by The problem is that local officials do not know how to address the issue of registering cars with Ukrainian plates. This is because under German law, cars with Ukrainian registration can stay in the country without registration for up to a year. For many, this year has already passed.
It should be noted that due to a similar issue, Ukrainians abroad even came up with a re-export scheme for cars with Ukrainian registration. In this case, it eases the life of owners and at the same time helps sellers earn from the process of returning and reselling cars to Ukrainians who are in their homeland.
As for Germany, the meeting of transport ministers of the federal states, which took place on March 23, ended without any resolution. Officials could not agree on how to solve the issue of registering cars with Ukrainian plates. A possible solution could be extending the grace period of stay. Otherwise, Ukrainians will have to register their cars, which means paying vehicle tax, purchasing insurance, and undergoing a technical inspection. The latter can prove to be expensive and quite challenging, especially for owners of cars that were not manufactured for the EU market.
The discussion of legalizing “Ukrainian” cars will continue in the coming months. Considering the situation Ukrainians find themselves in due to the aggressive neighbor, without exception, all federal states advocate for extending the special grace period, writes Autocentre.
Additionally, recall that in Germany and Austria, some Ukrainian car plates were equated with Nazi plates due to numerical combinations.
