Germany: templates and forms

A contract for selling a used car or motorcycle between private individuals in Germany, under the German Civil Code (BGB). The exclusion of liability for defects is worded the way German courts uphold it: it does not cover fraud or a guarantee (§ 444 BGB), nor the seller's statements on mileage, accident damage, previous keepers and known defects, which stand in a section of their own. It also records the check of the registration certificate Part II, the date and hour of handover, retention of title, re-registration and the notice of sale. In German, for both parties to print and sign.

A handover record for a car sold privately in Germany, the companion to the sale contract. It records the date and hour of handover, the mileage, the fuel or charge level, visible damage, the keys and papers handed over (registration certificate Parts I and II, roadworthiness test report) and the price paid. It matters because tax, insurance and the registration stay with the seller until the notice of sale reaches the registration office. In German, for seller and buyer to print and sign.

A letter telling your motor insurer in Germany that you have sold the car, as § 97 of the German Insurance Contract Act (VVG) requires without delay: the vehicle, plate, policy number, date and hour of handover, and the buyer's name and address. The policy passes to the buyer with the car (§ 95 VVG); without the notice the insurer may be free from liability for later losses. It asks for a final account, the refund of any credit and confirmation of receipt. In German, to send by post or as a PDF by e-mail.

A receipt under § 368 of the German Civil Code (BGB) in which the person paid confirms receiving money — in cash or by transfer, for instance for repaying a private loan, an instalment, a deposit or a private sale. With the sum in figures and words, the date, the method, the reason for the payment and whether the debt is now fully paid or what remains. The payer can demand a receipt on paying; in German, to be printed and signed by hand by the person receiving the money.

The letter a freelancer in Germany — a translator, architect, consultant, teacher or journalist, for example — sends to the tax office (Finanzamt) on giving up their self-employed profession. Section 138 of the German Fiscal Code (AO) requires the notice within one month, and there is no official form for it. It gives the tax number, the kind of work and its last day, says whether the practice is closed or sold, deals with the VAT pre-returns and asks for the advance payments to be adjusted. In German, to post or to send through ELSTER.

An agreement for lending your car in Germany to someone else, such as family or friends, with an authorisation to drive it, including abroad. It records the check of the driving licence (§ 21 of the German Road Traffic Act, StVG), the insurance and whether the driver is covered, the period, purpose and permitted countries, and sets out who pays for fuel, tolls, fines, damage, the insurance excess and any loss of no-claims discount. The authorisation at the end, with a short English summary, serves as proof at checks. In German, to print and sign.

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.

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 loan agreement under German law for money lent between private individuals — friends, family or acquaintances. It sets out the amount, payment by bank transfer, the interest or an interest-free loan, repayment in one sum or in instalments, early repayment, default interest under § 288 of the German Civil Code (BGB) and the three months' notice of § 488 BGB where no date is fixed. For private lenders only: a business lending to a consumer falls under consumer-credit law. In German, no set form — print, both sign, each keeps a copy.

A letter cancelling your German motor insurance with your current insurer: at the end of the insurance year, early after a premium increase or a claim, or after buying a used vehicle whose policy passed to you (§ 96 of the German Insurance Contract Act, VVG). For all cover or for the comprehensive cover only, asking the insurer to confirm the end date and refund any unused premium. For most policies, a cancellation for 31 December must reach the insurer by 30 November. In German, ready to send.

The first claim after a road accident someone else caused, sent straight to their German motor liability insurer: the date, time and place, the other vehicle's plate, your vehicle, what happened, the damage, the police and witnesses, the amount quantified so far and your IBAN, with a request to confirm liability in principle. Under § 115 of the German Insurance Contract Act (VVG) you have a direct claim against the insurer, and you must notify it in text form within two weeks (§ 119 VVG) — a letter or an e-mail will do. In German.

A power of attorney for one matter in Germany — collecting a document, registering or deregistering a car, handing over a flat, attending an appointment at an office. With the principal and the agent, the matter described precisely, any limits, an expiry date, the return of the document and a specimen of the agent's signature. Under the German Civil Code (BGB) a power of attorney needs no particular form, but the land registry, the commercial register or disclaiming an inheritance require a publicly certified signature. In German; fill in, print, sign by hand and hand over the original.

Reporting a loss to your own German motor insurer: to the liability cover when someone else may claim against you, or to the partial or comprehensive cover (Teilkasko, Vollkasko) for damage to your own vehicle. With the policy number and plate, the date, time and place, who was driving, anyone else involved, what happened, the damage, the police and witnesses, and a question whether the insurer wants to inspect the vehicle before repair. The model motor insurance terms (AKB) ask for notice within one week; your own policy's terms govern. In German.

A letter asking a German employer for a full employment reference (qualifiziertes Arbeitszeugnis) on leaving, or an interim reference (Zwischenzeugnis) while still employed — expressly covering performance and conduct, because without that request the employer owes only a basic reference stating the type and length of the work (§ 109 of the German Trade Regulation Act, GewO). It gives the job, the period of employment, the reason and a date by which the reference should be posted. No form is prescribed for the request. In German.

The letter a tenant in Germany uses to object to a landlord's ordinary notice — for own use, for example — and to demand that the tenancy continue, because moving out would be an unjustifiable hardship for the tenant or the household (§ 574 of the German Civil Code, BGB): old age, illness, pregnancy, children at school or no affordable replacement housing. Since 1 January 2025 text form is enough (§ 574b BGB); the objection must reach the landlord no later than two months before the tenancy ends. The letter gives the reasons and does not accept the notice. In German.

Revoking a power of attorney in Germany: a letter to the agent asking for the power of attorney document back (§ 175 of the German Civil Code, BGB), which doubles as the notice to the bank, office or other body the power was shown or announced to — each receives a signed copy, because towards them the power stays in force until they are told it has ended (§§ 170–173 BGB). With the court route for declaring an unreturned document void (§ 176 BGB). In German; fill in, print, sign and deliver to each recipient with proof of receipt.

The letter a tenant in Germany sends to ask the landlord's permission to sublet a room or the whole flat — without it the tenant may not let anyone else use the flat (§ 540 of the German Civil Code, BGB). It names the rooms, the period and the subtenant with date of birth and address, explains the interest that arose after the lease was signed, relies for part of the flat on the claim to permission under § 553 BGB, and points to the special right to give notice if permission is refused. Letting to holiday guests is a separate choice, because ordinary permission does not cover it. In German, to print, sign and send.

A landlord's notice in Germany when the tenant is behind with the rent: without notice under § 543(2) of the German Civil Code (BGB) and, at the same time, ordinary notice in the alternative under § 573(2) no. 1 BGB — because if the tenant pays up, only the termination without notice falls away (BGH VIII ZR 106/23). The letter states the ground and every unpaid month, sets a date to hand the flat back, objects to a tacit extension and tells the tenant about the objection in text form. In German, to print and sign by hand by every landlord.

The record a landlord and tenant in Germany sign when a rented flat is handed over at move-in: meter readings for electricity, gas, water and heating, every key handed over, the condition of each room and an inventory of what is let with the flat. Defects already there are accepted only with the tenant's rights reserved — under § 536b of the German Civil Code (BGB), a tenant who takes over a flat knowing of a defect otherwise loses rent reduction and damages for it. In German, to print, fill in together and sign by both sides.