Contents
Bought a car in Germany or Austria? The purchase is usually the easy part – whether you register the vehicle in Slovakia on the first attempt is decided by your paperwork. Slovak authorities require sworn translations of the foreign vehicle documents, and a missing or wrong translation is where the process most often stalls. This guide walks the whole route step by step and says exactly which documents need a sworn translation, which don’t – and how to get the whole package done in a few days.
Step by step: from purchase to Slovak plates
- Purchase and papers: sign the purchase contract or get an invoice, and take over the registration certificate – Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II (older vehicles: Fahrzeugschein and Fahrzeugbrief).
- Deregistration and transfer: the car is deregistered in Germany; export plates with valid insurance cover the drive home.
- Originality inspection (kontrola originality) in Slovakia: besides the vehicle papers, have a sworn translation of the purchase contract or invoice ready.
- Technical and emissions inspection: depends on the vehicle’s age and the validity of the foreign inspections – the originality-check station will tell you whether you need them.
- District office, road transport department: the application to approve the individually imported vehicle – this is where the sworn translation of the registration certificate is submitted.
- Vehicle registration office (dopravný inšpektorát): registering the car and getting Slovak plates.
Source: Individually imported vehicle – Slovak Ministry of Transport · as of 2026
Which documents need a sworn translation
The translation must be produced by a sworn translator entered in the Slovak Ministry of Justice register – authorities do not accept ordinary translations. For a car from Germany or Austria these are typically:
- the registration certificate Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II (older Fahrzeugschein and Fahrzeugbrief)
- the purchase contract or invoice
- further documents if the office requests them – for example the deregistration confirmation
The exact set of required translations varies between district offices – so we translate exactly what your office has requested, not a “blind bundle”.
When you don’t need a translation
Documents issued in the Czech Republic need no translation. Neither do bilingual documents – issued in the export country’s language and in Slovak at the same time (typically a bilingual purchase contract). If you buy through a dealer, ask for a bilingual contract right away – that saves you one translation.
Vehicle-document translations at Etalon
Vehicle papers are short and standardised, so our sworn translator turns them around fast – you get a quote within hours of sending the scans. Handle the whole package online from anywhere in Slovakia or in person in Bratislava-Petržalka; see the dedicated page for sworn German translation with prices. We also translate documents from other countries – see sworn translation in Bratislava.
Imported a car? Send scans of the papers
Within hours you get an exact quote for the sworn translation of the registration certificate and purchase contract.
Get a quoteFAQ: translations for an imported car
Do I have to translate the German registration certificate?
Yes – the approval of an individually imported vehicle requires a sworn translation of the registration certificate (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II), produced by a translator from the Ministry of Justice register.
I imported a car from the Czech Republic – do I need a translation?
No. Slovak authorities accept documents issued in the Czech Republic without translation.
The purchase contract is bilingual. Does it need translating?
No – if the contract also exists in Slovak, no translation is needed. If it is German-only, the originality inspection will need its sworn translation.
How fast can you translate the vehicle papers?
Vehicle papers are short and standardised – we usually deliver within 1–2 business days, express by agreement. We confirm the deadline with the quote.
How much does translating German car papers cost?
We quote individually by length – but vehicle papers are short, so this is one of the smallest sworn-translation packages. Send the scans and you get an exact quote within hours.
