Take a vehicle off the road (Stilllegung): now called Außerbetriebsetzung under § 16 FZV

KFZ-Zulassungsstelle · Abmeldung (deregistration) & licence plates

Online (i-Kfz) / In person

Anyone who does not use their car, motorcycle or trailer for a longer period deregisters the vehicle with the vehicle registration authority. In everyday language, this step is still called Stilllegung — although current law no longer uses this term. The relevant provision is § 16 of the Vehicle Registration Ordinance (FZV) of 20 July 2023, which refers to the service as Außerbetriebsetzung. The fees are set out in the fee schedule for measures in road traffic (Anlage to § 1 GebOSt) and are fixed nationwide.

What changed in 2007: Until 28 February 2007, vehicle registration law distinguished between temporary and final Stilllegung. When the Vehicle Registration Ordinance (Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung) came into force on 1 March 2007, both variants were replaced by the single term Außerbetriebsetzung. Since then, there has been only one process: the vehicle is taken out of service, the licence plates are destamped, and the vehicle data remain stored in the register for a limited period. Whether you re-register the vehicle after three weeks, after three years or not at all makes no difference to the deregistration process itself – in every case you apply for the same service and pay the same fee.

What deregistration costs in 2026: online via i-Kfz €2.10 (Nr. 224.2 of the fee schedule), for an in-person visit €15.90 (Nr. 224.1). Reserving the licence plate for later re-registration costs an additional €2.60 per identification number (Nr. 230) and applies for at most twelve months from the day of deregistration. The fee schedule was last amended with effect from 18 August 2026 – differing, usually higher amounts from older guides and forums refer to earlier versions and are outdated.

This page explains the term and focuses above all on the long-term consequences of a Stilllegung: dormant insurance, tax refund, licence-plate reservation, the seven-year limit of the vehicle register and the alternatives. You will find the official procedure itself – process, appointment and documents – under the term in force today on our page Deregister a vehicle (Außerbetriebsetzung); both pages are based on the same legal basis and the same fee schedule.

Last updated12 October 2026

Legal basis§ 16 FZV · Nr. 224.1/224.2 GebOSt

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Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta

Independent information site: we are not the Kfz-Zulassungsstelle, not an authority and not a paid advice service — we do not submit applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in plain language; binding information always comes from the competent body. The fees stated are fixed nationwide in the GebOSt fee schedule; appointment availability, processing time and accepted means of payment vary depending on the vehicle registration authority. The dormant insurance is based on contractual insurance terms (AKB) and depends on the insurer. All information is provided without guarantee. We are neither solicitors nor tax consultants: we document official procedures and check the information against the official source — this is information, not legal or tax advice.

Stilllegung or Außerbetriebsetzung? The terms explained plainly

The term Stilllegung has not been a legal term since 1 March 2007. Until then, the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (Straßenverkehrs-Zulassungs-Ordnung, StVZO) governed two separate processes: the temporary Stilllegung, in which the vehicle data were retained, and the final Stilllegung or deletion, with which a vehicle was permanently taken off the road. This two-way division ended with the Vehicle Registration Ordinance. Today there is only the Außerbetriebsetzung under § 16 FZV – a single process, regardless of how long the vehicle is to remain off the road.

Why this matters in practice: Anyone who asks the vehicle registration authority for a final Stilllegung does not receive any special service, but the same Außerbetriebsetzung as any other vehicle holder. Anyone who actually wants to take a vehicle permanently off the road must additionally submit a certificate of recycling from a recognised dismantling facility under the End-of-Life Vehicles Ordinance (Altfahrzeug-Verordnung); only then is the vehicle recorded as recycled rather than merely deregistered. The recycling itself is free of charge for the last vehicle holder, provided the vehicle is complete. Without this proof, the vehicle remains in the register, and you remain responsible as the vehicle holder for its whereabouts.

And the time limit? There is no official maximum duration for a Stilllegung. Three other time limits are relevant: twelve months for licence-plate reservation under § 16 Abs. 1 FZV, 18 months of premium-free dormant insurance under the insurance terms, and seven years until the vehicle data are deleted under § 72 FZV.

Required documents

Registration certificate Part I (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I, formerly Fahrzeugschein) — the central document of the process: § 16 Abs. 1 FZV expressly requires it to be presented. The authority notes the Außerbetriebsetzung on it and then hands the document back to you – keep it, because you will need it for the later re-registration. If the certificate has been lost, you must apply for a replacement before the Abmeldung and, as a rule, make a statutory declaration in lieu of an oath; this costs additional fees and time.

Both stamped licence plates — for an in-person Abmeldung, you unscrew both plates and present them for destamping; the authority physically removes the stamp stickers so that the licence plate cannot be reused. For an alternating licence plate (Wechselkennzeichen), only the vehicle-specific part needs to be presented if only one of the vehicles is being deregistered. If a plate is missing because it was stolen or lost, you need a police report of loss (Verlustanzeige) or a statutory declaration in lieu of an oath.

Trailer register (Anhängerverzeichnis), if one exists — § 16 Abs. 1 FZV expressly names the trailer register alongside the registration certificate Part I. This applies to towing vehicles for which such a register was issued. Anyone who leaves it at home often cannot complete the process and has to arrange a second appointment – a real loss of time at vehicle registration authorities with appointment waiting times of several weeks.

Valid identity card or passport — the vehicle registration authority must identify the applicant beyond doubt; a valid identity document in the original is mandatory, a copy or a photo on your phone is not enough. For a passport, many authorities additionally require a current registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung), because the passport does not show an address.

Power of attorney for representation by a third party — under § 16 Abs. 1 FZV, whoever presents all required documents and the licence plates is deemed authorised. In practice, however, many authorities still require a written power of attorney with a copy of the vehicle holder’s identity document, for example when a car dealership, a registration service or a family member handles the procedure – clarify this in advance, otherwise the representing person will be turned away at the counter.

Security codes on the licence plates and registration certificate – for i-Kfz only — for the online Abmeldung, you expose the hidden security codes under the stamp stickers of both licence plates and additionally need the hidden code on the registration certificate Part I. The film can only be removed once; a damaged or illegible code permanently rules out the online procedure. Important restriction: the registration certificate Part I must have been issued on or after 1 January 2015, because older documents do not yet carry security codes.

No electronic proof of identity needed — unlike with new registration, change of holder or re-registration, the portal expressly dispenses with identifying the applicant for the Außerbetriebsetzung under § 24 Abs. 4 FZV, provided the security codes of the licence plates and of the registration certificate Part I are captured. The portal retrieves the holder's data automatically from the Central Vehicle Register. You do not need an identity card with the online identification function, a PIN or a BundID account for this process.

Bank details for the tax refund — the Hauptzollamt (main customs office) refunds overpaid motor vehicle tax only to a bank account it already has on file; cash payments and crossed cheques are excluded. Anyone who has so far paid by bank transfer instead of SEPA direct debit mandate, or has changed bank in the meantime, should provide the IBAN to the competent Hauptzollamt before the Abmeldung.

Step by step

Choose the procedure: i-Kfz or vehicle registration authority

Since 1 September 2023, the fourth stage of internet-based vehicle registration (i-Kfz) has applied; following the staggered rollout from October 2023, the procedure is available in all 16 federal states and in almost all around 440 vehicle registration authorities. The online deregistration costs €2.10, is available around the clock and generally takes effect immediately. It requires readable security codes on both licence plates and on the registration certificate Part I, which must also have been issued on or after 1 January 2015. You do not need an electronic proof of identity for this: under § 24 Abs. 4 FZV, the portal expressly dispenses with identifying the applicant for the Außerbetriebsetzung and retrieves the holder's data directly from the Central Vehicle Register. If either of the two requirements regarding the security codes is missing, the counter route for €15.90 remains available.

Arrange a parking space on private land

Arrange the parking space before you deregister the vehicle. A vehicle taken out of service must no longer be left standing in public road space – anyone who leaves it there risks a request from the Ordnungsamt (public order office), a warning fine or regulatory fine, and, as a next step, being towed away at their own expense. There is also the insurance side: the premium-free dormant insurance applies only to a parking space in a garage or on enclosed private land; a freely accessible parking spot in front of the house is generally not enough.

Prepare the licence plates and documents

For an in-person Abmeldung, you unscrew both licence plates and pack them together with the registration certificate Part I, your identity document and, if applicable, the trailer register. For the online procedure, the plates stay on the vehicle: you simply expose the security codes under the stamp stickers and find the hidden code on the registration certificate Part I. Photograph the codes right away, so that you do not have to read them off the vehicle later.

Submit the application and pay the fee

Online, you open the portal of your competent vehicle registration authority or the central i-Kfz portal, identify yourself with the online identification function and the six-digit PIN, enter the security codes and pay the €2.10 by ePayment – credit card or PayPal are common. In person, many vehicle registration authorities require a pre-booked appointment; walk-in visits are only possible to a limited extent in many places. Processing at the counter itself usually takes under ten minutes, because destamping is a purely technical process.

Reserve the licence plate – if you want to keep it

On request, the authority reserves the licence plate for you for later re-registration. Under § 16 Abs. 1 FZV, the reservation applies for at most twelve months, counted from the day of the Außerbetriebsetzung; you receive a written or electronic confirmation of this. The fee is €2.60 per identification number under Nr. 230 of the fee schedule. The law expressly names one exception: if the licence plate was previously taken along in a move to another registration district and is deregistered there, a reservation is not possible.

Keep the confirmation and file the documents

You receive a confirmation of the Außerbetriebsetzung – in person as a printout, online as a notice (Bescheid) in the portal, or by post. Keep it together with the registration certificate Part I and Part II (Fahrzeugbrief): for re-registration, under § 16 Abs. 2 FZV, both parts generally have to be presented; only if you keep the same licence plate and the vehicle holder remains unchanged does the presentation of Part II become unnecessary.

Follow up on insurance and motor vehicle tax

The vehicle registration authority reports the Außerbetriebsetzung to the Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, KBA), to your insurer and to the customs administration – you do not need to arrange anything further for this. The motor vehicle tax liability ends with the Abmeldung; the resulting credit balance is generally paid out about three weeks later, but only to a bank account the Hauptzollamt has on file. The insurance contract usually transfers into the premium-free dormant insurance. Check your bank statements after four to six weeks: if the premium keeps being charged or the tax refund fails to arrive, this is usually due to a bank account not on file.

Fees & costs

Service (fee schedule, Annex to § 1 GebOSt)	Amount
Deregistration in person, within or outside the registration district (Nr. 224.1)	€15.90
Internet-based deregistration via i-Kfz (Nr. 224.2)	€2.10
Reservation of the licence plate, per identification number (Nr. 230)	€2.60
Surcharge for a personalised licence plate within the reservation (Nr. 230)	+ €10.20
Re-registration in the same registration district, without change of holder, with a reserved licence plate (Nr. 221.6)	€23.00
The same re-registration, internet-based (Nr. 221.7)	€10.60
Registration or re-registration in all other cases (Nr. 221.1)	€30.00
Online registration or re-registration in all other cases (Nr. 221.1.1)	€12.80

The amounts are set nationwide, not by the local authority. Unlike with many other official procedures, here it is not the local authority but the federal government that sets the fee — via the Annex to § 1 of the Fee Schedule for Measures in Road Traffic (Gebührenordnung für Maßnahmen im Straßenverkehr, GebOSt). A vehicle registration authority that charges more than €15.90 in person is, as a rule, also billing for additional services, such as the licence-plate reservation or a replacement issue of documents. The fee schedule was last amended with effect from 18 August 2026.

The price difference is often overlooked. The online Abmeldung costs only about an eighth of the in-person fee, and for re-registration the gap is even greater: anyone who stays in the same registration district, does not change vehicle holder and has reserved the licence plate pays €10.60 online instead of €30.00 in the standard case. The €2.60 for the reservation therefore almost always pays off. For vehicles with an inspection-sticker holder, the online registration fees each increase by €0.30.

Payment: In the i-Kfz procedure, the fee is paid directly in the portal by ePayment — usually by credit card or PayPal. In person, most vehicle registration authorities accept EC card and cash; credit cards are far from accepted everywhere. Which means of payment are specifically offered depends on the competent authority and is stated in the service portal of your district (Landkreis) or your independent city. There are no fee exemptions for the Außerbetriebsetzung; even people with a severe disability and recipients of social benefits pay the full amount.

Important notes

Dormant insurance: two weeks minimum, 18 months maximum. The insurance contract is not ended but, under H.1 of the General Terms and Conditions for Motor Insurance (AKB), transfers into a premium-free dormant insurance. The condition is that the Außerbetriebsetzung lasts at least two weeks — anyone who re-registers after ten days gets no premium exemption. Cover is granted for at most 18 months; after that it ends automatically, and the vehicle is left without insurance cover. Anyone wishing to leave the vehicle off the road for longer should talk to the insurer about a follow-on solution in good time.

What the dormant insurance covers — and what it does not. It includes liability for damage caused by the parked vehicle, and, where comprehensive cover exists, usually only the scope of a partial comprehensive policy (Teilkasko): storm, hail, lightning strike, fire, animal bite and theft. Full comprehensive cover (Vollkasko) is generally reduced to partial comprehensive cover during the dormant period. The continuous condition is a parking space in a garage or on enclosed private land — cover does not apply in public spaces.

Do not cancel the insurance contract hastily. A notice of termination is unnecessary, because the contract is dormant and premium-free anyway. The no-claims discount is retained during the dormant period; even after a notice of termination, the no-claims years remain transferable for a limited time, depending on the insurer. Note: if the dormant insurance lasts longer than six months, this can affect how the no-claims years are counted — this is governed by your insurance terms, depending on the insurer, not by law.

Motor vehicle tax: refund only to a bank account on file. The tax liability ends on the day of the Außerbetriebsetzung, and the customs administration recalculates the annual amount already paid on a day-exact basis. The credit balance is generally paid out about three weeks after the Abmeldung — but only by bank transfer to a bank account the Hauptzollamt has on file. There are no cash payments or crossed cheques. If the IBAN is missing, because you paid by bank transfer or changed bank, the refund is delayed until you provide it.

Twelve months of licence-plate reservation — with one statutory exception. § 16 Abs. 1 FZV permits the reservation for at most twelve months from the day of the Außerbetriebsetzung. However, it does not apply if the licence plate was previously kept in use in another registration district under § 15 Abs. 4 Satz 1 Nr. 2 or Abs. 5 Satz 3 Nr. 4 FZV and is deregistered there. In practice, this affects vehicle holders who have kept their old local licence plate after a move: if they deregister the vehicle at the new place of residence, the old licence plate then becomes free again.

Seven years: the critical limit for long-term Stilllegung. Under § 72 FZV, the vehicle and holder data are deleted from the Central Vehicle Register seven years after the Außerbetriebsetzung. If the data have been deleted and the required certificates are missing, § 21 StVZO applies correspondingly under § 16 Abs. 2 FZV: the technical data must then be proven by means of an EC certificate of conformity, a data sheet or an expert report from an officially recognised expert. Such a full expert report costs many times the registration fee — for a vehicle you want to keep, a brief re-registration before the seven years expire is worthwhile.

Periodic roadworthiness test: due only if it would have fallen due in the meantime. § 16 Abs. 2 FZV requires a periodic roadworthiness test (Hauptuntersuchung, HU) under § 29 StVZO before re-registration only if, under Anlage VIII Nr. 2 StVZO, a test would have had to take place during the Stilllegung period. Anyone who takes a vehicle with a fresh HU off the road for six months can therefore return to the road without a new test. For a Stilllegung lasting several years, by contrast, the HU practically always has to be made up — factor in the cost of the test and any necessary repairs from the outset.

Seasonal licence plate as an alternative for regular breaks. Anyone who does not use their vehicle during the same months every year — convertible, motorhome, motorcycle — is usually better off with a seasonal licence plate (Saisonkennzeichen) than with annual deregistration and re-registration. Motor vehicle tax and the insurance premium are payable only for the registered operating period, and switching between seasons happens without a further official procedure. The disadvantage: the operating period is fixed, and outside it, the vehicle must not be driven or parked in public road space.

Common mistakes

Security code damaged or document too old

The films over the security codes can only be removed once; anyone who scratches too roughly or makes the code illegible can no longer use the online procedure. The same applies if the registration certificate Part I was issued before 1 January 2015 — in that case, no codes exist at all. Consequence: you have to deregister in person and pay €15.90 instead of €2.10, plus travel time and waiting time.

Cancelled the insurance yourself, too hastily

Many vehicle holders reflexively cancel their motor insurance after the Abmeldung, even though the contract is dormant and premium-free anyway. Consequence: the premium-free dormant cover for fire, storm, hail and theft ends immediately, and the parked vehicle is uninsured. Whether and for how long the no-claims years remain transferable afterwards depends on the particular insurer and the agreed terms — a blanket loss of the discount does not occur, but the risk is avoidable, because the cancellation is simply unnecessary.

Not having the licence plate reserved

Without reservation, the licence plate falls back into the vehicle registration authority’s free pool upon destamping and can be allocated to another vehicle holder at any time. Consequence: on re-registration, you receive a new licence plate, have to buy new plates and lose the favourable fee rate under Nr. 221.6 or Nr. 221.7 — instead of €10.60 online, €12.80 becomes payable, and in person €30.00 instead of €23.00. The reservation would have cost €2.60.

Vehicle remains parked in public road space

A deregistered vehicle without valid licence plates counts, in public road space, as a traffic obstruction or as waste within the meaning of the street-cleaning bylaws. Consequence: the Ordnungsamt attaches a red sticker, sets a short deadline and then has the vehicle towed away and put into storage — the costs for this are often in the three-figure range and are borne by the vehicle holder. At the same time, the dormant insurance cover ceases to apply, because it requires a parking space on private land.

Letting the seven-year limit pass

Anyone who leaves a vehicle standing for years and overlooks the deadline in § 72 FZV will find, after seven years, that their vehicle data are no longer in the Central Vehicle Register. Consequence: if the certificates are then also missing, the vehicle registration authority, applying § 21 StVZO correspondingly under § 16 Abs. 2 FZV, requires technical proof — in case of doubt, a full expert report from an officially recognised expert. A re-registration for €23.00 can quickly turn into a project with several hundred euros in expert fees.

No bank details on file with the Hauptzollamt

The motor vehicle tax is settled on a day-exact basis, but the credit balance is refunded only by bank transfer. Consequence: anyone who has so far transferred money themselves or changed bank waits in vain for the repayment. The money does not lapse, but it stays unpaid until you give the competent Hauptzollamt your IBAN.

Trip to the workshop or to the buyer after the Abmeldung

After destamping, the vehicle is neither registered nor covered by liability insurance. Consequence: even a short trip constitutes the criminal offence of driving without compulsory insurance; a driving ban, points in the Register of Driver Fitness (Fahreignungsregister, FAER) and, in the event of a claim, full personal liability are added on top. For transfer trips to the buyer, to the workshop or for the periodic roadworthiness test, use a short-term licence plate (Kurzzeitkennzeichen) or a trailer — both are always cheaper than the consequences.

Frequently asked questions

What does it cost to take a vehicle off the road?

The online Außerbetriebsetzung via i-Kfz costs €2.10 under Nr. 224.2 of the fee schedule, and the in-person Außerbetriebsetzung €15.90 under Nr. 224.1. Both amounts are fixed nationwide in the GebOSt fee schedule and are not determined by the individual local authority.

Does Stilllegung still exist legally at all?

No. Since 1 March 2007, vehicle registration law no longer uses the term Stilllegung; the earlier distinction between temporary and final Stilllegung was replaced, when the Vehicle Registration Ordinance came into force, by the single term Außerbetriebsetzung. As a search term and in everyday language, Stilllegung has remained in use, but in notices and forms you will find only the term Außerbetriebsetzung.

How long can I have my licence plate reserved?

Under § 16 Abs. 1 FZV, the vehicle registration authority reserves the licence plate on request for at most twelve months, counted from the day of the Außerbetriebsetzung; the fee is €2.60 per identification number under Nr. 230 of the fee schedule. The reservation does not apply if the licence plate was previously taken along to another registration district and deregistered there.

What happens to my motor insurance after the Abmeldung?

As a rule, the contract transfers into the premium-free dormant insurance under H.1 AKB. The condition is an Außerbetriebsetzung of at least two weeks; cover is granted for at most 18 months and usually only to the extent of partial comprehensive cover, as long as the vehicle is in a garage or on enclosed private land. This is a contractual arrangement in the insurance terms, not statutory law.

Should I cancel my motor insurance after the Stilllegung?

A notice of termination is not necessary, because the contract is dormant and premium-free anyway, and it can bring disadvantages. The no-claims discount is retained during the dormant period; even after a notice of termination, the no-claims years remain transferable for a limited time, depending on the insurer. If the dormant insurance lasts longer than six months, this can affect how the no-claims years are counted – the exact handling of this depends on the insurer and is set out in your insurance terms.

When do I get back the overpaid motor vehicle tax?

The tax liability ends with the Abmeldung, and the resulting credit balance is generally paid out about three weeks after the Außerbetriebsetzung. The customs administration transfers only to a bank account it has on file; cash payments and crossed cheques are excluded. Anyone who has not provided an IBAN must submit it to the competent Hauptzollamt, otherwise the credit balance remains unpaid.

What does later re-registration cost?

In the most favourable case – re-registration in the same registration district, without change of holder and with a reserved licence plate – it costs €23.00 in person under Nr. 221.6 and only €10.60 online under Nr. 221.7. In all other cases, €30.00 applies under Nr. 221.1 or €12.80 for online processing under Nr. 221.1.1. For vehicles with an inspection sticker, the online amounts increase by €0.30.

What applies if the vehicle was deregistered for longer than seven years?

Under § 72 FZV, the vehicle data are deleted from the Central Vehicle Register seven years after the Außerbetriebsetzung. If data have been deleted and the required certificates are missing, § 21 StVZO applies correspondingly under § 16 Abs. 2 FZV – the technical data must then be proven by means of an EC certificate of conformity, a data sheet or an expert report from an officially recognised expert, which can cost several hundred euros.

What are the requirements for the online Abmeldung via i-Kfz?

You need the exposed security codes on both licence plates and on the registration certificate Part I, and this certificate must have been issued on or after 1 January 2015. You do not need an electronic proof of identity for this: under § 24 Abs. 4 FZV, the portal expressly dispenses with identifying the applicant for the Außerbetriebsetzung and retrieves the holder's data directly from the Central Vehicle Register.