Sourcing an original German Title

[ragami]

Anyone know the procedure for sourcing an original German title? I brought my Kaefer over in 1998 from Germany, however all paperwork was lost over the years of travel and moving. Car sits unregistered and wanted to figure out the best method for this. Have my insurance paperwork with the vin from 1995, but don't think that'll get me there.

[jinx758]

Every state is different but the DMV should have a process so an owner can obtain a certified/lost title.

In Texas replacement ones are beige/tan-ish while originals are blue.

As to an original German one, all I'm aware of is a "birth certificate". And details can be hit-or-miss.
It's first title would be from the state/province it was first sold in provided by the dealer, not Germany.

Best to you ... stay safe

jinx
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[BenJAMin]

What year is the car? I can help you get a title for it.

[Rome]

Are you looking to get a German title for the car from its last registered city, for display purposes? Or because you think you need it to register the car now in New York?

The original title was called a "Fahrzeugbrief" (vehicle letter) which stayed with the car from its first registration. The document was transferred to each subsequent owner, and utilized at the new DMV office in Germany as the new owner's proof of vehicle registration history. Once new license plates were issued to the new owner, the letter was stamped by the DMV office with the plate sequence and owner name/address to continue the letter, and the vehicle's history. The new owner would keep the vehicle letter away from the car in a safe place. The new owner would receive a simpler registration document (Zulassung) from the district DMV office to keep in the car.

Do you have a bill of sale from the previous owner in Germany? NY has a process to get an old car registered without a title or previous registration. You need the bill of sale, a pencil tracing of the VIN stamping under the rear seat base, and the specific DMV form "Statement of Ownership" (MV51B). Go to the local DMV office to pay the sales tax based on the bill of sale. Then you mail those documents along with a vehicle registration form to DMV HQ in Albany for processing. If all is OK, the Albany head office will send you a new registration, and possibly also the actual license plates in less than a month. When I did this to a '69 Beetle "parts car" 25 years ago, the process required that it be at least one year from the recorded sales date for the process to be implemented.

If you want the German registration for display purposes, that'll be tough. If you know the town where the seller lived per your Bill of Sale, you can find out the district for that town which issued the registration. You could try writing to the DMV district office (in English, and use an online translator program to also provide the text in German for the convenience of the DMV clerk) with the VIN, US importation papers and a good recent photo of the car; to request a facsimile or copy of the title.

[Rome]

Realize that NY allows registering the car using "period license plates" provided that you have classic car insurance with the specific word "Historic" printed on the insurance ID card. Once you have your initial NY plates per my post above, you can submit for registering the car with actual NY license plates that were issued in your model year. You find a pair of such plates from a plate collector, or large flea market. But you must first contact the NY DMV main office in Albany with the license plate sequence so they make sure it is "clear", meaning that the sequence is not coincidentally in active use on a more recent plate.

[heimlich]

I bought a car from NY. It didn't come with a title. There was something about it not needing one because of the age. Have you asked your locals if you need it?
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[Bobs67vwagen]

In New York state vehicles before 1973 did not have an actual title. Vehicles back then came with a 2 part registration card, the top card was carried to produce to law enforcement if needed, the bottom part was kept in a safe place at home because it had a line on the bottom that said transferred to: , and date of transfer. This was given to the new owner when sold.

[ragami]

Appreciate everyone's response:
When I shipped the car over from Germany in 1998, due to unfortunate circumstances I was not able to pick it up, nor my wife. I got stuck in Germany 6 extra months and eventually the car was taken home by a worker when the MOT yard closed in 1999. I bought the car back in 2021 but no-one has been able to legally register the car in the US because it came over with my paperwork which is now gone. The original chassis vin is WVWZZZ11ZEM010711 which is a 1984 VW Beetle (Kaefer). It may have come over under an original 1968 vin of 118558194, as I have the title and dataplate for that as well.

In the process of restoring the car and wanted to keep it legit and try to register here in NY with my lack of actual paperwork. Just trying to figure out how.

Ryan

[Buggeee]

I have seen adds for buylegaltags.com out of Montana. Reads like a Vermont type workaround, but I haven't had to try it.

Good luck.
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[KTPhil]

[Bobs67vwagen]

Usually referred to as "the Vermont loophole". Go figure?

[BenJAMin]

Hello, I was pretty well known for popularizing the Vermont loophole. That is no longer available, but I do have a process that can get you a title. Send me a message or comment here and I'll help you

[obnoxiousblue]

Hi, NY here too.
Is the VIN stamped on the car a 68 or an 84? Because that makes a world of difference here.
NY uses transferable registrations for cars 73 and down. In both cases the process to register will be fairly similar. The end result will just be different. On a 68 the DMV will issue a transferable reg, on the 84 you would get a NYS certificate of title. If the car is an 84, I would likely not want to register it as a VIN that isn't on the car (falsely as a 68') the Mexi Beetle guys were doing this for years to mixed review.
Anyone telling you they can get you a title for a 68 either just wants to take your money or doesn't realize NY doesn't care about the title for a car of that age.
If you do not have any paperwork you can go to the DMV and fill out an MV51B.
Essentially you tell the clerk that you bought the car years ago and lost the paperwork. They will issue you a NON TRANSFERABLE registration while the DMV does a search to make sure the vehicle isn't owned by someone else or recorded as stolen. You leave with plates and a registration and in a few weeks time - assuming everything comes back clear - you get a regular transferable registration in the mail.
Where people get hung up is they don't know when to shut their mouths with the DMV. The clerk doesn't care about your cars story - tell them the minimum they ask for so you don't accidentally put your foot in your mouth and crash the whole transaction.

Simple ... "I bought this car years ago, I was fixing it up, I lost all the paperwork" ... END.
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[BenJAMin]

I agree keep the 68 title out of the equation. There are ways that we can get paperwork for an 84 beetle