Car insurance in Germany for expats: how your no-claims bonus from abroad is counted

A no-claims bonus from abroad counts in Germany if it comes from a country in the EU or the European Economic Area (EEA). In that case, the German car insurer must treat your claims history statement like a German one when setting your premium and discounts, as § 5c(3) of the Compulsory Insurance Act (Pflichtversicherungsgesetz, PflVG) requires. For proof from countries such as the USA, Canada or Turkey there is no such right, and each insurer decides for itself. If nothing can be counted, the model terms of the German Insurance Association (GDV) put you in SF class 0, or in SF class ½ with three years of driving experience.

Key points

• A German insurer must treat a claims history statement from another EEA country like a domestic one. Surcharges because of your nationality or your previous residence in the EEA are not allowed (§ 5c(3) PflVG).
• Your previous insurer must issue the statement within 15 days. Since Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1855 there is a single EU template for it, covering the last five years.
• For proof from outside the EEA there is no right to have it counted. Whether an insurer takes it into account depends on its tariff.
• Without credit for past years, the AKB 2015 model terms put you in SF class 0. SF class ½ applies if you have held an EEA driving licence, or an equivalent one, for at least three years.
• A driving licence from a non-EU country remains valid for six months after you move here (§ 29 FeV). After that you need a German one.

Is a no-claims bonus from abroad recognised in Germany?

Yes, if it comes from an EU or EEA country. For all other countries, it depends on the individual insurer.

The legal basis is § 5c PflVG, through which Germany implemented Article 16 of the EU Motor Insurance Directive 2009/103/EC. Paragraph 3 requires the insurer to treat a statement issued in another EEA country "genauso wie eine im Inland ausgestellte Bescheinigung" (just like one issued in Germany), including for discounts. The EEA consists of the 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Equal treatment does not mean your foreign discount level is copied one to one. Germany uses Schadenfreiheitsklassen (SF classes, no-claims classes), while other countries have their own bonus-malus systems. The insurer places you according to your claim-free years and reported claims, just as it would with a German statement showing the same history. The European Commission notes on its Your Europe portal: "Some insurers may apply different discounts based on your claims history." Insurers must also publish how they use these statements.

If you come from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the USA or another country outside the EEA, § 5c(3) PflVG does not apply. Some insurers still count claim-free years, others do not. Ask in writing before you sign which SF class you will get with your proof. According to the Federal Statistical Office, around 12.4 million people without German citizenship lived in Germany at the end of 2025.

Which SF class do you get without credit for past years?

Without a transferred claims history, a policy starts in SF class 0 under the model terms. With at least three years of driving experience, cars can start in SF class ½.

The GDV's General Terms for Motor Insurance (AKB 2015, as of 13 Oct 2026) set out the initial classification in section I.2. They are non-binding model terms, and your insurer may deviate from them. For the special classes, it matters where your licence was issued: it must come from an EEA country or be treated as equivalent under I.2.5. A licence counts as equivalent if, under the Driving Licence Regulation (Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung, FeV), it can be exchanged without a test or has already been exchanged.

Situation	SF class	Basis
No proof, little driving experience	0	AKB I.2.1
Licence for 3 years (EEA or equivalent)	½	AKB I.2.2.1
Second car, partner has at least SF 1	1	AKB I.2.2.2
Statement from the EEA	like a German one	§ 5c PflVG
Proof from outside the EEA	insurer's choice	Tariff

Which countries count as equivalent is listed in Annex 11 of the Driving Licence Regulation. For all classes without a test, this includes Japan, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, for example. For the USA and Canada, only individual states and provinces are listed, such as Ohio, Pennsylvania or Ontario for the car class.

An example: you have held a British licence since 2019, move to Cologne and insure your first car in Germany. If you have no statement that can be counted, SF class ½ is possible under the AKB, because the British licence is treated as equivalent and you have more than three years of driving experience. With a licence from a country not listed in Annex 11, the model terms would leave you in SF class 0.

Which documents do you need for car insurance in Germany?

The most important one is the claims history statement from your previous insurer. You also need your driving licence, the vehicle details and, for registration, the electronic insurance confirmation.

Under § 5c(1) PflVG, every insurer in the EEA must issue the statement within 15 days of your request and also when the contract ends. The template is set by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1855 of 3 July 2024. It contains details of the insurer, the policyholder, the vehicle and reported liability claims.

1. Request the claims history statement from your old insurer, ideally before you move. From insurers outside the EEA, ask for a confirmation of claim-free years in English.
2. Have your driving licence ready. For non-EU licences, be able to prove the date of issue, because it decides whether you get SF class ½.
3. Note the vehicle details: manufacturer and type codes (HSN/TSN), date of first registration, mileage and the registration district, which sets your regional class.
4. Compare quotes with the same features, meaning the same group of drivers, the same annual mileage and the same excess. Have the SF classification confirmed in writing.
5. Request the electronic insurance confirmation (eVB). Without it, the registration office will not register a vehicle (§ 49 FZV).

The car insurance page explains how Haftpflicht (third-party liability), Teilkasko (partial cover) and Vollkasko (comprehensive cover) differ.

How long can you drive with a foreign driving licence?

With an EU or EEA licence you can keep driving after you move here. A licence from any other country remains valid for six months after you take up residence.

That is the rule in § 29(1) of the Driving Licence Regulation (FeV). On application, the licensing authority can extend the period by up to six months if you credibly show that you will not live in Germany for more than twelve months. After that you need a German licence. For countries in Annex 11 FeV, an exchange without a test is often enough.

A worked example of the deadline: you register your address in Hamburg on 1 March 2026 and hold a Canadian licence. It entitles you to drive up to and including 31 August 2026. Driving after that without a valid licence also puts your cover at risk, because driving without the required licence breaches AKB D.1.1.3. Apply for the exchange early.

Can a car insurer refuse you or charge you more?

An insurer may refuse you motor liability cover only for a few reasons set out in law. It may neither refuse you nor add a surcharge because of your nationality when you present an EEA statement.

Motor liability insurance is subject to the obligation to contract in § 5 PflVG. For cars, your application is deemed accepted at the insurer's general tariff unless the insurer rejects it in writing within two weeks or makes a different offer. It may only refuse if its business plan excludes the risk, or if you were insured with it before and it ended the contract, for example because of fraudulent misrepresentation or late payment of premiums.

Teilkasko and Vollkasko are voluntary, so there is no obligation to accept you. The ban on discrimination in § 5c(3) PflVG only covers how claims history statements from the EEA are taken into account. If you come from a non-EEA country, you cannot rely on it. If you are unhappy with the premium later, you can switch at the end of the insurance year: your cancellation must reach the insurer by 30 November. The guide to switching car insurance explains how.

What applies if you return after years abroad?

If you had German car insurance before you left, your old SF class comes back. How much of it remains depends on the length of the break.

The AKB cover this in I.6.3: a break of up to six months counts as if nothing had happened. For more than six and up to twelve months, the insurer takes over your history as it stood before the break. For more than twelve months, it deducts one claim-free year for each further calendar year started. After more than seven years, the claim-free history is lost entirely.

Whether an insurer also counts claim-free years abroad depends on § 5c PflVG for statements from the EEA and on its tariff for other countries. When you leave, always ask your German insurer for its statement. It is your proof if you come back in five or ten years. What happens to your discount when you get a new car is covered in the guide to changing your car.