Procedure descriptions

Applying for or reserving a vanity plate

Do you wish to have a specific letter or number combination for your registration, for example

a name abbreviation,
the name of your company in shortened form,
a birthday or wedding anniversary or
or do you wish to have a so-called "old registration" for your vehicle which is once again available in your district?

By payment of a fee, you can apply for a vanity plate or have this reserved in advance.

Should you wish to use the vanity plate of your de-registered vehicle again in the future, you can have the identification reserved for a certain period of time for payment of a fee and apply for it again in connection with the registration of another vehicle. Please contact your licensing authority in advance in this respect.

Please note: The subsequent change to a registration combination issued for a vehicle is only possible if an additional fee is paid.

Note: The licensing authorities will endeavour to comply with your request. You do not have any legal entitlement to a vanity plate.

Responsible department

the registration authorities (Zulassungsbehörde), which are responsible for the principle residence of the owner (otherwise: company premises or location of the relevant subsidiary)

The registration authorities are

for an urban district (Stadtkreis): the city council (Stadtverwaltung)
for a rural district (Landkreis): the rural district office (Landratsamt)

Details

Prerequisite

Sie wünschen sich für Ihr Kennzeichen eine bestimmte Buchstaben- oder Zahlenkombination.

Procedure

At most licensing authorities, you can apply for the vanity plate or have it reserved personally, in writing or by telephone. Many licensing authorities also offer an online service via the Internet.

Note: You can find out how long your vanity plate will remain reserved for you directly at the competent body.

Required documents

If you have reserved a vanity plate in advance, you require the confirmation of reservation for the registration procedure.

The vanity plate is not a special registration. You can find the necessary documents in the respective procedural descriptions, for example "application for (new) vehicle registration".

Costs

In addition to the registration fees, you will also incur charges in accordance with the administrative expense for

vanity plates: EUR 10.20
Reservierung: EUR 2.60

Please note: Whether your requested vanity plate can be issued by the licensing authorities requires an additional electronic check. You will be charged the fees for such a check, even if your requested vanity plate is not available.

Also in case of reservation or re-allocation of a registration which was previously issued, the additional fee will be charged.

Miscellaneous

Should you wish to use the registration number of your de-registered vehicle again in the future, you can have the this reserved for a certain period of time at most licensing authorities for payment of a fee and apply for it again in connection with the registration of another vehicle.

Legal basis

Release note

The German original version of this text was drafted in close cooperation with the relevant departments. The Verkehrsministerium released it on 16.08.2021. Only the German text is legally binding. The Federal State does not assume any liability for the translated texts.
In cases of doubt or if you have any questions or problems, please contact the relevant authorities directly.