Motor vehicle; information on vehicle registration

License plates are issued by the registration authority of the city or county (registration district) where you have your primary residence (for companies or organizations: the company’s or organization’s headquarters). The first group of letters in an official license plate identifies the respective registration district. This is followed by the individual identification number, which consists of letters and numbers. When transferring registration within Germany, you may keep the previous license plate (for a registered vehicle). However, you may also voluntarily apply for a license plate from the new registration district.

Official license plates must be affixed with a stamp sticker from the registration authority. This does not apply to trailers that are exempt from registration and bear duplicate license plates.

The design of license plates and their attachment to the vehicle are prescribed by law. All newly registered or re-registered vehicles receive a license plate with a Euro field. For license plates issued earlier (without a Euro field), the nationality code “D” must also be clearly visible on the vehicle when driving abroad.

You can complete most registration procedures online. For more details, please visit the website of your registration authority.

You can find an overview of the registration authorities in Bavaria under “Related Links.”

Information on the assignment of individual vehicle license plates can be found under “Related Topics.”