Reserve your registration number when deregistering and keep it

Why a reservation makes sense when you deregister

Without a reservation, your registration number combination becomes available again after deregistration and may be assigned to other keepers after a while. If you are attached to your registration number, for example because it contains your initials or a date of birth, you should act at the time of deregistration.

You select the reservation directly in the Abmeldung24 deregistration form. Later on, a combination that has already been released cannot reliably be retrieved, because it is then open to anyone interested.

Two options: vehicle-based or keeper-based

The form offers you two types of reservation. Which one suits you depends on whether you will re-register the same vehicle or want to transfer the registration number to a different car.

• Vehicle-based: the registration number remains reserved for the later re-registration of exactly this vehicle, for a maximum of twelve months. It cannot be transferred to another vehicle.
• Keeper-based: after deregistration, the registration number is reserved in your name at the registration authority and can be used for a new vehicle. Depending on the authority, the entry may take a few working days.

What details you need for the reservation

For the vehicle-based option, the details you provide for the deregistration anyway are sufficient. For the keeper-based reservation, the authority additionally needs your title and date of birth so that it can clearly assign the reservation to you. If your current address differs from the one in the registration certificate, enter the new address.

For electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, you can specify whether the combination should be reserved as an E licence plate. This is relevant if the new vehicle is also electric.

Limits and deadlines you should know

A reservation does not mean unlimited ownership. If the period expires without a vehicle being registered under this registration number, the combination is released again. So make a note of the deregistration date and plan the new registration in good time.

For particularly short combinations for cars, meaning fewer than four characters after the district code, a keeper-based reservation is not possible. In addition, the registration number remains tied to its district code. If you move, check in advance whether the later registration with this code is possible.

Keeping the plates and reusing them later

When you deregister, the official seal stickers become invalid, but the plates themselves remain physically intact. If you have reserved the registration number, it is worth keeping undamaged plates. In many cases they can be reused for the registration with the same combination, provided format and condition are suitable. You then receive the new seals with the registration.

If required, you can complete the later registration with the reserved number online via Zulassung24.

Two typical situations from practice

Situation one: you deregister your car for an engine repair that will drag on over the winter. Here the vehicle-based reservation is the right fit. As soon as the car is roadworthy again in spring, it is registered again with the same registration number, as long as the twelve months have not been exceeded.

Situation two: you are selling your old car and have already ordered the new one, but delivery is not due for a few weeks. Here the keeper-based reservation is correct. The combination is secured in your name and can be used for the new vehicle. Let the dealership or whoever handles your registration know in good time that a reserved registration number is to be used.