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Buying from a German Car Dealer: Full Document Checklist
Buying a car from a German Autohändler? Here’s every document you must collect before leaving Germany — and what to do if something is missing on arrival home.
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Germany is the largest and most popular source of second-hand vehicles for buyers across Central and Eastern Europe. The combination of competitive pricing, high vehicle quality, and sheer variety makes German dealers, known locally as Autohändler, the first destination for anyone looking to import a used car into Romania, Hungary, Poland, or Bulgaria. But the buying process that feels straightforward at the dealer’s premises can unravel quickly once you are back home and facing a registration authority that wants documents the seller never mentioned.
This checklist covers every piece of paperwork you should collect before the car leaves Germany, why each document matters, and what to do if something is absent when you need it most.
Why German Dealer Purchases Require Extra Attention
Buying from a private seller in Germany and buying from an Autohändler are two different experiences with different documentation expectations. A dealer is a commercial entity, which means the transaction comes with more formal paperwork — invoices, warranties, and declarations — but it does not automatically mean all registration-critical documents will be present and complete.
German dealers operate in the German market. Their administrative processes are optimised for German buyers registering vehicles in Germany. When you are buying a car from a German dealer as a foreign buyer, you are asking them to produce documents and follow procedures that sit slightly outside their standard workflow. Some dealers handle this smoothly and routinely. Others are genuinely unfamiliar with what a Romanian, Slovak, or Croatian registration authority will require, and the gaps in your paperwork will only become apparent when you are standing at the RAR desk two weeks later.
Knowing exactly what you need before you sign anything gives you the leverage to insist on it while the dealer still has every incentive to cooperate.
Document 1: The Kaufvertrag (Purchase Contract)
The Kaufvertrag is the German purchase contract and the foundation of your entire documentation package. It should include the full legal name and address of the dealer, your full name and address as the buyer, the vehicle’s make, model, year of manufacture, and VIN, the agreed purchase price in euros, the date of transaction, and the dealer’s signature and stamp.
This document establishes the legal chain of ownership from the dealer to you. Without it, no registration authority in the EU will accept your application. It also serves as the basis for any warranty claim, dispute resolution, or tax declaration that may arise after the purchase. Check every detail before signing — a typo in the VIN or your name can create bureaucratic problems that take weeks to correct.
Document 2: The Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II (Vehicle Title)
Germany splits its vehicle registration documentation into two parts. The Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I is the vehicle data card that travels with the car daily. The Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II is the ownership document — the equivalent of a title deed — and this is the one you absolutely must have when buying a car from a German dealer.
The Teil II confirms the vehicle’s registered owner history and is required by foreign registration authorities to verify that the seller had the legal right to sell the vehicle. Some dealers will only hand this over at the moment of payment, which is standard practice. What is not acceptable is a dealer who claims it is lost, held by a bank, or will be posted to you later. If the Teil II is not available at the point of sale, treat this as a serious red flag and do not proceed until it is resolved.
If the vehicle carries outstanding finance, the Teil II will often be held by the financing institution rather than the dealer. This situation requires the finance to be cleared before the document can be released, and you should never complete the purchase without confirming this has happened.
Document 3: The Certificate of Conformity
The COC is the document that most buyers forget to ask for and most dealers forget to mention. When buying a car from a German dealer for registration in another EU country, the Certificate of Conformity is not optional. It is the technical passport that proves your vehicle received European type approval, and your national registration authority will require it.
German dealers often do not have the COC on file. Fleet vehicles, leasing returns, and trade-ins frequently arrive at dealer premises without it, and the dealer may not even realise it is missing until you specifically ask. Do not assume its presence. Ask directly, early in the process, before you have emotionally committed to the purchase.
If the dealer cannot provide it, use auto-coc.eu to retrieve it using the vehicle’s VIN. The platform accesses manufacturer databases directly and can deliver the document faster and cheaper than going through official brand channels. Initiate the request before the car leaves
Document 4: The Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I (Vehicle Data Card)
The Teil I is the document that was carried in the car during its German registration. It contains the vehicle’s technical specifications, registration plates, and the name of the last registered keeper. While you will surrender this document to the German registration authority when deregistering the vehicle for export, a copy is useful for your records and for cross-referencing the data on the COC and the purchase contract.
Some dealers deregister the vehicle on your behalf before handover, which means the Teil I has already been surrendered and you will receive a deregistration confirmation instead. Both outcomes are acceptable. What you need to verify is that deregistration has actually taken place, because driving a vehicle that is still registered in Germany with German plates across the border creates complications with customs and insurance.
Document 5: The TÜV or HU Certificate
Germany’s periodic vehicle inspection is conducted by organisations including TÜV, DEKRA, and GTÜ, and the result is recorded on a sticker on the licence plate and in a certificate accompanying the vehicle. This document — known formally as the Hauptuntersuchung or HU — confirms that the vehicle passed a safety and emissions inspection at a specific date and recorded mileage.
When buying a car from a German dealer, a current HU certificate is a strong signal that the vehicle is mechanically sound enough to pass a professional inspection. Its absence, or a certificate that expired more than a year ago, should prompt questions about what was wrong with the vehicle at the time of the last inspection and why it has not been renewed.
The HU certificate does not exempt you from Romania’s ITP inspection, but it gives you reliable baseline data about the vehicle’s condition at a documented point in time.
Official Certificates of Conformity
At Auto-COC.eu, we provide official manufacturer-issued Certificates of Conformity for over 90 brands including BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Audi, Toyota, Renault, Peugeot, Ford, and many more.
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Document 6: The Abmeldebescheinigung (Deregistration Confirmation)
When a vehicle is exported from Germany, it must be officially deregistered with the Kraftfahrzeugzulassungsbehörde — the vehicle registration office. The Abmeldebescheinigung is the official confirmation that this has been done. Without it, the vehicle remains legally registered in Germany, which creates insurance, liability, and customs problems.
Some dealers handle deregistration before handover. Others expect the buyer to do it. Clarify this point explicitly before completing the transaction and ensure you leave with the Abmeldebescheinigung in hand. If the dealer is deregistering on your behalf, confirm the timing — you do not want the vehicle deregistered before you have transit insurance in place to drive it home.
Document 7: The Rechnung (VAT Invoice)
For VAT-registered buyers, or for any buyer who wants a clean record of the transaction for tax purposes, the Rechnung is the formal VAT invoice issued by the dealer. For private buyers purchasing a vehicle for personal use, this is less critical from a tax standpoint, but it remains useful as a secondary proof of purchase that complements the Kaufvertrag.
Some dealers structure transactions as margin scheme sales — particularly for older vehicles — which affects whether VAT can be reclaimed and how the transaction is declared. If VAT treatment matters for your specific situation, clarify this with the dealer and your accountant before signing.
Document 8: The Service History and Warranty Documentation
Full service history — either a physical stamped booklet or a printed digital service record from the manufacturer’s system — is not legally required for registration but significantly affects the vehicle’s value, reliability profile, and your ability to make warranty claims if the dealer offered any coverage.
When buying a car from a German dealer, ask specifically for the Scheckheft (service booklet) and any additional invoices from authorised workshops. For vehicles still within the manufacturer’s warranty period, confirm that the warranty transfers to you as the new owner and obtain written confirmation of the remaining coverage and terms.
What to Do If Documents Are Missing After Purchase
If you discover that documents are missing after the transaction is completed, the course of action depends on which document is absent. For the COC, go directly to auto-coc.eu and submit a retrieval request using the VIN. This is the fastest and most cost-effective route regardless of the vehicle’s brand. For the Teil II or Abmeldebescheinigung, contact the dealer immediately in writing — email creates a paper trail — and give them a clear deadline for resolution. For missing service history, contact the manufacturer’s authorised network with the VIN and request a digital service record print.
The key principle is to act before the vehicle arrives at the registration authority. Every missing document is easier to resolve when the dealer still feels the commercial and reputational pressure of an incomplete sale than after you have accepted the handover and driven home.
