Buying as a foreigner (USA) : Unimog camper in Germany -- export plates?

ovrland6250

Active member
Hi all -
I have done some diligent searching and have not come up with a definitive answer. Hoping that somebody here has some insight! My wife and I live in the USA and through a trustworthy friend, have an opportunity to purchase a turn-key U1300L with a box on back. We would love to get the truck home to the USA, but would also be happy just buying it and driving through Europe and selling at the end of our trip.

The truck is in Germany. The internet is telling me it is impossible for me to register it without being German and having a German address.

My questions are:

- Is there a maximum length of time one can have German export plates? (The internet says anywhere from 3 weeks to 1 year. Just seeing if anyone has experience with this.)

- If I were to be able to successfully acquire German export plates for 1 year. Could I use those plates as my vehicle plates while traveling to various places in the EU?

- Has anyone heard of a service that allows you to register your vehicle with them as a foreigner (ie...you put the vehicle in their business name)? (I read that a few people used a service like this and then had third-party liability insurance).

- As an American with a standard Class C license, am I permitted to drive a Unimog without a special "heavy truck" license?

---
Any other helpful advice on if purchasing the Mog' in Germany would be a good idea would be very much appreciated! Thank you for taking the time to read this.
 

Neil

Observer
It been a few years now but I exported a truck from germany to the UK on export plates and I am pretty sure that you needed a German registration document with a german owner and a german address on it. Although my truck was registered to a german friend I obtained the plates .

Not sure you can achieve what you want without a friendly german on board who is willing to register it for you. This would be the best option as they can then obtain the insurnce and add you on as an authorised driver.

As said its been a few years so there might be a different system now

Neil
 

thebigblue

Adventurer
This might not help, but when I bought my MB truck in Germany I was able to get export plates 30 days on my Danish passport with no problem, this might be because of a EU-thing...., - and the truck still was not due to technical inspection (HU).
 

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