Commercial road haulage - apply for a permit

Prerequisites

The permit or the community license (EU license) is granted to an entrepreneur whose company is actually and permanently based in Germany if

• the entrepreneur and the person appointed to manage the road haulage business (traffic manager) are reliable,
• the financial viability of the company is guaranteed and
• the entrepreneur or the person appointed to manage the road haulage business is technically suitable.

The company requires equity plus reserves. The amount of capital is based on the number and type of vehicles intended for use.
National approval or EU license for vehicles with a total weight of more than 3.5 tons:

• For the first vehicle, the entrepreneur needs equity of EUR 9,000,
• EUR 5,000 for each additional vehicle.
• This also applies to the use of rental vehicles.

EU license for the cross-border use of vehicles with a total weight of more than 2.5 tons up to 3.5 tons:

• For the first vehicle, the entrepreneur needs equity of EUR 1,800,
• for each additional vehicle EUR 900.
• This also applies to the use of rental vehicles.

A person is technically suitable if they have passed a specialist knowledge test. All final examinations previously recognized as equivalent continue to be considered equivalent if they were started or completed before December 4, 2011.
Persons who have worked continuously (at least ten years) in a managerial position in a road haulage company between December 4, 1999 and December 4, 2009 are also technically suitable.

Documents required

• Documents for the applicant company
  • Extract from the commercial, partnership, cooperative or association register, if a corresponding entry exists
  • for companies under civil law (GbR): Excerpt from the GbR contract
  • Proof of authorization to represent if someone other than the applicant has the necessary professional qualifications (e.g. employment contract as a transport manager)
  • Proof of reliability:
    • Certificate of good conduct for the person authorized to represent (not older than three months)
    • Information from the central trade register for the person authorized to represent (not older than three months)
    • Information from the driving aptitude register for the person authorized to represent you (not older than three months)
  • Proof of financial capacity:
    • Certificate in tax matters from the tax office (not older than three months)
    • Clearance certificate from the municipality (not older than three months)
    • Health insurance clearance certificate (not older than three months)
    • Clearance certificate from the trade association for transport, postal logistics and telecommunications (BG Verkehr) (not older than three months)
    • Equity capital certificate to prove the financial capacity in commercial road haulage (Annex 2 of the General Administrative Regulation on Road Freight Traffic Law (GüKVwV)) and
    • if necessary, additional certificate to prove the financial capacity in commercial road haulage (Annex 3 of the General Administrative Regulation on Road Freight Traffic Law (GüKVwV)
  • Proof of professional suitability:
    • Certificate of having passed the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) specialist examination or an equivalent recognized final examination or
    • Proof of at least 10 years of managerial activity in a road haulage company (the Chamber of Commerce and Industry responsible for you will check whether the requirements are met)
• Documents for persons appointed to manage road haulage transactions (traffic manager):
• Proof of reliability:
  • Certificate of good conduct (not older than three months)
  • Information from the central trade register (not older than three months)
  • Information from the driving aptitude register (not older than three months)
• Proof of professional suitability:
  • Certificate of having passed the IHK specialist examination or an equivalent recognized final examination or
  • Proof of at least 10 years of managerial activity in a road haulage company (the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) responsible for you will check whether the requirements are met)
• Proof of employment (e.g. employment contract)

Please note

There are the following hints:
Company transport as road haulage for the company's own purposes does not require a permit under the following conditions:

• the goods carried must be owned by, sold, bought, hired, hired, manufactured, produced, obtained, processed or repaired by the company.
• the carriage must serve to deliver the goods to the company, to dispatch them from the company, to move them within the company or for their own use outside the company.
• the motor vehicles used for the transport must always be driven by the company's own staff.
• Transport may only be ancillary to the overall activity of the company.

If company transport as road freight transport for the company's own purposes does not require a permit, the entrepreneur who operates company transport is obliged to register his company with the Federal Office for Goods Transport before the start of the first transport.
The Federal Office for Goods Transport is responsible for issuing bilateral approval or an approval from the European Conference of Transport Ministers (French: Conférence Européenne des Ministres des Transports (CEMT)) for cross-border commercial road haulage and removals traffic in the community of CEMT member states (over 30 countries in Europe). responsible.

Deadlines

Deadline Type: Application Deadline


Duration: 3 months

Procedure

You have to apply for the national road haulage license or the community license (EU license) at the authority for traffic and mobility.

• For this you can use the online service permit and license for road haulage.
• You can get a paper application form from the Transport and Mobility Authority.
• Fill out the application completely and submit it with the required documents.
• After examining the application, the clerk will contact the applicant if there are any queries, otherwise after the application process has been completed. Feedback is given by telephone, email or via the online service

Processing time

Duration: 2 weeks to 3 months


Remark for further information on the processing time:


Processing can take up to 3 months from the point at which the competent authority has received all the necessary documents.

Fees

Cost level: from 120 to 700 euros


Advance payment: Yes


Description of the costs: fee


Method of payment: invoice


In addition, if necessary: Girocard


In addition, if applicable: Classic credit card




Remark:


Further costs arise for the information from the registers and for the preparation of other evidence.

Legal remedies

objection

Legal basis

Title: § 10 Occupational Access Ordinance for Road Freight Transport (GBZugV)


URL: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gbzugv_2011/__10.html


Designation: § 3 Road Goods Transport Act (GüKG)


URL: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/g_kg_1998/__3.html


Designation: General administrative regulation on road haulage law (GüKVwV)


URL: https://www.verwaltungsverbindungen-im-internet.de/bsvwvbund_09112012_737223.htm


Title: Articles 3 and 4 of Regulation (EC) number 1072/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 on common rules for access to the international road haulage market (recast)


URL: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:300:0072:0087:DE:PDF


Title: Article 3 Regulation (EC) number 1071/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 laying down common rules for admission to the occupation of road transport operator and repealing Council Directive 96/26/EC


URL: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:300:0051:0071:DE:PDF

If you transport goods commercially within Germany using motor vehicles with a permissible total weight (including trailer) of more than 3.5 tons, you must apply for an EU license or a national permit.
Cross-border road haulage within the EU is the commercial or paid transport of goods in motor vehicles that, including trailers, have a total weight of more than 2.5 tons.
Commercial road haulage generally requires a permit. The so-called company traffic, i.e. the transport of goods for the own purposes of a company under certain conditions, does not require a permit.
If vehicles with a total weight of more than 3.5 tons are only used throughout Germany, you need a permit for commercial road haulage. For cross-border journeys within the European Union, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland with vehicles with a total weight of more than 2.5 tons, you need a community license (EU license) and, if necessary, a driver's certificate for nationals of a third country.
You can also use the joint license for transports within Germany and the EEA countries ("cabotage traffic").
For commercial road haulage with countries outside the European Economic Area, you need bilateral permits or so-called CEMT permits in addition to the community license for sections of the route in third countries
The permit for commercial road haulage and the community license can be granted for a limited period, with conditions or with requirements. The national permit and also the EU license can be granted for a period of validity of up to 10 years.