because the vehicle is not driving itself.
- Within Germany: short-term plate
- Across the border under its own power: export plate
- On a transporter: no plate needed at all
