Motor vehicle; information on vehicle registration

The registration authority of the city or district (registration district) in which you have your main residence (for companies or associations: company or association headquarters) assigns the license plates. The first group of letters of a registration number indicates the respective registration district. This is followed by the individual identification number, which consists of letters and numbers. If you change your registration within Germany, you can keep the previous license plate number (for a registered vehicle). However, you can also voluntarily apply for a license plate from the new registration district.

Official license plates must have a stamp sticker from the registration authority. This does not apply to trailers that are not subject to registration and that have a repeater license plate.

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 previously issued license plates (without the Euro field), the nationality plate "D" must also be clearly visible on the vehicle when driving abroad.

Most registration procedures can be carried out online. For more information, please refer to the website of your registration authority.

You can find an overview of the registration authorities in Bavaria under "Further links".

Information on the allocation of individual license plates can be found under "Related topics".