Bundesportal | Vehicle license plates: Apply for a classic car license plate (H license plate) for a vehicle registered 30 or more years ago

More Information

Publisher

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Contact

The government service telephone number 115 – your point of contact for questions related to the federal, state and local.

Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 18:00 (and beyond these times in some regions).

Call 115 now

Government service telephone number calls are charged at local rates.

Classic cars are vehicles that were first registered or put on the road 30 years ago or earlier. Such vehicles, which largely correspond to their original condition and are in good condition, can be used to maintain motor vehicle cultural assets. Vintage cars are often not intended for everyday use. However, there are historic vehicles with which you can take part in road traffic without restrictions. These vehicles have an "H" in the last position of the license plate, which stands for "historic".

An H license plate is associated with various advantages for you, for example

Tax relief
insurance benefits
Different regulations in environmental zones

The registration authority will issue you with the H license plate when you apply for a registration for a classic car. If you already have a registered vehicle and it is 30 years old, you can apply for a license plate change.

When applying for registration, you must submit an expert opinion from an officially recognized expert on the classification of your vehicle as a classic car. The appraisal is carried out in accordance with the guidelines for the appraisal of classic cars under § 23 StVZO. A main inspection (HU) and, if necessary, a safety inspection are also carried out as part of this assessment.

You must also affix the license plates to classic cars in accordance with the legal requirements. Exceptions to the design and attachment must be legally permissible and entered in the registration certificate part I.

Expert opinion in accordance with § 23 StVZO for the classification of a vehicle as a classic car by an officially recognized expert.
If a classic car license plate is allocated as part of a registration procedure, the following documents are also required:
- Registration certificate part II (vehicle registration document) or
- foreign vehicle documents or
- the operating license for vehicles not requiring registration
the EC Certificate of Conformity (CoC), or data confirmation or full expert opinion
Proof of ownership
- Purchase contract or
- invoice
Proof of valid motor vehicle liability insurance (eVB number)
Bank details for the direct debit mandate to pay the vehicle tax

Label

Preconditions

First registration at least 30 years ago
Good, largely original condition of the vehicle
Expert opinion according to § 23 StVZO, which proves the characteristics as a classic car

Additional requirements within the scope of a registration procedure are

no outstanding fees and expenses from previous registrations of more than EUR 10.00
no motor vehicle tax debts of EUR 5.00 or more, including all late payment penalties, interest and late payment penalties

Hints

The following information is available:

Vehicles may not be moved or parked in public areas without registration plates. The license plates must not be mirrored, covered or dirty and must be attached to the vehicle in accordance with the legal requirements.

Certain license plate combinations are prohibited in certain countries.

Fees are charged for the allocation of a classic car license plate in accordance with the scale of fees for road traffic measures, which are set by the registration authority. The amount of the fees depends on the administrative costs: from 25.60 euros to 205.00 euros. The costs for the license plates, expert opinions or other expenses are not included in the fees. Detailed information on this can be obtained from the responsible registration authority.

Basis for legal action

Annex 1 Ordinance on the Registration of Vehicles for Road Traffic (Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung - FZV)

Annex 4 Section 4 Ordinance on the Registration of Vehicles for Road Traffic (Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung - FZV)

§ Section 10 (1) of the Ordinance on the Registration of Vehicles for Road Traffic (Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung - FZV)

§ Section 12 Ordinance on the Registration of Vehicles for Road Traffic (Vehicle Registration Ordinance - FZV)

§ Section 2 sentence 1 number 22 Ordinance on the Registration of Vehicles for Road Traffic (Vehicle Registration Ordinance - FZV)

§ Section 20 Ordinance on the Registration of Vehicles for Road Traffic (Vehicle Registration Ordinance - FZV)

§ Section 23 of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO)

§ Section 26 Ordinance on the Registration of Vehicles for Road Traffic (Vehicle Registration Ordinance - FZV)

§ Section 9 Ordinance on the Registration of Vehicles for Road Traffic (Vehicle Registration Ordinance - FZV)

Here you will find further information on license plate transfer and special license plates.

Procedure

When applying in person:

If you register your classic car with your competent licensing authority and if the requirements are met, the licensing authority will assign the vehicle a classic car license plate in accordance with Section 10 (1) and Annex 4 Section 5 FZV. The registration authority may require you to present the vehicle. With this allocation:

have the license plates produced;
have the stickers affixed to the license plates by the registration authority;
attach the license plates firmly to the vehicle in the designated places.

When applying online:

You can only apply for a classic car license plate online if the vehicle has previously had a classic car license plate. If the requirements for the allocation of a classic car license plate are met and you have applied for the allocation via the i-Kfz portal of your competent registration authority:

the allocation of a classic car license plate is entered directly in the Central Vehicle Register
you will receive a provisional registration certificate for the classic car license plate from your registration authority by e-mail or as a download

The vehicle may be operated without stamp plates or plate holders until the stamp plates and plate holders are received, but for no longer than fourteen days.

Subsequently:
- You will receive the completed registration documents and the stickers by post.
- Then have the license plates stamped and
- attach the stamp stickers from the registration authority and the sticker holder for the inspection sticker to the license plates
- attach the license plates to the vehicle in the designated places.

The following applies to both types of application:

When applying for a classic car license plate, the registration authority will check whether you can be reassigned the previous license plates upon application. This also applies if you have reserved the license plate for the re-registration of your vehicle.

Deadlines

There is no deadline for applying for a classic car license plate. If your vehicle was taken out of service more than seven years ago, you can only apply for its re-registration at the counter of the responsible registration authority. If you apply for the re-registration of your vehicle online, you are permitted to drive on public roads with unstamped license plates for a maximum of fourteen days.