Moving to Germany With a Car: Duty-Free Import Guide | 2026

July 7, 2025 at 8:14 AM

Moving to Germany with your car can cost nothing in customs duty: German customs (Zoll) clears it as removal goods if you lived outside the EU for at least 12 months, used the car for at least 6, and declare it within 12 months of the move. The duty is the easy part. The TÜV or DEKRA single-vehicle approval decides whether a US-spec car is worth bringing, so we would get that answer before booking a container.

This guide covers the removal-goods rules, what shipping costs from each US coast in October 2026, the approval, plates, and the cases where you do not need a permanent import at all.

By the Numbers: Shipping a Car to Germany, October 2026

$1,100 and 30-33 days: New Jersey to Bremerhaven, car by ocean container (our rates table, October 26 2026)
24 days for $1,250: Texas to Bremerhaven, the shortest transit in the table
EUR 600-650: destination charges at Bremerhaven, per our rates table
12 / 6 / 12: months outside the EU, months of use, months to declare (Zoll, removal goods)
1 year: the most a foreign-registered car may be used in Germany on its home plates, and only while it has no regular base there (FZV section 46)

Who Qualifies for Duty-Free Removal Goods

Zoll's service page for removal goods (Übersiedlungsgut) lists private cars, motorcycles, trailers and campers as eligible. Commercial vehicles are not. The conditions:

Rule	What Zoll requires
Prior residence	Your normal residence was outside the EU customs territory for at least 12 months before the move. An employment contract showing you intended to stay 12 months or more can count.
Use	You or your family used the car for at least 6 months in the country you are leaving, and will keep using it for the same purpose.
Deadline	Declare it within 12 months after the move, on form 0350 (Zollanmeldung für Übersiedlungsgut). You can also import it up to 6 months before you move, against a security.
No transfer	For 12 months from acceptance of the declaration you may not sell, give away or lend the car.

The Zoll page covers the customs duty relief. Import VAT relief for removal goods sits in a separate German regulation, so confirm the 19% import VAT treatment with the customs office when you file form 0350. A car that does not qualify pays the normal rates. Our rates table lists 10% duty and 19% VAT for cars under 30 years old. The EU's 0% duty on US-origin cars (Regulation (EU) 2026/1455, July 1 2026 to December 31 2029) may apply, but the customs office handling the import decides, and current guidance ties it to a certificate of origin, which is usually available for a new car and rarely for a 30-year-old classic. We would never budget on it.

What It Costs to Ship a Car to Germany in 2026

Every open car lane to Germany in our rates table lands at Bremerhaven, by ocean container, port to port:

Departure state	Ocean freight	Transit
New Jersey	$1,100	30-33 days
Texas	$1,250	24 days
Florida	$1,225	31-34 days
California	$1,850	40-45 days

Destination charges at Bremerhaven run EUR 600-650. Our take: from anywhere east of the Rockies, Texas buys you a week for $150 over New Jersey, which matters when the car has to be there before your US registration lapses. Air freight is quoted per car. The shipping calculator gives today's figure for your state, with pickup from your door.

Timeline: From Pickup to Bremerhaven

Plan the paperwork before the sailing: our rates table allows 10 days of document preparation from New Jersey and California, 14 from Texas and 21 from Florida, on top of the transit times above. Here is how we ship a car, step by step, from pickup to loading.

Documents to Have Ready

Passport
Proof of your former residence outside the EU for 12 months (lease, utility bills, employment contract)
Proof of your new residence in Germany (rental contract or Anmeldung)
Title, free of liens, or a lienholder letter authorizing export
Registration in your name, showing at least 6 months of use (Zoll asks for proof of registration in the country you left)
Purchase invoice or bill of sale
Form 0350, the removal-goods declaration

For the US export, the title goes to US Customs at the port at least 72 hours before export (19 CFR 192.2), and the export filing is made in AES. Our team handles both.

Before You Ship: The Single-Vehicle Approval

A car that is not an EU-approved type needs a Betriebserlaubnis für Einzelfahrzeuge under section 21 of the StVZO: the registration authority wants a report from an officially recognized expert, in practice a TÜV or DEKRA engineer. Nearly every US-spec car goes this route, after customs and before plates.

What the inspection usually flags

Headlights: US and EU beam patterns differ
Rear fog light: rarely fitted on US-spec cars
Speedometer: km/h as the primary display
Turn signal color and emissions hardware

Our view: petrol cars are usually worth it, a US-spec diesel deserves a written opinion from TÜV or DEKRA before you spend a dollar on freight, and a car 30 years or older is the easiest case of all, since it can qualify as an Oldtimer with the H plate.

Six months out

Send make, model, year and VIN to a TÜV or DEKRA branch and ask for a preliminary list of modifications
Gather the title, registrations and service records that show 6 months of use

Three months out

Do the modifications in the US if the list is short, and keep every invoice for the inspector
Book the container and line up a customs agent in Germany to file form 0350

On arrival

Customs clearance, then the single-vehicle inspection, then the eVB number from your German insurer, then the appointment at the Kfz-Zulassungsstelle for plates.

Short Stay or Military Posting: When You Do Not Need a Permanent Import

Section 46 of the FZV lets a foreign-registered car take part in German traffic temporarily, for up to one year, as long as the car has no regular base in Germany and is roadworthy. A visitor on a long European trip fits that rule. A family that has moved here usually does not, because the car is now based at the new address, so we would plan on German plates rather than a year on US ones.

US service members stationed in Germany import under the Status of Forces Agreement and register through military channels. That is a different process, covered in our PCS car shipping guide for Germany.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I import my car to Germany duty free when I move?

Yes, as removal goods, if you lived outside the EU for at least 12 months, used the car for at least 6 months, and declare it within 12 months of the move on form 0350.

Can I sell the car after it clears?

Not for 12 months from acceptance of the declaration. Zoll does not allow the car to be sold, given away or lent in that period.

How much does it cost to ship a car from the US to Germany?

Our October 2026 rates table lists $1,100 from New Jersey to Bremerhaven by ocean container, 30-33 days, plus EUR 600-650 in destination charges.

Does my US car need a TÜV approval?

Almost always. A car that is not an EU-approved type needs a single-vehicle approval under section 21 StVZO, based on a TÜV or DEKRA expert report, before it can be registered.

How long can I drive on US plates in Germany?

Up to one year under section 46 FZV, and only while the car has no regular base in Germany. A car that moved with you is usually based at your new address.

More Germany Guides

Ship Your Car to Germany

We load from our own warehouses in California, Florida and New Jersey, covering all of the US for imports and exports, and our own team loads every car and handles every document. We ship door to door, by ocean container or by air, whether the car is moving with your family or you just bought it at an auction overseas and need it home. Ready to plan the move? Get a number from the shipping calculator and see how simple bringing your car with you can be.

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