Ukrainian Car in Germany: How Long Can You Drive on Ukrainian Plates?

You’re living in Germany and your car still has Ukrainian plates. That’s legal — for a limited time. Below: when exactly that time runs out, what German registration actually requires, how the vehicle tax works, and what happens at customs if you ever drive back to Ukraine.

# How long you can drive on Ukrainian plates

Foreign-registered vehicles can be used in Germany without German registration for up to one year (§ 46 FZV). The clock starts on the day you first entered Germany with the car. If you left and came back, BMV guidance says the period resets only in specific circumstances — there’s no blanket rule that every re-entry gives you a fresh year.

State-level exemptions that had allowed Ukrainian cars extra time expired no later than September 30, 2024. The general one-year rule now applies to everyone. For those who arrived in 2022–2024, the deadline has already passed.

Once the year is up, driving the car without German registration is an administrative offence — not a criminal one — with a fine of €70–€105 (BMV).

# What ends the grace period before one year

The one-year window closes early if the car acquires a permanent base (Standort) in Germany, determined by the actual facts of the situation. In practice, BMV and the federal states agreed to apply the full year for Ukrainian cars as a general approach. So the fact that you have a registered address and drive to work every day doesn’t automatically mean you need to register immediately.

# Insurance for a Ukrainian car in Germany

To drive in Germany, you need third-party liability cover: either a Green Card from a Ukrainian insurer (a separate international policy) or Grenzversicherung (border insurance). You must carry proof of cover in the car.

Green Cards have their own expiry date. If yours has run out and you’re still in Germany, the car can’t legally be driven. Two options:

Grenzversicherung is full statutory third-party liability cover for a limited period. It doesn’t cover damage to your own car — for that you need comprehensive (KASKO) cover.

Insurance from a German insurer is required to register the car in Germany. The Zulassungsstelle (vehicle registration office) asks for an eVB (elektronische Versicherungsbestätigung — electronic insurance confirmation). A Green Card or Grenzversicherung won’t do for registration purposes.

Whether your Ukrainian comprehensive policy covers you abroad depends on your contract terms. For more on comprehensive cover in Ukraine, see KASKO in Ukraine 2026: prices, rates at 12 insurers, how to cut costs.

# Registering a Ukrainian car in Germany

Registration happens at the Zulassungsstelle in your area. Per the BMV checklist, you’ll need:

• Individual approval under § 21 StVZO — or, if you have one, a European Certificate of Conformity (CoC) paired with an HU roadworthiness test
• eVB from a German insurer
• SEPA mandate for automatic tax collection
• Ukrainian registration certificate and plates — the Zulassungsstelle will keep them
• Customs clearance certificate (Zollunbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung) — recommended

Customs clearance. A car imported from outside the EU must be cleared through German customs. Standard rates are 10% import duty plus 19% import VAT (Einfuhrumsatzsteuer). Ukrainians resettling in Germany are exempt from both, provided the car is theirs and they used it at their previous home for at least six months (Übersiedlungsgut; apply at customs using form 0350). After this kind of clearance, the car can’t be sold or transferred for 12 months without notifying customs — though for refugees, customs authorities generally waive this restriction.

Inspection costs. According to BMV figures from September 2024: a § 21 StVZO individual approval costs €97.90, an HU roadworthiness test runs €32.90–€51.60, and an exhaust emissions check costs €23.70–€109.80. If your car doesn’t meet German technical standards, BMV asks the states to grant exemptions when modifications are impossible or disproportionately expensive. But getting an older car compliant can easily cost more than the car is worth.

# Export plates: only for leaving Germany permanently

Ausfuhrkennzeichen (§ 45 FZV) are designed for vehicles being exported from Germany for good. They’re valid for the duration of the insurance policy, with a maximum of one year, and require a current HU test covering the entire period. They don’t work as a way to keep driving in Germany — that’s not what they’re for.

# Vehicle tax in Germany (Kfz-Steuer)

While the car is temporarily in Germany — within the one-year window — there’s no vehicle tax (§ 3 KraftStG). The exemption disappears once a permanent base is established in Germany.

After registration, tax is assessed by the Hauptzollamt (main customs office), not the Finanzamt. For passenger cars first registered between July 1, 2009, and December 31, 2020, the rate works out to: €2 per 100 cc of engine displacement for petrol engines (€9.50 for diesel) plus €2 per gram of CO₂ per kilometre above the threshold. That threshold is 120 g/km for cars first registered before end of 2011, 110 g/km for 2012–2013, and 95 g/km from 2014 onward (§ 9 KraftStG).

Example. A 2018 petrol car, 1,400 cc engine, 130 g/km CO₂: 14 × €2 = €28 for displacement, plus (130 − 95) × €2 = €70 for CO₂. Total: €98 per year. You can get a precise figure from the German Federal Ministry of Finance’s online calculator.

# Returning to Ukraine: customs rules

The rules depend on your status.

Under the Customs Code of Ukraine (Art. 380), a Ukrainian citizen is considered a non-resident only if they have a permanent place of residence abroad. A non-resident can temporarily import a foreign-registered car for up to one year. If you’re registered at a Ukrainian consulate on a temporary basis, you can bring in one passenger car for up to 60 days per calendar year without paying customs duties.

If you’re returning permanently, you can import the car duty-free (Customs Code of Ukraine, Art. 374), provided you’ve lived abroad for at least three years, the car has been in your ownership and registered abroad for at least one year, and you import it within six months of receiving your permanent residence document in Ukraine. That car can’t be sold for two years without paying the applicable duties.

For a rough customs clearance estimate, use the car customs clearance calculator.

# When registration in Germany doesn’t make sense

If you’re going back to Ukraine, take the car out before the one-year deadline. Registering it in Germany for a short period and then deregistering it is expensive and time-consuming. If you’re staying and the year is already up, you have exactly three options: register, remove, or sell.

If the car is old and doesn’t meet German standards, getting it compliant can cost more than the car is worth. Selling is the rational call — but customs clearance comes first. You can’t sell an uncleared vehicle within the EU.

A common mistake: assuming the Ukrainian insurance is still valid when the Green Card has already expired. Check the date printed on the Green Card itself. For mandatory third-party insurance in Ukraine, see OSAGO 2026 in Ukraine: prices, buy online, fines (in Ukrainian).

# See also

• Car customs clearance calculator — estimate duty, VAT, and excise if you’re driving back to Ukraine
• OSAGO 2026 in Ukraine: prices, buy online, fines (in Ukrainian) — mandatory third-party liability in Ukraine
• KASKO in Ukraine 2026: prices, rates at 12 insurers, how to cut costs — whether your policy covers risks abroad
• Insurance in Ukraine — all insurance coverage