Online deregistration not possible? Reasons and the in-person route

Why online deregistration can fail

The online procedure only works if all three security codes are present, legible and stored in the register. If one of them is missing, there is no digital alternative. So before you start, check whether any of the following cases applies to you:

• The registration certificate or the seals date from before 2015 and have no code field.
• A code was scratched while being uncovered or has become illegible through weathering.
• A licence plate has been lost or stolen, or the seal is missing.
• The registration certificate can no longer be found.
• The vehicle carries export, short-term or red licence plates.

Old documents without a security code

The codes were introduced on 1 January 2015. If a vehicle has not been re-registered since then and the keeper's address has not changed, the registration certificate and seals often still come in the old version. Retrofitting the codes just for deregistration is not provided for.

Before going to the authority, however, check whether all parts really are old. The registration certificate is often newer than expected because it was reissued after a move. In that case, only the seal codes may be missing.

Recognising export, short-term and red licence plates

Temporary special licence plates are excluded from the internet-based procedure. You can recognise an export plate by the red date field on the right of the plate. After the district code come digits first, and a single letter right at the end. Short-term plates have a yellow date field and only digits after the district code, starting with 03 or 04. Red plates for dealers and testing organisations begin with 05, 06 or 07.

Such licence plates are time-limited from the outset. The registration authority that issued the plate will explain what to do once the period expires. They cannot be deregistered online, neither with Abmeldung24 nor by any other route.

The solution: deregistration at any registration authority

Under the FZV (Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung, the German Vehicle Registration Ordinance), nationwide jurisdiction applies to deregistration. So you do not have to travel to the authority of the registration district; you can visit any registration authority in Germany. This helps if the vehicle is far away from home or your own authority has long waiting times for appointments.

At the counter, the caseworker invalidates the seals directly on the plates. No codes are needed for this. According to the GebOSt (Gebührenordnung für Maßnahmen im Straßenverkehr, the German fee schedule for road traffic measures), the official fee for deregistration in person is around €6 to €8.

• Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I (registration certificate part I, Fahrzeugschein)
• both licence plates, unscrewed
• identity card or passport
• if someone acts on your behalf, a power of attorney from the keeper and a copy of the keeper's ID

If documents or plates are missing

If the registration certificate has been lost, the authority usually requires a declaration about its whereabouts, which is made on site. If licence plates have been stolen, you should first report this to the police and bring the confirmation with you. Ask the authority you have chosen in advance which proof it accepts in your specific case.

The following also applies to deregistration in person: vehicle tax and insurance continue until the deregistration. So arrange an appointment promptly as soon as it is clear that the online route is ruled out. Many authorities allocate appointments online, and some also offer counters without an appointment for deregistrations.

Quick check: online or in person?

The decision can be made in a few minutes. Take the registration certificate and both plates and answer two questions for yourself: does each of the three parts have a code field, and is each code clearly legible after uncovering? If both apply and the vehicle carries a regular licence plate, there is generally nothing standing in the way of online deregistration.

If one answer is no, save yourself attempts in the form and plan the trip to the nearest or most quickly accessible registration authority straight away.