A used car can be declared for German export without an F-gas registration, provided it meets one of two conditions. That saves you the registration on the European Commission’s F-gas Portal and the wait for the identification number – up to ten days in our recent cases.
When a used car clears without an F-gas registration
It is enough for one of the two conditions to be met:
- Registration period: the vehicle has been permanently registered for more than 6 months – regardless of mileage.
- Mileage: the vehicle has covered more than 6,000 km – regardless of how long it has been registered.
The “or” is what matters: only one of the two conditions has to apply, not both. A vehicle with 3,000 km that has been registered for eight months meets the first. A four-month-old vehicle with 12,000 km meets the second. In both cases no F-gas registration is required.
Self-drivers and freight forwarders alike
The handling is the same whether you drive the vehicle across the border yourself or have it moved by a freight forwarder. The conditions attach to the vehicle, not to the type of transport.
Where we have seen this confirmed
- Border customs offices: Weil am Rhein, Bietingen, Neuhausen/Blumberg
- Inland export customs office: Bonn
Please note: this is our own experience from recent clearances, not legal advice. Practice can differ between customs offices and individual officers, and we cannot guarantee that your export will be handled the same way.
What this means for your import
Before you register, check whether you need the F-gas registration at all. If your vehicle meets one of the two conditions, you save yourself an administrative step and the waiting time that comes with it. For new and near-new vehicles below both thresholds, the registration remains mandatory.
Not sure whether your vehicle qualifies? Get in touch with the date of first registration and the mileage – we will clarify it for you before the export declaration.