Living in Hamburg

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Foreign Vehicle Registration

Whether you're importing your car from back home or buying a new one in Hamburg, here's how to get the paperwork in order.

Table Of Contents

General information

If you're taking your foreign vehicle to Hamburg for a short stay while travelling, you do not have to register your car here or pay any taxes for it. Your car remains registered in your country of residence. 

As soon as you move to Hamburg and you register you adress here, your main residency will be in Germany. Then you'll need to register your foreign vehicle. When buying new or used vehicles, registration should take place immediately after the purchase.

Upon registration, you will be assigned a registration number and the necessary registration documents to be able to participate in road traffic. As the owner of a registered motor vehicle, you’re also obliged to pay vehicle taxes (Kfz-Steuer) and vehicle insurance.

It is also possible to reserve a desired license plate online in advance.


Schedule an appointment

The  LBV (Landesbetrieb Verkehr), Hamburg’s central traffic office is responsible for registering vehicles in Hamburg. To register your car, you must make an appointment online. The website provides information on the documents you need to bring with you.

In addition to on-site registration, the LBV also offers its customers LBV-Mobil services directly on site, independent of LBV locations. LBV-Mobil is a mobile service of the LBV that offers selected LBV services on special dates at external locations, e.g. in shopping centers. Click here to find out when the LBV-Mobil will be in your area and which services are on offer.


Locations for vehicle registration

The central traffic office (LBV) offers vehicle registration at five locations:

LBV Hamburg-Mitte

Ausschläger Weg 100, 20537 Hamburg
Mon, Wed: 7am - 2pm
Tue, Thu: 7am - 6pm
Fri: 7am - noon

LBV Hamburg-Nord

Langenhorner Chaussee 491, 22419 Hamburg
Mon, Wed: 7am - 2pm
Tue, Thu: 7am - 6pm
Fri: 7am - noon

LBV Hamburg-Harburg

Großmoordamm 61, 21079 Hamburg  
Mon, Wed: 7am - 6pm
Tue, Thu:  7am - 2pm
Fri: 7am - noon

LBV Hamburg-Bergedorf

Bergedorfer Straße 74, 21033 Hamburg
Mon, Wed: 7am - 6pm
Tue, Thu: 7am - 2pm
Fri: 7am - noon

LBV Hamburg-West

Schnackenburgallee 43, 22525 Hamburg
Mon, Wed: 7am - 2pm
Tue, Thu: 7am - 6pm
Fri: 7am - noon