Rental Car Permit; Application

Rental car service refers to the transportation of passengers in passenger cars that are rented exclusively for transportation purposes and with which the operator provides trips whose purpose, destination, and itinerary are determined by the renter, and which are neither taxi service nor non-bundled on-demand transportation.

This does not refer to the rental of vehicles to self-drivers.

You may only rent out the vehicle as a whole. The renter (passenger) determines the purpose, destination, and itinerary of the trips.

You can obtain the permit for a maximum of five years. After that, you can apply for an extension.

Rental cars differ from taxis in the following ways:

• You may not keep rental cars on public premises or streets for the purpose of transporting passengers. After each trip, they must return to the company’s place of business.
• You have no obligation to operate the vehicle or provide transportation.
• The fare is freely negotiable. However, you must calculate it using a odometer.
• There are no requirements regarding the color of the vehicles.
• There is no limit on the number of permits.
• You must affix a blue registration number plate to the rear window of your rental car; the registration number is assigned by the licensing authority.

Commercial patient transport or transport of people with disabilities—where professional care or the special equipment of an ambulance is not required—is also subject to licensing requirements under the Passenger Transportation Act (PBefG).

• The business owner or the persons appointed to manage the business must be trustworthy.
• The business owner or the persons appointed to manage the business must be professionally qualified.
• The company must be stable and financially sound.
• The company’s principal place of business or branch office must be located within the country (as defined by commercial law).

You must apply for a rental car permit from the appropriate agency. Depending on the services offered by your agency, you may be able to download an application form online.

The relevant authority conducts a consultation process. As part of this process, it solicits comments from other agencies, including

• municipalities,
• labor inspection authorities,
• the Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
• the relevant trade unions and professional associations

Once the deadline for comments has passed, the authority makes a final decision on the application and informs the applicant in writing of the outcome.

None

Note: If you wish to apply for an extension of the permit, you must submit a permit application along with the required documents to the appropriate authority well in advance of the expiration date of the current permit.

The competent authority will typically make a decision on your application within three months.

This period may be extended by up to three additional months, provided that the competent authority has given timely notice of this (within the first three months) in a written interim decision.

• The following documents are required for the rental car permit:
  
  • Proof of personal reliability (not older than three months at the time of application), e.g.:
    • Extract from the Federal Central Register (certificate of good conduct)
    • Information from the Central Trade Register
    • Extract from the Central Traffic Register
  • Extract from the Commercial Register or Cooperative Register (certified copies)
  • Copy of the articles of association and the list of shareholders
  • For legal entities: Proof of authority to represent the entity
  • Proof of financial capacity (not older than three months at the time of application):
    • Certificates of good standing from the tax office
    • Certificate of good standing from the relevant municipality
    • Certificate of good standing from social security:
      • from health insurance providers with which you currently insure or have previously insured employees, and
      • for yourself, if you are or were voluntarily or privately insured.
    • Certificate of good standing from the Occupational Safety and Health Association for the Transport and Transportation Industry (not older than three months at the time of application)
    • Certificate of equity capital and—if required—supplementary certificate (not older than twelve months as of the date of application)
      • The amount of equity capital depends on the number of vehicles intended for use: For the first vehicle, you must provide proof of equity capital in the amount of 2,250 euros; for each additional vehicle, 1,250 euros.
  • Proof of professional competence:
    • Certificate of completion of the professional competence exam administered by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) or
    • Certificate of professional competence from the IHK confirming at least three years of managerial experience in a car rental company, or
    • Certificate of a recognized equivalent final examination (e.g., business administration examination in rail and road transport with a focus on passenger transport)
  • If you appoint other individuals to the management, you must submit the following documents for them:
    • Certificate of Good Conduct
    • Extract from the Central Trade Register
    • Extract from the Driver Fitness Registry
    • Proof of professional qualifications
    • Proof of employment (employment contract)

  The competent authority may request additional documents.

Standard fee for the permit: 50.00–500.00 EUR

In standard cases, it is

• for the first vehicle: 60 EUR
• for each additional vehicle: 30 EUR

These amounts are not binding on the licensing authority.

If the administrative burden is excessive, the licensing authority may deviate from these amounts up to the maximum amount of the standard fee.

You may incur additional costs for registry information and the preparation of other supporting documents.