From September 1, 2023, it should be possible to drive off immediately with i-Kfz

For many years, politicians have been trying to simplify official procedures through digitization. Now they seem to be on the verge of a breakthrough in the area of vehicle registration. From September 1, 2023, it appears that digital registration will be issued conveniently via the Internet. The so-called i-Kfz should then enable immediate vehicle use. The prerequisite for this is an electronic ID card.

After online registration with i-Kfz “drive off immediately”

Buying a new or used car is no problem and can be done quickly. Provided, one has the appropriate budget on the high edge lie and the supply chains play along. Once the purchase has been made, however, this by no means means means that you can immediately take a seat in the new vehicle. Before that, of course, the vehicle must first be registered in the buyer’s name. And here official mills grind according to experience extremely slowly. But this will soon be a thing of the past. At least the federal cabinet has now passed a corresponding ordinance that will not only simplify car registrations via the Internet. On top of that, the Federal Minister of Transport, Volker Wissing (FDP), promises that from September 1, 2023, it will be possible to “drive off immediately” after online registration.

The simplification of the official procedure is particularly evident in the waiting time, which is to be saved from now on. Up to now, it has been the case that after sending the necessary documents, one has to wait a few days until a registration is given and an authorization to drive off exists. The new regulation stipulates that in the event of an inspection, one can simply refer to the digital official notice that is issued as part of the online registration process. However, if the local motor vehicle office then needs a longer period of time for the classic registration, there could be problems again. After all, digital registration is only supposed to be valid for up to ten days.

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Registration process also easier for car salespeople

After the new regulation comes into force on September 1, 2023, car dealers should also enjoy simplified regulatory interaction. After all, the move will also create a single interface through which registration applications can be submitted. This sounds like good news for end customers. However, the regulation still needs the blessing of the Bundesrat, the upper house of the German parliament, so that it can be put into practice. However, the state representatives will certainly also approve the ordinance. After all, this also means a little less pressure to perform for the already extremely overburdened local motor vehicle authorities.

A little skepticism remains, however. After all, the so-called i-Kfz as digital registration is not the first attempt by politicians to ensure more digitization at the official level. The so-called e-prescription, which was supposed to simplify the healthcare sector a bit, is also such a project. However, there have been repeated delays and also problems with the digital prescription. In Schleswig-Holstein the project was even stopped in August 2022. Let’s hope that the states will get along better when implementing the new digital registration i-Kfz regulation. Incidentally, a prerequisite for using the new online registration is a new ID card with the online ID function activated.