Export-plate insurance (Doppelkarte): price and where to buy it

Export plates need special liability insurance, proven only on a yellow paper card, the Doppelkarte; there is no eVB for them. The plates expire with this insurance. In September 2026 two online brokers asked €69.99 to €79.95 for 9 days, €74.99 to €89.95 for 15 days and €85.00 to €109.95 for 30 days. The Green Card that comes with the policy must list SRB or BIH, not struck out.

What this insurance is

A car on export plates is not covered by an ordinary German policy but by liability insurance under the German law on liability insurance for foreign vehicles, and the registration office issues export plates only once you prove you have it (FZV section 45). This insurance pays for damage you cause to others, not for damage to the car itself.

The Doppelkarte: paper, not an eVB

The insurance is proven on paper only: a yellow A6 card in three copies, with the insurance, vehicle and policyholder details and the date the cover ends (FZV Annex 16). The Wolfsburg registration office calls it the "gelbe Doppelkarte" (yellow Doppelkarte). Export plates are the one case with no electronic confirmation (FZV section 49), so an eVB number from a German insurer will not do.

The registration office asks for the card with your application. On the road, carry the Green Card that comes with the policy.

Where to buy it

Online brokers sell it and send the card by post, so order it early enough for the card to arrive before your appointment, or have the dealer arrange it. ADAC says that in most cases the plate makers at the registration office sell it too, so it can often be bought on the day.

When you order, you give the car's details and your own, which are printed on the card.

What it costs in 2026

In September 2026 two online brokers asked, for a car:

9 days: Nondos €69.99, Spartarif from €79.95.
15 days: Nondos €74.99 (€79.00 with breakdown cover), Spartarif from €89.95.
30 days: Nondos €85.00 to €95.00, Spartarif from €109.95.
90 days: Nondos €590.00.

Nondos prices include the 19% German insurance tax and postage. The plates expire with the insurance, so buy a period that covers the whole drive, with room for delays at the borders. A period shorter than a month saves only on the insurance (see the German road tax guide).

The calculator's default of €80 matches about 15 days at these prices; enter the price you actually pay.

The Green Card and the countries it covers

The policy comes with a Green Card, the international motor insurance card; according to the German insurers' association (GDV), German insurers have issued it only with a white background since January 2021. It lists the countries where the cover applies; a country that is struck out or missing is not covered. Before you set off, check that SRB or BIH and the countries you pass through are listed and not struck out.

The same association says the Green Card is no longer compulsory on entry to Serbia and BiH, where a car's valid registration plate counts as proof of insurance. No source we found says that this holds for a car on export plates, so carry the card.

Common mistakes

"Thirty days of insurance costs €60 to €90." In September 2026 brokers asked €85.00 to €109.95 for 30 days; below €85 you get only 9 or 15 days.
"The insurance comes with the export plates." The registration office issues the plates only against insurance you have already bought; its fee and the plates themselves are paid for separately.
"The TÜV is a condition for the insurance." The HU (TÜV) is a condition for the plates, not for the insurance (FZV section 45).
"Insurance bought for the plates is sure to cover you in Serbia or BiH." It covers the countries on its Green Card, and the broker Nondos warns that these differ between insurers; check that SRB or BIH is listed and not struck out.

This step of the import

Work out the whole cost

Sources

The official laws, decisions and pages this guide rests on, read on 23/09/2026. Rules and amounts change, so check the ones that matter to you before you buy.