How buying a car (California) in Switzerland is very different to the UK process!

[Corradobrit]

Sounds like the system in Germany ... but as always, the Germans like to go that little bit further.

To register a new car in Germany you currently need ...

1. To sign the finance contract to buy the car and pay the deposit - then the dealership will send the "Fahrzeugbrief" to the registration office where you live. The Fahrzeugbrief is proof of ownership and a record of the exact spec of the vehicle. If you have the Fahrzeugbrief, you own the car - so if there is finance involved, the registration office uses the info on the form to register the car and issue a Fahrzeugschein (registration document), they then send the Fahrzeugbrief to the finance company, who keep the Fahrzeugbrief until the finance is paid off. If you buy it outright, you get the Fahrzeugbrief and can take it to the registration office.

2. Next you need a "Schadenfreiheitsrabatt Bestätigung" (A statement of your no-claims status) from your existing insurer for any other car you drive, and you use that to shop for a new policy on your new car. You are then issued with an eVB (electronic Versicherungs Bestätigung) which you need to prove insurance when you register the car.

3. Optionally, you can then go online and reserve a number plate, costs 10€, the first part will be fixed dependent on where the car is registered, where I live, the first 3 letters are STA. You get a PIN so the registration office can allocate the number you choose to your car.

4. If the car is new, you then need to go to the town hall and get a "Meldebestätigung" which is proof of your address. You need this to register a new car.

5. Due to covid, you now need to book an appointment to register the car (used to be able to turn up and queue), and for the appointment you also need a negative covid test no older than 24 hours.

6. You need to get your number plates made with the number you reserved and take them along to the appointment too. If you haven't reserved a no. then the registration process is halted while you toddle off and buy some number plates once you know what number they have allocated to you.

7. At the registration appointment, they check your address, your insurance, your ID, your Covid vaccination and test status, your driving licence, and they issue a registration document (Fahrzeugschein). They also affix a MOT sticker and an insurance sticker to your number plates. Similar to Switzerland, if you stop insuring the car the police will come to your house and remove your plates.

8. You also sign a direct debit so they can extract the annual car tax directly from your bank account.

9. After you have done all this, you can go to the dealer with the number plates, attach them to the car and drive off.

The

The registration number is allocated to the individual, not the car and insurance is split in two, there is a third party part which covers any driver of the car that has your permission - it is set by law to be any driver (a bit like the swiss example). There is an optional fully comprehensive part, which covers the policy holder and any named driver, or any driver depending on which policy you chose. Interesting fact - if you have a valid driving licence, are drunk and a passenger in a car also driven by a drunk (and insured in Germany), you will get prosecuted because you could have remained sober and driven the car - due to any driver 3rd party insurance being legislated.

.... my registration appointment is Friday, and I pick up my Cali Ocean on Saturday

Great, sounds like the vision of a nightmare I'll be living in a couple of months.

 

[California_Ocean]

Sorry, got the interesting fact muddled up, In Germany, if you are SOBER with a valid driving licence and are being driven by a drunk you will get prosecuted for not driving - because by law all insurance includes any driver 3rd party cover - and by letting a drunk drive when you could take over makes you complicit in the crime.

 

[California_Ocean]

Wow! I once wanted to live in Germany...

In Balance, it's not that bad ... just overly bureaucratic sometimes.

 

[Swiss Cheese]

One other aspect for CH - if you sell the car and buy another, and you don't change the insurance company, then you can take the old plate onto the new car. Saves having to remember a new number, but also stops all the 'new plate/year' nonsense. You can't tell how old a car is by the number plate.