The car's documents
In Germany the registration document comes in two parts:
- Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I: the old Fahrzeugschein. This is the one that travels in the car and is the equivalent of the Spanish registration document.
- Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II: the old Fahrzeugbrief. It is kept at home and it is the document the seller must hand over when you buy.
The certificate of conformity (CoC)
This is the paper with which the manufacturer certifies that the car corresponds to a type approved in Europe. It is what you present at the import ITV, the Spanish roadworthiness test, and what the station uses to issue the Spanish technical data sheet.
Two clarifications that save you a fright:
- The CoC does not replace the ITV. It is what you take to the inspection, not a shortcut around it.
- You can register without a CoC. The DGT accepts a reduced data sheet or another type-approval certificate. The dealer not having it does not kill the deal, although it does complicate it.
The invoice: watch the VAT number
For a car bought from a professional seller in another country, the DGT asks for an invoice showing the seller's VAT number. And here is the trap: German law allows invoices to be issued with only the Steuernummer (the national tax number), which is not the European VAT number (USt-IdNr.). If the invoice arrives with only the Steuernummer, the traffic authority can reject it.
You have to ask expressly for the invoice to carry the USt-IdNr. It is the cheapest check in the whole process and the one that prevents the most delays.
If the car is sold under the margin scheme — the norm on used cars — the invoice will not break out the VAT and will carry the wording "Gebrauchtgegenstände/Sonderregelung". That is correct: we explain it in the article on VAT.
Deregistration in Germany
The DGT says that before moving the car you have to deregister it for export in the country of origin. It is worth knowing that its own electronic office page, when it lists the documents for registration, does not mention this, and that the European directive on registration documents envisages the destination country being the one that notifies the country of origin. In practice the deregistration is done: it is what the DGT asks for and it avoids arguments.
And the history
Ask as well for the report from the last HU (the German roadworthiness test): whoever carries it out issues an Untersuchungsbericht that the keeper must keep at least until the next inspection. In Germany a new passenger car has its first HU at three years and after that every two.
For servicing, each brand has its own digital record: Mercedes-Benz keeps a digital service booklet in a central database filled in by authorised workshops; BMW stores the electronic history inside the car itself (you read it on the iDrive, and the Service Partner writes it); and Porsche has a digital maintenance history in its app, but with two limitations worth knowing because they change how useful it is on a used car: it only covers certain models and years (911 from 2022, Taycan from 2021, Panamera and Cayenne from 2022, electric Macan from 2024) and it only includes services carried out from April 2025 onwards. The brand says so itself: on a 2022 Porsche that history can be practically empty. For MINI we have not found an official page explaining it, so we promise nothing there: we check it car by car.
Frequently asked questions
Which papers must the German dealer give me?
The original Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II, the certificate of conformity (CoC) or a reduced data sheet, and the invoice showing the seller's European VAT number.
Is the Teil II the title of ownership?
No. To issue it, the German rules ask for evidence of the power of disposal over the vehicle, not of ownership, and add that the registration authority does not decide questions of private law. For the DGT, ownership is proved by the invoice.
What happens if the car comes without a CoC?
You can still register it: a reduced data sheet or another type-approval certificate is presented at the import ITV.
Can I drive over on the German 5-day temporary plate?
It is not a good idea. That plate (Kurzzeitkennzeichen) is valid for five days plus the day it is issued and, according to the ADAC, there is a recognition agreement only with Austria, Italy, Denmark and Switzerland; Spain is not among them.
Sources
- DGT — registering a vehicle brought from the EU
- DGT electronic office — ordinary registration (documents)
- Directive 1999/37/EC — registration documents
- § 14 FZV — Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II
- BMW — the electronic service history is only shown inside the car
- Porsche — digital maintenance history (models and start date)
- ADAC — Kurzzeitkennzeichen (the German 5-day plate)
- KBA — German registration documents (Teil I and Teil II)
- § 14 UStG — mandatory details on a German invoice
- Mercedes-Benz — digital service booklet (DSB)
Every source was checked on 25 September 2026. Tax rules change: if you are reading this much later, confirm it or ask us.
