Need car insurance in DE, not a resident..

0POSTS

5 years ago

Hello,

I am a German citizen and have been living in the UK for five years, hence force I am presently a UK resident. End of the year I am going to Germany for about three months. Can I still obtain car insurance even though my actual residency is in the UK?
Chances are high that I will be staying indefinitely in DE, but for the first 2-3 months everything is a little complicated to say the least.
I go to DE. I find a car. I need to prove that I have insurance. I am living in a Airbnb for the first month.
Does anyone have any experiences you could share with me on the easiest way to go about this?

Vielen Dank,

Shellybelly

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beppi Germany/Singapore Expert

15658POSTS

5 years ago

1. You need a residential address in Germany to register a car. Then you can use that also for the insurance.
2. If you have no residential address, you can only drive a rented car, not own one.
3. If you stay somewhere for longer than a week (or was it two weeks - not sure any more), you MUST register at that address. Registration is possible at AirBnB places and - officially - the host must sign the necessary papers for this. But since many hesitate to do so (and in that case you have no way of forcing them, short of sueing in court), you should make sure of this before booking and select the accommodation accordingly.
4. In most of Germany, public transport (and occasional taxi) is more practical and in many cases cheaper than having a car. If your plan turns out to be too complicated, you could try this! (Car sharing, however, is also only possible with registered address.)

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TominStuttgart Germany Expert

2811POSTS

5 years ago

With such uncertainty I would tend towards leasing rather than buying unless one is certain to stay long term. And like Beppi mentioned, one doesn't have to have a permanent address to register. But especially if one doesn't stay in Germany, it would be a lot of trouble to find and buy a car and then have to sell it right away if they leave a few months later. And there are leasing options through both the multiple car-sharing systems as well as all traditional car rental places.

GuestPoster2564 Guest

0POSTS

5 years ago

Hello,

Yes, I was actually thinking about this. But would I not have to take out a long term contract to do this, let's say 2-3 years? And if I needed to leave DE after 6 months I am stuck with this leasing contract and must pay it in full? I admit that I don't know a thing about leasing cars. Enlighten me?

Thanks!

beppi Germany/Singapore Expert

15658POSTS

5 years ago

Leasing is indeed normally on long-term contracts.
That's why I wrote "rental car" - those are available by the day.

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TominStuttgart Germany Expert

2811POSTS

5 years ago

Shellybelly99 wrote:
Hello,

Yes, I was actually thinking about this. But would I not have to take out a long term contract to do this, let's say 2-3 years? And if I needed to leave DE after 6 months I am stuck with this leasing contract and must pay it in full? I admit that I don't know a thing about leasing cars. Enlighten me?

Thanks!

Never leased a car myself. The point is that they are long term, so one gets a better price. I don't honestly know the minimum times, so you might be right. If so, then just renting would be the better option. Both car sharing and normal rental places should have weekly rates.

But like Beppi had mentioned; one should look if public transportation options are actually better. I had cars for years until I finally got rid of mine about 4 years ago and now rely mostly on public transportation (year's ticket) and get a Stadtmobil car sharing vehicle if I need one. And then I have a choice of size.

For me it has worked out great; less stress with driving, parking, having unexpected repairs and maintenance. And it's meant a lot of savings. But I also live central in a big city and am close to multiple buses, U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines and have at least a dozen car sharing pick-up points within 500 meters of my apartment. For people in outlying areas it might not be optimal.