ARGE eKfz

The online automobile registration is a joint project of  Fraunhofer FOKUS and its partners Christoph Kroschke GmbH, Berlin’s vehicle registration authorities (Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten Berlin/LABO), Daimler AG Mercedes-Benz Branch Office in Berlin, ]init[ AG as well as ITDZ Berlin as governmental IT-infrastructure service provider (ARGE eKfz). Alltogether, they form a consortium (ARGE eKfz) in order to realize the project.

In the ranking of the 100 most commonly used community services, vehicle registration ranks third, but usually also implies queuing and thus waiting. With this new eGovernment solution, the customer will be able to access all services without having to go to different registration offices. With the help of the eID function of the new German ID card, you can register your vehicle directly at a registration portal at the auto dealership using a secure, electronic identification. This saves you both time and effort, your ID and automobile data are being transferred electronically to the registration authorities via the portal.

The registration authorities securely receive the data which has been encrypted for its electronic journey. Another service provider takes care of delivering the ZB1 and ZB2 registration cards (vehicle registration certificate and registration document) as well as the number plates. That enables a process-oriented, efficient and economical solution as well as a cooperative and transparent collaboration of all persons involved.

An interoperable solution is the core of this service. It links together the IT systems of the vehicle registration authorities and its service providers, the automobile dealer and the number plate manufacturer. In addition, the Bürger Client and the electronic identity function (eID) are integrated, both of which are required software components of the new German ID card. “Currently, the actors are employing stand-alone systems,” explains Dr. Michael Tschichholz, Associate Director of the Competence Center ELAN. “The envisioned eGovernment solution connects these heterogeneous systems and customizes the vehicle registration process to meet the technological requirements of the new German ID card.”

Fraunhofer FOKUS’s next step is to seek, along with the relevant partners, to introduce the same electronic vehicle registration system throughout Germany. One requirement of this will be the definition of a standard (xKfz) so-called XML data exchange format.