What are interchangeable license plates?
Under certain conditions, two vehicles can be registered with a changeable license plate. However, only one vehicle may be moved at a time. The vehicle that is not being used and does not have the full license plate on it may not be parked on a public road.
What are the advantages of a changeable license plate?
With an interchangeable license plate, vehicles can be used flexibly throughout the year without time restrictions, as an alternative to a seasonal license plate. Since only one vehicle may be driven at a time with a changeable license plate, this can be used as a criterion for the assessment of the premium in the motor vehicle liability insurance by the insurer. Please check with your insurance company for appropriate rates. For each vehicle, proof of insurance coverage must be provided in the form of an electronic insurance confirmation. There is no provision for a tax reduction. Both vehicles are subject to tax.
For which vehicles is a changeable license plate possible?
The changeable license plate is possible for the following types of vehicles:
Class M1: vehicles for passenger transport with a maximum of eight seats except for the driver's seat (e.g. passenger car, motor home).
Class L: two-, three- or light four-wheeled vehicles
Class O1: trailers up to 750 kg total weight
You will find the classification in your registration certificate Part I (vehicle registration certificate) in fields J and 4. If the above-mentioned vehicle classes cannot be clearly determined from the registration certificates, an assessment report from a technical service (TÜV, Dekra, GTÜ, etc.) may be necessary.
A maximum of two vehicles of one vehicle class can be registered on one interchangeable license plate if license plates of the same number and dimensions can be used. A combination of different classes, e.g. passenger car with motorcycle, is not possible. One or both vehicles can also be classic cars (H license plate).
What does the interchangeable license plate look like?
The interchangeable license plate consists of two parts: A common license plate part and a vehicle-related license plate part. The identification numbers of a changeable license plate are the same except for the last digit, i.e. each vehicle receives its own license plate, which differs only in the last digit, e.g. RO - T 630 and RO - T 632.
The last digit of the identification number is placed on the respective vehicle-related part (in our example 0 and 2) and remains permanently on the vehicle. The common license plate part consists of the distinguishing plate and the part of the identification number that is the same except for the last digit (in our example RO - T 63). The complete interchangeable license plate must always be attached to the vehicle that is moved in road traffic.
Temporary license plates may not be used as seasonal license plates, red license plates, short-term license plates or export license plates.