Car insurance without HSN/TSN – how it works anyway

You imported a vehicle or bought a Chinese car, the online calculator asks for HSN and TSN – and your registration papers have none, or the number isn't recognised. Welcome to a gap in the German insurance system that strands thousands of registrations every year. The good news: it's completely solvable. Here's the full path.

What HSN and TSN actually are

The HSN (Herstellerschlüsselnummer, 4 digits) identifies the manufacturer; the TSN (Typschlüsselnummer, 3 characters plus check digits) the specific vehicle type. Both are issued by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) as part of the EC type approval and appear in fields 2.1 and 2.2 of German registration documents. Practically every German car insurer uses them to map type classes, spare-part costs and claims statistics.

Why some cars have no (usable) HSN/TSN

Typically affected:

• Direct imports from China – e.g. BAW 212, DFSK Fengon, Seres 3, JAC T8, Foton Tunland, SWM G01 or Forthing models that don't come through a German dealer network with EC type approval
• US imports and vehicles from third countries
• Small-series and converted vehicles, camper conversions
• EU vehicles whose type approval the KBA hasn't mapped (yet) – the papers then show a placeholder like "0000/000"

These vehicles are registered via an individual approval under Sec. 13 EG-FGV / Sec. 21 StVZO: an officially recognised inspector (TÜV, DEKRA etc.) examines the car and certifies its technical data. Legally fully equivalent – only the data record for insurers' software is missing.

The real problem: insurer software

Without a TSN, the tariff calculator can't pull a type class – and aborts. What happens next is familiar to most import owners:

1. Comparison portals: error message, dead end.
2. Direct insurer hotline: "We cannot process this vehicle."
3. The insurer that does accept: slots the car into an expensive fallback class – the notorious "exotic surcharge".

None of this means your car is uninsurable. It means the standard process doesn't fit.

The solution: manual classification + the right eVB

Some insurers – usually accessible via specialised brokers – rate vehicles by the technical data in the individual approval: power, displacement or drivetrain, value, segment and usage. The result is a regular classification, typically in line with comparable European models.

For registration you additionally need an eVB (electronic insurance confirmation). Despite what forums suggest, there is no such thing as a "special eVB": eVB numbers only differ by vehicle class (car, truck, motorcycle …) – within a class they are all identical. Two things matter instead: the eVB must come from an insurer that has actually accepted your vehicle without HSN/TSN, and it must match the vehicle class of your registration – an N1-registered pick-up needs a truck eVB, not a car eVB. With the right eVB, the registration office treats your import like any other car.

Requesting a quote is this simple

No need to gather documents: in the quote form you simply tell us which vehicle it is – we take care of the rest. We already know the common import models and their technical data, including their typical equipment. Your existing no-claims class carries over as with any vehicle change.

What cover is possible – including for Chinese cars

With the right insurer, the full programme is available:

With clean classification, premiums usually match comparable European cars – the "exotic surcharge" almost always comes from the wrong process, not the vehicle.

How it works with us

We have insured Chinese vehicles and other imports for years – from BAW to SWM (all brands on the car insurance page). The process:

1. Send documents via anfrage.rombey.capital – informal, photos suffice.
2. Quote usually within one business day, with a real classification instead of a fallback class.
3. eVB immediately after your approval – digital, ready for the registration office.
4. Drive. Service, claims support and future vehicle changes included – in English.

Bottom line

No HSN/TSN doesn't mean "uninsurable" – it means "not insurable through an online calculator". With an individual approval, manual classification and the right eVB, every road-legal vehicle gets regular cover at fair conditions. What matters is a partner who knows the process.

Your import is waiting for its plates? Send us the vehicle data now – quote usually within 24 hours. Or call us directly: +49 2433 9391844.