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Taking car from Belgium - permanently
Hi all. Has anyone gone through the process of 'exporting' a car from Belgium. Indeed, are there huge costs involved - I just dont want to sell my old thing, just re-register it in Germany. DIV weren't much help, but will go there in person again. Main Opel garage in Brx just said don't know, ask a German dealer. Any info online? : Bel. checkup, temporary plates, Ger. checkup and insurance -- that sort of order I am hearing, but I've no concrete detail.
It isn't a case of exporting it from Belgium, rather it is a case of importing it into Germany (and then returning the rear Belgian plate to the DIV so that you don't continue to get charged car tax in Belgium).
You don't need to get temporary plates in Germany as you can continue to use your Belgian plates for three months (or longer if the registration bureaucracy takes longer). You will though have to either agree that your Belgian insurers will cover it in Germany during that period or take out new German insurance which should be possible using the vehicle VIN until you have new German plates.
A vehicle registered in Belgium SHOULD meet the German conformity regulations without a problem as Belgium tends to be stricter than the rest of Europe. You will need to check with the local German authorities where you are moving to as to the required procedures, which will almost certainly involve Customs (should be no duty/tax on a used vehicle more than 6 months old), a vehicle inspection and insurance. Don't forget to obtain an Umwelt Zone sticker for the vehicle.
Winter tyres regulation may need checking out
In theory you could run a car in Germany without fitting winter tyres provided that you NEVER used it in wintry conditions (their definition, not yours), in practice you will need to fit them from roughly the end of October to the end of March (possibly later) each year. If you transfer the car to Germany during that period you should fit them before you go.
It is possible, of course, that you already fit winter tyres here in Belgium, 40% of Belgian drivers do, in which case the changeover routine will be familiar to you. If it isn't, you actually fit winter WHEELS (usually in steel even if your summer wheels are alloy) which makes the changeover a simple task. You will need 1) to find somewhere to store the "spare" set of wheels and 2) to take them with you when you move.
Incidentally, it can be considerably cheaper to buy a set of winter wheels at this time of year rather than waiting till September or October.
