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U.S. Army, Europe officials announced that as of Saturday, the vehicle
registration fee for U.S. forces stationed in Germany will increase
from $15 to $30.
The USAREUR vehicle registry is a non-appropriated fund activity that
does not generate a profit, but must recover operational costs to break
even.
The change is prompted by the ongoing conversion to German license
plates. These cost the fund $30 each, but provide increased safety
through decreased visibility for U.S. forces personnel and their
families.
Fees are occasionally adjusted as necessary to ensure the fund remains
solvent. Currently, $20 is the break-even cost of license plates.
Increasing the fee will allow purchase of the new German plates and, as
quickly as possible, their issue in all U.S. forces garrisons in
Germany.
The most recent fee adjustment was in January 2002, when registration
cost dropped from $20 to $15. The fee had been increased two years
earlier to cover the cost of the “look-alike” plates that resembled,
but were not identical to, German license plates. When the fees
exceeded the costs, the fee was lowered.
The conversion to German plates involves coordination with host nation
authorities in each German county or city that issues plates to a U.S.
forces garrison. Because some German offices did not have plates
or numbers readily available, vehicle registry extended the conversion
period by 24 to 36 months. The conversion was initially set to
conclude in December of 2007.
USAREUR has issued German plates in some locations since February. Other locations will be added as the plates become available.
German license plates indicate their place of issue. For U.S. drivers,
the location of their assigned garrison, not their home address,
determines which locality appears on the plate.
For more information, contact your local vehicle registry office. (Courtesy of USAREUR Public Affairs)
