The City Council met: Processing problems at the vehicle registration office can only be resolved by taking on more staff + Video

City council debates can simply be a nuisance. Especially when they are underpinned by false arguments and deal with the ‘affluence problems’ of a minority who simply cannot wait until they have their vehicle registration documents in hand. The phrase ‘affluence-related problems’ was used by Marco Zscherny, a city councillor for the BSW. And he’s quite right. Fortunately, the debate came to an end shortly after he spoke.

But of course, the whole time you had the feeling that the motorists’ faction was sitting there in a revving car, constantly revving the engine because the city wasn’t moving fast enough.

1 July was not the first time that the issue of processing times at the vehicle registration office had been on the city council’s agenda. But contrary to what CDU city councillors Lucas Schopphoven and Falk Dossin suggested, the city has, in fact, taken action. Heiko Rosenthal, the councillor responsible for public order, pointed this out several times during the debate on the CDU’s motion ‘Vehicle registration in the citizens’ offices!’

. The reason for such long waiting times was, and remains, simply a lack of staff.

The posts have been advertised and interviews are currently taking place. According to Heiko Rosenthal, the posts could be filled as early as this summer. And FDP city councillor Sven Morlok, in his characteristic nonchalant manner, pointed out that Lucas Schopphoven had probably gone a bit too far in some of his remarks.

Even if it may be true that the online registration system does not work as promised, this is not the city’s responsibility, but that of the federal government. Moreover, according to Heiko Rosenthal, applications submitted via the digital registration system are actually given priority at the vehicle registration office to ensure they are processed within a week wherever possible. On average, it currently takes two weeks.

Falk Dossin cast doubt on these figures and referred to a survey carried out by the Motor Traders’ Guild at car dealerships in Leipzig, which are also authorised to register vehicles sold directly via the e-registration system. Car owners do not have to wait two or five weeks at all, but can drive off straight away.

Whether and how true this is, who knows? It’s one person’s word against another’s.

Already in the election campaign?

But it has also become clear that this is simply a staffing issue, which can only be alleviated by taking on more staff.

And Czerny emphasised that it is a problem of affluence when car owners have to wait five weeks for their written registration certificate. That’s simply nothing compared to an eight-month wait for a housing benefit decision. After all, rent payments – or even the loss of one’s home – depend on it. And Sven Morlok rightly pointed out that the use of e-registration will become the norm in July 2027 anyway. The city should therefore actually wait until then to see how it works. E regarded Schopphoven’s speech as mere election campaign posturing.

And Heiko Rosenthal also pointed out, not entirely without reason, that the citizen service centres – to which the CDU motion seeks to transfer the services of the Vehicle Registration Office – are in fact already fully occupied with entirely different tasks. Furthermore, he noted that it is already possible to simply re-register a vehicle there.

Nevertheless
, the administration had accommodated the CDU’s request
and had promised to carry out a review by the third quarter to determine “which services provided by the Vehicle Registration and Driving Licence Authority could be offered by the Citizens’ Service Office.”

The outcome remains to be seen. However, the RAU also includes what Sven Morlok has set out. The city’s statement on the matter reads: “In particular, the analysis must take into account the ‘Federal Modernisation Agenda’ resolution of 4 December 2025 adopted by the federal and state governments. Projects planning the transfer of services under the i-Kfz scheme to the federal government have already been underway since the end of 2025.

Phase 1 (Stage 5 of i-Kfz) is to be implemented on 1 July 2027, as stipulated on 4 December 2025. This means that all digital vehicle registration matters, which were previously handled by local authorities, will be taken over directly by the federal government through the Federal Motor Transport Authority and the Federal Printing Office. This covers all i-Kfz stages 1–4 as well as the corporate client interface.”

According to Morlok, it would be advisable to wait until then before making any requests for changes and to see first how the digitalisation actually works from July 2027 onwards.

As Marvon Frommhold from the Greens had already put the administration’s position to the vote, this was also put to a vote. The result was very clear: 41 votes in favour and 20 abstentions.