Vehicles: templates and forms

A power of attorney for the vehicle registration office in Germany (Zulassungsstelle): it lets someone else register a car for you, re-register it after a change of keeper, deregister it or change your address in the papers. It names the principal and the representative with dates of birth and addresses, the vehicle with its VIN and plate, the eVB insurance number and the matter, and is limited to that matter. Many registration offices offer their own form free; check your office's document list. In German, to print and sign by hand.

For anyone whose vehicle was damaged in a road accident in Italy: a letter in Italian reporting the accident and claiming compensation, either from your own insurer (direct compensation, art. 149 of the Italian Private Insurance Code) or from the insurer of the driver at fault (art. 148), with the details the law requires: tax code, circumstances, and the place, days and hours for the damage assessment. Damage to property only, not injuries. Your own insurer must be told within three days (art. 1913 of the Civil Code); send it by registered post or PEC, with the CAI joint report if completed.

An appeal to the Prefetto is free, on plain paper and has no set form; many Prefetture and the consumer association Altroconsumo publish free models. This is a ready-made appeal in Italian for the driver or owner contesting a fine under the Italian Highway Code: the ticket's details, your own grounds, a request to be heard and to have the fine dismissed. It must be lodged within 60 days of service, by registered post, PEC or by hand, with the Prefettura of the place of the offence or the police body that issued it, and only if the fine is unpaid.

The written power of attorney that lets another person — the buyer of your car, for instance — act for you at an Austrian registration office run by a motor insurer: to deregister the car and hand back the Zulassungsschein and plates, with or without reserving the number, to register it in your name, or to deposit papers and plates under § 52 of the Austrian Motor Vehicles Act (KFG). With both people's details, the vehicle's chassis number and plate, and a period of validity. The same in every Land. Deregistration itself is free. In German, ready to print and sign by hand.

The record of the moment the buyer took the car: date and hour, odometer reading, fuel, keys, documents, accessories and condition. In Greece it matters more than elsewhere: handover can come days before the digital transfer on gov.gr, the transfer records no handover at all, and until it is done the seller remains the registered owner — and the one fines are sent to. The record proves who had the vehicle, and from when fines and damage are the buyer's — and handover starts the 30 days after which the seller's insurance ends.

For an owner lending a car or motorbike free of charge to a relative, friend or colleague in Italy: an Italian contract covering the vehicle, duration, permitted use, costs, insurance, fines and return (arts. 1803–1812 of the Italian Civil Code). If the loan exceeds 30 consecutive days, the borrower must ask the Motorizzazione within 30 days to record the borrower's name on the Documento Unico (art. 94(4-bis) of the Highway Code), unless a cohabiting family member; the contract states this duty, but the entry is a separate step. Signed by both; a copy is best kept in the vehicle.

For notifying your own insurer of an accident, theft, fire, broken glass, vandalism or a weather event affecting your vehicle in France. The policy sets the time limit and how to notify, often online or by phone at no cost; the law does not allow less than five working days, or two for theft (article L. 113-2 of the French Insurance Code). The letter gives the policy, the facts, the damage, the other people involved and the enclosures. Sent by registered post with proof of receipt. In French.

The ticket usually comes with the police body's own free form for naming the driver, which can be used instead. This is the same notice as a letter in Italian, for the owner, the legal representative of a company or the lessee: the ticket's details, the driver's details and driving licence, with the driver's signed confirmation. It must be sent within 60 days of service (art. 126-bis of the Italian Highway Code), by registered post, PEC or by hand, even if you appeal or the owner was driving.

For challenging a post-parking charge (forfait post-stationnement, FPS) in France, the appeal required before the parking court. It goes to the body named on the payment notice, within a month of its notification; many offer a free form, online or to print, that you can use instead of this letter. The letter, sent by the registered keeper, gives the notice, the chosen ground (parking paid, vehicle sold, plates stolen, special rate, mistake), the explanation and the enclosures. Sent by registered post with proof of receipt. In French.

The registered keeper's reply when an Austrian authority asks who drove or parked a vehicle (§ 103 Abs 2 of the Austrian Motor Vehicles Act, KFG 1967): with the file number, plate, the time and place given in the request, and the name and address of the person who drove or parked it – or of the person who can say. Answering is compulsory, within two weeks of service, even about a relative; a false, incomplete or late answer can cost up to € 5,000. If the request comes with a reply sheet or the authority offers an online reply, you can use that for free. In German.

The reply to the German fines authority on a hearing form (Anhörungsbogen), sent because you are accused of a traffic offence, or a witness questionnaire (Zeugenfragebogen), sent because the vehicle is registered to you. It gives the personal details the law requires and, on the facts, your choice: no statement, a statement only after inspecting the file, a declaration that you were not driving, or reliance on the right of witnesses to refuse to testify or answer (§§ 52 and 55 of the German Code of Criminal Procedure, StPO). Nobody has to incriminate themselves or a close relative, and the letter names no driver. In German.

The notice of sale (Veräußerungsanzeige) by which a seller in Germany tells the vehicle registration office who the new keeper is: the buyer's name, date of birth and address, the vehicle, plate and VIN, the date and hour of handover, and confirmation that the registration certificate Parts I and II were handed over (§ 15 of the German Vehicle Registration Ordinance, FZV). The seller's motor vehicle tax ends only when it arrives (§ 5(5) KraftStG). Many registration offices also offer their own free form. In German, to print, sign and hand in on the day of sale.

A written claim by which someone harmed in a road accident in Cyprus asks for compensation directly from the at-fault vehicle's insurer, or from the Motor Insurers' Fund where that vehicle was uninsured or untraced. It describes the accident, both vehicles, the damage and the amount, asks for a claim number, a reasoned offer or reply, an inspection of the vehicle and payment to an IBAN, and reserves the right to go to court. It is sent by registered post or delivered against a signature; to the Fund it goes with the Fund's own claim form.

Insurance first: in Cyprus the policy must cover the driver, by name or under its age and experience terms, or whoever drives is uninsured, whatever authorisation they hold. On that basis, this document lets another person drive the vehicle for a set period, area and purpose, and proves the owner's consent to the police, a hire firm or a border post. It states what is forbidden, who pays fines and damage and how it is revoked, and has a summary in English.

The authorisation by which a vehicle's owner in Romania lets someone else drive and use it for a set period and area — a trip abroad, a family member, an employee. It says what the authorised driver may do, what they may not — sell or hire out the vehicle — and who answers for fines. For leaving the country it is often required with a notarised signature.

A record of handing a car over to a buyer, hirer or other user in Poland, to go with the sale or rental agreement: the date and time of handover, the parties, the make, registration and VIN, the odometer and fuel level, the number of keys, the documents and equipment handed over, and visible damage. The handover time settles who answers for fines, charges and damage, and the description of condition heads off disputes about defects.

This step is free on your Spanish town hall's online office; you do not need DocMuse for it. For anyone who has received a council fine in Spain for parking, for the regulated parking zone (ORA, blue zone) or for entering a low-emission zone, and disagrees: objections to the notice within 20 calendar days, or an appeal for reconsideration against the penalty within one month, with the ground and the evidence (arts. 95 and 96 of the Spanish Traffic Act). Paying with the 50 % discount closes the case. Filed at a registry office, a post office or the town hall's online office; companies must file online. In Spanish.

This step is free on the online office of Spain's traffic authority (DGT) and of many town halls; you do not need DocMuse for it. For the registered keeper of a vehicle who receives a fine for something another person did and a request to name the driver: the statement with the driver's details and licence, within 20 calendar days (art. 11.1.a of the Spanish Traffic Act). Not naming the driver is a very serious offence. Filed with the body that asks, at a registry office or a post office; companies file online. In Spanish.

For the registered keeper of a car or motorbike who lends it to someone else in Spain, for a few days or a set period: the authorisation signed by both, with the details of the vehicle, the insurance and the driver, the dates and the permitted use. It serves as proof with the police, the insurer or on a trip, and for naming the driver if a fine arrives (art. 11.1.a of the Spanish Traffic Act). No Spanish law requires this document to lend a vehicle. In Spanish.

For lending your car or motorbike free of charge to someone close to you in France and being able to prove it: vehicle, insurer and policy number, borrower and licence number, loan dates, permitted use, care of the vehicle, return, insurance excess and traffic fines. French law imposes no form on such a loan: the statement, signed by both parties in two originals, is kept in the vehicle with the registration certificate and helps at a roadside check or after a claim. In French.

The letter cancelling your motor liability insurance in Austria in the four most common cases: at the end of the insurance year (§ 14 Abs 2 of the Austrian Motor Liability Insurance Act, KHVG) — the anniversary of the policy's start, not necessarily 31 December, with the notice arriving a month before — after a premium increase (§ 14a KHVG), after a claim (§ 158 VersVG), and after buying a used car whose insurance passed with it (§§ 69 ff VersVG). With the policy number and plate. In German, ready to print, sign and send by registered post.

A letter objecting to an Austrian penalty order (Strafverfügung) from a district authority, a city's Magistrat or the Land police directorate, for instance for a traffic offence: with the file number, the date and the day of service, against the whole order or expressly only against the amount (§ 49 of the Austrian Administrative Penal Act, VStG). Deadline: two weeks from service; no reasons are needed, e-mail is accepted, and posting on the last day is enough. If the case ends in a penalty decision, 10 % costs are added, at least € 10 (§ 64 VStG). On-the-spot fines and anonymous orders cannot be objected to. In German.

A letter for claiming accident damage directly from the motor liability insurer of the vehicle that caused it, as Austria's Motor Liability Insurance Act allows (§ 26 KHVG): date, place, the other vehicle's plate and policy number, how it happened, the damage, the amount so far, your IBAN and a date for a reply. The insurer must make an offer or give written reasons within three months (§ 29a KHVG), and the claim suspends limitation until it rejects it in writing. The same in every Land. In German, ready to print, sign and send with the accident statement and photos.

A letter reporting an accident or damage to your own motor insurer in Austria: under the liability cover where someone else may claim against you, or under partial or comprehensive Kasko cover for damage to your own vehicle. With the policy number, plate, date and place, who was driving, others involved, police, witnesses, what happened and the damage. Austrian policy conditions (AKHB) ask for prompt notice; your policy states the period. The letter records facts and admits no fault. In German, ready to print and sign.