Germany is the best-organised country for classic vehicles, and it is also one of the largest sources of good classic motorcycles. The system has several plates for several kinds of use. Choosing the right one is mostly a question of how often you ride.
The H plate
The H-Kennzeichen (the H stands for historisch) is the plate for a protected classic. The conditions are:
- At least 30 years have passed since first registration.
- The bike is largely in original condition. Modifications from the period are allowed.
- An officially recognised expert (an inspector at TÜV, DEKRA or a similar organisation) writes a report under section 23 of the StVZO, the German road vehicle licensing regulations, that classes the bike as an oldtimer.
The report is a real inspection, not a stamp. The expert checks the condition and the originality of the bike, so a heavily customised machine is unlikely to pass. At the next regular periodic inspection (the Hauptuntersuchung, every two years) the H plate criteria are checked again.
The flat tax
The reward is a flat annual vehicle tax. For a motorcycle with an H plate it is €46.02 a year, whatever the engine size. An H plate also gives access to the German low emission zones (Umweltzonen) without a green sticker.
The red 07 plate
If you only ride a few times a year, the red 07 plate is an alternative. It needs the same 30-year age and the same section 23 report, but it limits what you can do with the bike. It may only be used for:
- taking part in oldtimer events, and driving to and from them,
- test drives,
- transfer journeys,
- trips for maintenance and repair.
You have to keep a logbook for every trip. Be careful abroad: according to ADAC there is no legal right to ride with a 07 plate in other countries, even if it is tolerated in some.
Seasonal plates
A seasonal plate (Saisonkennzeichen) lets you choose a period of at least two and at most eleven consecutive months. Tax is calculated in proportion to the months. A seasonal plate can be combined with an H plate, which suits a bike that sleeps through the winter anyway.
The papers of a German bike
A registered German vehicle has two parts to its papers. The Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I is the registration certificate that you carry. The Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II is the ownership document, the successor to the old Fahrzeugbrief, and it stays at home. When you buy, ask to see both, and check that the frame number matches the bike. A bike that is offered with Teil I only is a bike where you do not know who the owner is.
Buying a German bike and taking it home
The H plate belongs to German registration. Once the bike is exported and re-registered in your own country, you do not keep the German plate, tax rate or exemption, and the age rules of your own country apply. Read importing a motorcycle within the EU and compare the age rules in what counts as a classic motorcycle.
