Buying a car in Denmark and importing it to Germany

Before paying, check the vehicle's identity, authority to sell, Bilbogen status and current technical condition. Then have the final price and arrangements for any tax refund recorded in writing. Collection is properly prepared only when original documents, deregistration and a valid transport route fit together. CarAudit handles the technical inspection on site before you travel to Denmark to collect the car.

This guide covers an ordinary used car already registered in Denmark which you buy as a private individual resident in Germany and intend to register there. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are excluded. A Danish advertised location alone does not prove previous Danish registration. If the last registration was elsewhere, clarify the corresponding original documents and Danish tax status separately.

Contents: Bilbogen and documents · Export price · Refund procedure · Collection and transport · Technical condition · Checklist · Registration in Germany · FAQ

What should you check in Bilbogen?

Before travelling, request the vehicle identification number (VIN), registration number and vehicle documents. The Danish Registreringsattest consists of two parts. Compare the information with the car at the viewing and obtain both parts in original form. Establish whether the seller is the owner or demonstrably authorised to sell. A registered user is not necessarily the owner. Motorstyrelsen explains the registration certificate.

The official Bilbogen query allows searches by VIN, called stelnummer in Danish. Relevant entries include liens, retention of title and attachments. These concern encumbrances on this car, not all the seller's personal debts. Life in Denmark also recommends the query before buying a used vehicle.

If an entry exists, request clear evidence of release by the entitled party and a correspondingly updated register status before paying. A seller's promise is insufficient. This is also decisive for a tax refund: if a registered lien exists when applying, Motorstyrelsen rejects the refund application. Without usable register information, this point remains unchecked.

For history, you can search available Danish inspection reports, called syn reports, by registration number or VIN. Compare available inspection and service records by date and mileage. Missing evidence and earlier periods abroad are gaps, not confirmation of an unremarkable past.

What does the Danish export price mean?

The export price is your contractual purchase price, not an official calculation formula. Following export and deregistration, part of the Danish registration tax may be refunded under certain conditions. This is not VAT. The authority's valuation and applicable deductions are decisive, not the entire tax originally paid. The Danish refund guide describes the procedure.

Have the offer state the amount and currency payable at collection, whether an expected refund is already included and who will apply for it or receive its financial benefit. Also agree who bears the risk of a lower or refused refund. A contractual clause does not create entitlement against the authority. Do not budget for a merely expected repayment as available money.

Record known defects and promised documents in the contract. Establish whether you are buying from a dealer or privately and which law applies. Your German residence does not automatically apply all German warranty rules to the contract. ADAC's guidance on buying abroad in the EU addresses contract arrangements.

Which steps apply to an export with a refund application?

These procedural steps concern export with a tax-refund application, not every purchase in Denmark. Agree beforehand who will handle the application, appointments, deregistration and evidence.

Under the Motorstyrelsen procedure, an extended registration inspection (udvidet registreringssyn) takes place first. It must be no more than 4 weeks old when the subsequent valuation is requested. Surrender of the plates and evidence of ownership, sale and export then form part of the procedure. Allow for a possible additional viewing by the authority before finalising transport.

The vehicle must actually leave Denmark no later than 3 months after the export-refund application. The evidence must prove export within that time. This is not automatically the same deadline for submitting all documents. Submit evidence promptly and observe any separate deadlines in an authority's request. This distinction is explicit in the official explanation of the export deadline.

Possible export evidence includes foreign registration or a CMR consignment note. According to Motorstyrelsen, a signed export and receipt declaration is only supplementary documentation. Before collection, establish what reliable evidence will be created and who will forward it.

How do you prevent a gap between deregistration and transport?

You cannot use surrendered Danish plates for the journey home. Plan either transport with the car loaded or an independently valid road transfer. When carried as a load, the purchased car does not need its own registration for the transport route. If driven, plates, permission to drive, roadworthiness and insurance must cover the entire route; the previous registration and seller's policy do not automatically continue. See ADAC on transfer.

One specific option is Danish prøvemærker, temporary number-plate stickers. According to Motorstyrelsen, they may be used to drive from Denmark to or through Germany. They are issued for no more than 7 days; only the person named in the permit may drive. For applicants without a Danish personal identification number and MitID, the authority describes an application without logging in. Arrange the permit and collection in advance and confirm third-party liability cover for your entire route. If legality is unclear or roadworthiness doubtful, choose transport with the car loaded.

At handover, record the date, mileage, keys, originals supplied and visible discrepancies in writing. Coordinate payment and handover instead of chasing missing papers after paying in full.

What should be inspected before you pay?

Commission CarAudit to perform an independent condition inspection directly at the seller's premises in Denmark. Our technician travels to the car, examines its current condition and records the findings in an inspection report with photographs. Before paying, you can see which defects were found and which points remain open. You can read the scope and limitations of our inspection in advance.

The export valuation for tax purposes is not a technical pre-purchase report. An HU roadworthiness inspection and a pre-purchase inspection also have different purposes: TÜV NORD distinguishes road safety and environmental compatibility from condition, previous damage and wear. An additional pre-purchase inspection is a recommendation here, not a general legal requirement.

Bodywork, underbody and powertrain

Arrange underbody access and a suitable inspection location. The assignment includes repair traces, corrosion, brakes, suspension, tyres, fluid leaks and powertrain operation. Have findings documented with photographs and understandable descriptions. Paint measurements must be interpreted in relation to the panel and repair pattern, not a blanket threshold. Our inspection-point overview helps you prepare.

Test drive, diagnostics and remaining limitations

Establish test-drive, cold-start and diagnostic access beforehand. A fault code is not yet a repair quotation; an empty fault memory does not confirm the absence of defects. The report must explicitly identify inaccessible areas. Our guidance on inspection limits also distinguishes accessible checks from components that are not dismantled and faults that appear only later.

Our recommendation: pause payment or departure if identity, third-party rights over the car, essential originals or a serious unexplained technical finding remain unresolved. Only resolving the actual issue turns an open point into a basis for a decision.

Your checklist before purchase and collection

Use these six questions to coordinate with the seller, inspector and carrier. Open, Evidence reviewed and Discrepancy to resolve record only your review. They confirm neither document validity nor the car's condition. For the refund question, first establish whether an application is planned at all.

How do you prepare for costs and registration in Germany?

Which taxes apply when buying a used car in the EU?

For VAT purposes, the car is used only if it has travelled more than 6,000 km and is supplied more than six months after first registration. Exactly 6,000 km or no more than six months is enough for classification as new. The EU VAT rules are decisive, not the description in the advert.

Moving an ordinary EU used car to Germany incurs no customs duty or additional German VAT. A private sale has no VAT charged; a dealer's invoice depends on their tax procedure, possibly margin taxation. A net-price purchase is not automatically available. For a car that is new for tax purposes, however, you must clarify German acquisition taxation, including declaration and payment, with the tax office independently of the registration date. Your Europe explains both cases.

What does the German registration authority need?

Before buying, have your responsible registration authority confirm the documents for this vehicle. The Berlin authority guide lists original foreign papers, purchase contract or invoice, proof of identity, electronic insurance confirmation (eVB) and a SEPA direct-debit mandate. For type-approved vehicles, the EU certificate of conformity (COC) or manufacturer data confirmation provides the technical basis.

The required inspection evidence must also be supplied; an exception may apply for a sufficiently young vehicle. Establish whether an existing Danish inspection report is sufficient based on that actual report. Without type approval, an expert report under section 21 StVZO is required; a missing COC alone does not automatically determine this route. The authority requirements and vehicle-specific document assessment are decisive, including for foreign inspection evidence.

Do not rely on German registration to complete Danish deregistration automatically. Berlin explicitly notes that its notification to the country of origin does not automatically take the vehicle out of service there.

How do you budget for the total cost?

Add the agreed price, inspection, transport, documents and export processing, any HU inspection or expert report, German registration and documented repairs. For ongoing use, include insurance and any vehicle tax. Obtain specific quotations. Missing amounts remain open rather than appearing as zero; an unsecured refund does not reduce the amount of funding you definitely need.

Frequently asked questions

Does the German buyer automatically receive the Danish tax refund?

No. Entitlement conditions and the agreed pricing are decisive. Establish the applicant and financial recipient before paying; German residence alone does not promise a refund. Motorstyrelsen: vehicle export.

What must I check in Bilbogen?

Current registered rights over the specific car and, where applicable, evidence of their release. Compare the VIN; an older printout or verbal promise does not replace a current check. Official Bilbogen access.

Can I simply drive home after returning the Danish plates?

Not with the surrendered plates. Prepare transport with the car loaded or a permitted road transfer with valid plates, authorisation and insurance beforehand. Prøvemærker have their own conditions. Motorstyrelsen: temporary plates.

Have the car inspected before travelling to Denmark

Send us the advert link, the car's location and the seller's contact details. We will arrange a CarAudit inspection with you directly at the seller's premises in Denmark. The inspection report helps you decide whether to continue with the purchase, clarify individual findings or walk away from the vehicle before paying and travelling from Germany to collect it.

Arrange a CarAudit inspection in Denmark