Can I keep my plate when I move?
Yes. Since 2015 you may keep your licence plate nationwide when you move to another registration district — you only have to re-register at your new home and have the registration certificate Part I corrected. Since 1 October 2019 no new plate is needed on an owner change (sale within Germany) either, as long as the vehicle stays registered. Much can now be done online via i-Kfz. Only if you get a new car does keeping the plate run via reservation of the old number.
📋 The rules
- Moving: plate may be kept nationwide (since 2015)
- Owner change: no plate swap needed (since 1 Oct 2019)
- Duty to re-register and correct registration certificate I
- Much doable online via i-Kfz
- New car: keep the plate via reservation
🔓 Exceptions
- Seasonal or interchangeable plates follow their own rules
- Moving abroad requires a new registration there
- E-plates/historic (H) plates remain tied to their conditions
⚠️ Penalties & fines
If you miss re-registering after a move, that's an administrative offence — a fine (often in the range of a few tens of euros, by delay). More importantly, an outdated owner/address can cause problems with penalty notices, insurance and claims. So report an address or owner change promptly; keeping the plate itself is free or cheap.
📎 Official sources
- ADAC · Keeping the plate when moving and on owner change →
- Bußgeldkatalog · Re-register car & keep the plate →
- Vehicle Registration Regulation (FZV) · statute →
❓ Frequently asked
Can I keep my plate when I move?
Yes. Since 2015 you can keep your plate nationwide, even moving to another registration district. You only have to re-register the vehicle at your new home and have registration certificate Part I corrected.
Does the plate have to change on a car sale?
Not necessarily. Since 1 October 2019 the new owner can keep the existing plate, as long as the car stays registered. Buyer and seller must properly re-register the owner change, though.
Can I transfer my plate to a new car?
Yes, via reservation. If you deregister your old vehicle and register a new one, you can reserve your old/personalised plate and have it transferred to the new car.
Can this be done online?
Much of it, yes. Via internet-based vehicle registration (i-Kfz), re-registration, owner change and address change can increasingly be done digitally — depending on the office and case.
What happens if I don't re-register?
It's an administrative offence and can bring a fine. Above all you risk problems with penalty notices, insurance and claims if the owner and address aren't current.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “keep plate when moving”
- “take plate other registration district”
- “keep plate owner change 2019”
- “re-register car keep plate”
- “plate new car reservation”
- “i-kfz keep plate”