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U.S. personnel can avoid trouble by getting a customs “Permit to Transfer” when transferring a USAREUR-plated vehicle to a non-ID cardholder in Germany.
“It is essential to get a permit to transfer before you sell, donate or transfer a car to a German car dealer, junk yard or person who is not an ID card holder,” said Fred Evans, chief of services at the U.S. Army Europe Customs Executive Agency in Mannheim. This also includes cases of vehicle accidents.
If personnel do not obtain this permit, they will eventually fail to clear vehicle registration when it is time to PCS. Customs authorities also may require personnel to prove what happened to the vehicle.
“This is obviously very difficult if the car was crushed long ago, you are in the middle of clearing out of Europe and you have no record of where the car went,” Mr. Evans said. If personnel cannot show what happened to the vehicle, they may be identified in a military police report and subject to disciplinary action.
The “Permit to Transfer” (AE Form 550-175B) is available at the U.S. Forces customs office serving your garrison. More information on selling personal property in Germany the right way is available online at
www.hqusareur.army.mil/opm/custom2.htm or by contacting the local U.S. Forces customs office.
