By Anna Katharina Finsler, Managing Director, Finsler Customs GmbH · Last updated:

Guide

Buying a car in Germany

Yes, Swiss residents can buy a car in Germany. Four points matter: VAT shown separately on the invoice (the German 19 % then falls away on export), a written contract with an export clause, the COC document and a properly declared export. You handle the purchase yourself, or we buy on your behalf and for your account.

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Aerial view of a full car lot with rows of white vehicles and a single orange one among them

Dealer or private seller

  • Buying from a dealer — what we recommend. Statutory liability for defects under German law, frequently a car on which the VAT can be shown (refunded on export, arithmetically 19/119 of the gross price), the factory warranty and a documented history.
  • Buying privately. Lower prices, but no liability for defects, no VAT refund and a higher risk if something is wrong with the car — worth considering only if you inspect it on site.

Standard taxation or margin scheme

On mobile.de and AutoScout24 there is a filter called “Mehrwertsteuer ausweisbar” (VAT deductible). If it is not set, you will see many cars sold under the margin scheme of § 25a UStG: no VAT on the invoice, nothing to reclaim. On a EUR 30,000 car that single question is worth about EUR 4,790.

The arithmetic is where people slip. The VAT already sits inside the German gross price, so what comes back is 19/119 of it — roughly 16 %, not 19 %. A car advertised at EUR 30,000 gross is EUR 25,210 net. Anyone budgeting with “19 % of 30,000” is out by more than EUR 900.

What to settle before you pay

  1. The VAT status. “VAT can be shown” means the German VAT comes back once the proof of export is in — or that you buy at the net export price straight away. “Margin scheme” (§ 25a UStG) means no refund at all, so the price has to be correspondingly lower.
  2. The COC document. Without a Certificate of Conformity there is no Swiss registration. A new car comes with one; on a used car have it promised in writing. If it is missing we order it from the manufacturer — one to four weeks depending on the make.
  3. The history. Service book, accident-free status, mileage. German dealers document all three in the condition report; get the accident-free statement in writing.
  4. The export clause. The contract should state the export to Switzerland and the net invoicing expressly.

Payment and handover

The usual routes are a bank transfer or payment on handover; larger amounts only against a written purchase contract. We advise against carrying cash across the border — from EUR 10,000 it must be declared to German customs on entry. Where the purchase runs through Finsler Customs, we buy on your behalf and for your account. Our invoice then also includes the purchase price and is payable in advance; we do not start before it is paid. We pass the purchase price on to the seller in your name.

Export and German plates

To bring the car over you need either a German export plate (red field showing the expiry date; short-term insurance needed on top) or transport on a trailer or car transporter, which needs no registration at all. If the car travels on a transporter, no plate is needed. If you drive it yourself, budget for a German export plate (registration office fee about EUR 30–40, plates about EUR 20–40) with third-party liability insurance (about EUR 80–90 for 15 days, about EUR 90–110 for a month); German vehicle tax is due for at least one month. Add a day of your time.

Either way the export has to be declared to German customs, and that declaration is the precondition for the VAT refund: without the evidence the claim lapses. It is the most expensive single mistake in a self-managed import.

Frequently asked questions

Can Swiss buyers simply buy a car in Germany?

Yes. There are no legal hurdles — a Swiss buyer signs an ordinary purchase contract with a German dealer or a private seller. What matters is a written contract with an export clause, clarifying the VAT status before the purchase, and having the COC document promised, so that the Swiss registration later goes through without trouble.

Do I get the German VAT back on export?

Only on a dealer car under standard taxation. The German VAT is then refunded once the proof of export is in — arithmetically 19/119 of the gross price, around 16 % of the gross — or you buy at the net export price straight away. On margin-scheme vehicles and on private purchases there is no refund; the price has to be correspondingly lower.

How do I pay a German dealer safely?

The usual routes are a bank transfer or payment on handover; larger amounts only against a written purchase contract. We advise against cash across the border — from EUR 10,000 it must be declared to German customs on entry. If you buy through Finsler Customs, we buy on your behalf and for your account. Our invoice then also includes the purchase price and is payable in advance; we do not start before it is paid. We pass the purchase price on to the seller in your name.

How do I get the car I bought to Switzerland?

Either under its own power on a German export plate with short-term insurance, or on a trailer or car transporter with no registration of its own. In both cases the export has to be declared properly to German customs — without that evidence the claim to the VAT refund lapses, the most expensive single mistake in a self-managed import.

The easier route

With vehicle sourcing by Finsler Customs every one of these steps falls away: we search, inspect, negotiate, buy on your behalf and import. With the Premium package you take delivery of the car registered, with the MFK (Motorfahrzeugkontrolle, the Swiss roadworthiness test) where one is required. The import calculator works out the cost beforehand.

Sources and legal basis

The statements on this page rest on the following official publications. The wording of the enactments in force is always decisive.

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Finsler Customs GmbH · Rebbergstrasse 6 · 8240 Thayngen · +41 77 246 76 37 · info@finsler-customs.ch · Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00

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