2023-03-28 15:08:00
About one million refugees from Ukraine live in Germany. Many, fleeing Russia’s war on Ukraine, arrived here in their own cars. No one knows exactly how many cars with Ukrainian license plates are on German roads – no such records are kept.
In March 2022, when the first wave of refugees from Ukraine arrived in Germany, the federal states and the government in Berlin declared that Ukrainian vehicles were exempt from mandatory registration for one year. However, there is no end in sight to the war, and there is no decision on what to do next with Ukrainian vehicles.
A fine of 70 euros
State and federal governments point fingers at each other and argue over powers. The question remains in the air – despite the fact that all states, without exception, said in comments to DW that they are striving for a compromise solution that will take place throughout Germany. Representatives of the land companies are expected to return to this issue at a working level only in June. The Federal Ministry of Transport has not commented on the request of colleagues from the regions to develop proposals for a joint approach to this issue.
Many refugees from Ukraine entered Germany in their cars Photo: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Hope
The uncertainty makes many Ukrainian car owners in Germany nervous. And there is a good reason for this, as confirmed by the responses from the transport companies of some states. “Driving an unregistered vehicle in Germany, which must be registered after a period of one year has expired, is an administrative offense that can result in a fine of 70 euros,” notes, in particular, the Thuringian Ministry of Transport .
True, none of the federal states reported that targeted checks of Ukrainian vehicles on the roads are planned, for many times the annual period scheduled for registration has expired.
The first problem is the verification of compatibility
The city of Kiev Inna Polishchuk decided not to wait for the authorities to decide something. For him, a lawyer by profession, the uncertainty itself was unbearable. Although no one has threatened Ukrainian citizens with fines, Polishchuk has been in Germany with his car for exactly a year now and he does not want – even correctly – to feel like a crime. So, I got signed up a few months before the one year deadline was up.
Judging by his story, the provision of time, as well as money and muscles, turned out to be completely useful. The woman said: “I spent a total of 800 euros for German liability insurance, which is mandatory for registration. The truth is that compulsory car liability insurance for beginners is many times more expensive than for experienced drivers without accidents.
Inna Polishchuk is in Germany. Registering a car for him is a matter of law. Photo: privacy
But local insurance companies do not consider driving experience with a Ukrainian driver’s license. All Ukrainians have to pay as novice drivers if they want to register their car. Those who are not in a hurry yet or do not know how long they will stay in Germany can buy a “green card”, which is much cheaper.
The annual car tax costs Polishchuk another 211 euros. It varies depending on engine size and emissions. The woman paid about a hundred euros for the registration process itself, plus about another 500 for the technical inspection, including the cost of obtaining the European Certificate of Conformity (CoC). This certificate is the biggest headache for Ukrainian drivers who decide to register their cars in Germany.
“My car is almost new, and it was made in the EU, in Slovakia. So I hope there are no problems,” shared Polishchuk. However, an unpleasant surprise awaited Polishchuk at the local Kia dealer he contacted. Since the car was manufactured for the market of the post-Soviet countries, they could not issue a certificate for it in Germany.
263 euros for copying data from form to form
I had to contact a Kia dealer in Ukraine. “It turns out that since the car is not for the EU market, there is no European certificate of conformity (CoC) for it,” Polishchuk continued. Fortunately, he managed to get out of it: the Ukrainian businessman submitted a Ukrainian certificate of conformity, adding it to another document with the data required in EU countries. The German businessman has placed this data in a German paper (Datenblatt), for which he charges – neither more nor less – 263 euros. In the end, the whole registration process takes a month and a half.
Kia Telluride at the US Auto Show, April 2022 Photo: Brendan McDermid/REUTERS
He was lucky, at least, the woman added, that he didn’t have to pay import duties – customs make an exception for those who indicate they plan to stay in Germany and agree not to sell the car. year old. “I decided to stay in Germany, so or later I will have to do this myself, although it is not easy, but as a lawyer, I even want the councils that choose German in some ways Ina Polishchuk.
The All-German Automobile Club (ADAC) recalls the goals and objectives of the bureaucracy and government officials when registering cars in a comment to DW. “It is important that traffic safety is guaranteed in the technical conditions of the vehicles. In addition, it must be insured,” according to ADAC, which is an influential representative of the interests of German automobiles. .
Both of these points are emphasized by the governments of a number of federal states, especially Bavaria and Thuringia. But two states – Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt – without waiting for other decisions, extended the time for registration of cars for Ukrainian citizens for another year, requiring the presentation of an international insurance policy for temporary exemption from registration filter.
Driving without a license is dangerous
Regardless of how the uncertainty with the situation of Ukrainian cars continues, ADAC reminds: all cars without exception must have a “green card” or another insurance policy. “Anyone who uses a car without a civil liability insurance policy can be punished with a fine or imprisonment for one year,” the union representatives noted. Also, in this case, whether you drive without insurance intentionally or unintentionally does not benefit anyone.
In Germany, fines for speeding are sent by mail. This does not apply to Ukrainian citizens – nobody knows their addresses Photo: Rainer Jensen/dpa/art association
According to recent statistics cited by the MDR television and radio station with reference to the German Insurance Association (GDV), from May 2022 to March 2023, 262 accidents occurred with Ukrainian drivers who did not have an insurance plan – that is, almost one. accidents every day. GDV reminds that in addition to fines, such drivers will also be compensated for the damage caused.
Back to Ukraine?
Whatever German politicians finally decide about the conditions for further registration or exemption from it, many Ukrainian car owners simply will not be able to undergo a strict technical inspection of their cars here. In addition to the questionable technical condition of used cars, which have not been subjected to technical inspection for many years (in Ukraine it is an option), the first obstacle will be obtaining a certificate of conformity.
In fact, in many reviews on social networks, Ukrainians indicated that they ordered “damaged” cars from the United States for delivery to Ukraine. Often these are models that are not officially presented either on Ukrainian markets or European markets. In addition, car repairs in Ukraine are often done using materials that are not approved in the EU.
Many Ukrainians wrote on forums that if the technical inspection is necessary, they will take the car back to Ukraine. Inna Polishchuk, who used to live in Kiev, said: “This is exactly what we planned to do with my father’s car. She has recently been looking for German license plates with a Ukrainian flavor – the combination UA38 (+38 is the telephone code of Ukraine).
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