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Issuance of German license plates.
The U.S. Forces in Germany will begin issuing German license plates to U.S. Forces members' privately owned vehicles (POV) beginning late this year and early next year (Dec 05- Feb 06). German license plates will be phased into the U.S. Forces system in Germany over the next two years. When conversion is completed all U.S. Forces POVs will be registered with German license plates.
This change is a result of an agreement between the U.S. Forces and the German Government and recognizes the enhanced security of reducing the visibility of U.S. Forces POV by displaying the same type of license plates that are used by the rest of the country. The agreement allows the continued registration by the command without having to pay German road taxes or undergoing German TÃœV inspections. This conversion will be seamless for the U.S. Forces member as there will be no changes from the procedures that you currently use to register your POV. The only significant difference is the German plates will not be shipped with your vehicle outside of Germany. They must be turned in when you depart from or separate from the US. Forces in Germany.
German license plates will be issued using approximately 26 different German prefixes. U.S. Forces members will receive license plate prefixes from the area where they are assigned. Once the conversion to the new system begins, all new permanent registrations will be issued German license plates, subject to the availability of sufficient quantities of numbers and plates by location.
These German plate numbers are the property of the U.S. Government and are issued to be used only as long as you are stationed or working for the U.S. Forces in Germany. Upon reassignment outside of Germany and before departing, the German license plates must be turned in to the local registration office for re-use by the U.S. Forces. Persons turning in the German plates will be provided US. Forces plates (USA) to ship their POV to the U.S., reassignment to other countries, or upon separation or termination of employment. These license plates will not be sold, kept as souvenirs or destroyed and must be physically secured at all times by correctly mounting them on the vehicle or by turning them in to the local POV registration office. They cannot be transferred to anyone except to another authorized member of the Force or the civilian component without exception.
POV owners who already have U.S. Forces "Look alike" European style license plates (i.e., AD, AF or HK) at renewal time will have the option of obtaining the new German plates or renewing their registration and license plates for one additional 12 month period.
To comply with the agreement we have made with the German authorities on the procedures we have to follow, all vehicles that are designed to have the long license plates affixed will only be issued the long plates. In some cases the U.S. standard mount may have to be removed from the bumper in order to affix the standard German license plates. Some POVs, by construction, must affix a small license plate in the rear of the POV. Those POVs will be issued a small plate for the rear and the standard German long plate for the front of the POV.
In a few rare instances a very few vehicles may only be able to take the small license plates in the front and rear of the POV. These will be exceptions and will only be issued in those verifiable cases where the POV, by design, cannot physically accept the long plates or a combination of the long and short plates. The German authorities want this strictly controlled to ensure it meets their legal standards.
Because these vehicles will be displaying German license plates, the vehicles will be subject to stricter standards and enforcement by the German Police. The use of dark tinted glass beyond what the manufacturer provides on the driver's and passenger's front door, as well as, on the front windshield is a violation of German law, most U.S. State law and a violation of U.S. Forces regulations. It also subjects installation security forces to increased risk because they cannot see inside the POV until the window is rolled down. Persons who have installed this type of tinting should have it removed and should be prepared for tickets and possible fines by the German Police. Additionally, extremely loud exhaust pipes and mufflers violate German and most EU laws and may also subject vehicle owners/operator's to citations and fines. Many other violations of laws and regulations may subject POV owners and operators to increased scrutiny because of the German license plates and their increased scrutiny by the German Police.
Another significant change is the use of the "USA" oval decal which is required when crossing international borders will no longer be authorized. German license plates require the use of the "D" oval decal to correspond with the "D" license plates.
More information on the implementation of the conversion to German license plates will be released as soon as the information becomes available.
This is getting weird. There's a lot of problems in this and I don't see it getting easier for Americans to get simple tasks accomplished like shipping your vehicle.
I'm good till 2007...I'll take the 12 month extension on my 2 cars and then PCS back to the US with NATO.
