Cross-border car registration to be made easier

EACH YEAR, EU citizens and companies have to move some 3.5 million vehicles to another member state, and need to get them registered according to the national legislation. 

However, what should be a simple registration procedure, the Commission said remains a cumbersome and lengthy administrative procedure because of the diversity of rules and the various conflicting requirements. It takes on average five  weeks to complete the procedure and the cost is estimated at €400 for citizen and for businesses. 

The proposal to dramatically reduce the unnecessary administrative burden presented by Vice-President Antonio Tajani would lead to a very substantial administrative simplification with total savings of at least €1.5 billion per year for businesses, citizens and registration authorities. 

“The proposal is straightforward and tackles very concrete issues,” said the Commission.

“The re-registration of vehicles coming from another EU country will be limited, for example citizens who work in another EU country using a car registered by their employer will not need to re-register it. 

Administrative formalities for the re-registration within the EU of cars, vans, buses and trucks will be greatly simplified, for example when moving residence from one EU country to another and when purchasing a secondhand car from another EU country. 

“It will also become impossible to register a stolen car in another EU country,” it said. Car-rental companies will save substantially, as they will be able to transfer cars to another EU country during the holiday periods without re-registration. 

“This is good news for tourists as it is expected that renting a car will become cheaper, once the proposal will be approved,” the Commission said.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said: “With today’s proposal the Commission wants to make it as easy as possible for citizens and companies to move and register cars across borders in the European Union.

The proposal introduces the principle that a car should be registered in the EU country where its owner lives, and that all other Member States may not ask her/him to register the car with them, even if the car owner spends a longer period there.

The proposal will now be discussed by the European Parliament and the Council. Once it is approved Member States will be given one year to prepare for the new procedures, such as software for data exchange.

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