Vehicle transfer protocol: guide and free template

Especially when several people are involved, clean documentation helps to place later questions. However, a protocol replaces neither the contractual agreement nor any expert damage assessment that may be required.

• Order: Client, order number, and start and destination
• Vehicle: Make/type, licence plate and vehicle identification number (VIN)
• Pickup and delivery: Date, time, odometer reading and fuel or charge level
• Condition: visible exterior and interior damage, soiling and special features
• Equipment: Number of keys, vehicle documents, charging cables, fuel cards and other accessories
• Handover: Names of the persons involved, signatures and remarks where appropriate

Particularly important: enter damage or missing accessories directly at the respective handover location – not hours later from memory.

Overview shots of all sides of the vehicle and targeted detail photos of existing damage are useful. Photograph in good light if possible, from a comprehensible perspective and so that the affected area remains recognisable. Observe the client’s requirements and data protection.

If an inspection is only possible to a limited extent because of darkness, rain, snow or heavy soiling, state this explicitly. An incomplete visual inspection should not be confirmed as “damage-free”.

Missing or unchecked items should be marked as such. A blanket statement such as “accessories complete” only makes sense if completeness could be assessed at all.

If nobody can or wants to sign, enter the actual reason, for example “recipient not present” or “signature refused”. Add – where permissible and available – a comprehensible time stamp and further proof of handover.

How long a protocol must be kept depends in particular on the contract, possible claims and, where applicable, commercial or tax-law obligations. There is no generally correct period. Delete personal data when there is no legal basis for keeping it any longer.

• Vehicle data: make/type, licence plate and chassis number (VIN)
• Condition: mileage, fuel or charge level, exterior and interior, and any existing damage
• Equipment: keys, vehicle documents, accessories, tyre set and, where applicable, fuel or charging card
• Photos: overview shots of all sides of the vehicle and close-ups of damage, ideally with a date
• Signatures: the person handing over and the person taking over, each with place and date

Our free PDF template further down is a good starting point: it covers the core areas and can be filled in on a computer or printed. Go to the template ↓

• Positions 1–3 (WMI): world manufacturer code: country or region of origin and the manufacturer, for example “WVW” for Volkswagen from Germany
• Positions 4–9 (VDS): vehicle description: model, body, engine and equipment – the manufacturer decides how this is used; in North America position 9 is a check digit
• Positions 10–17 (VIS): vehicle identifier: position 10 often stands for the model year, position 11 for the plant, and the remaining positions for the serial number

You can find the number in the registration certificate (in Germany Part I, field E), usually at the bottom of the windscreen, on the type plate and often on the door pillar. You can check it directly with the free LinaFora VIN decoder. Open the VIN decoder →

• 1 · Import the template: upload your existing form as a PDF or image; it stays the look of the later protocol
• 2 · Fields on paper: place text fields, checkboxes, photos and signatures exactly where the value will be printed
• 3 · Arrange the app: set the order, headings, required fields and conditions – this is what the app looks like when it is filled in
• 4 · Try it out: fill in the finished app yourself and create a protocol before it goes into use

Especially handy for checklists that are filled in again and again: required entries are not forgotten, and photos and signatures go straight into the protocol. View the app builder →

• Parties and date: tenant, landlord or representative, address of the flat, and date and time of the handover
• Meter readings: electricity, gas, water and heating with meter number and reading – ideally with a photo
• Keys: number and type of all keys handed over
• Condition of the rooms: walls, floors, windows, doors, bathroom and kitchen – describe existing defects precisely and assign them to the room
• Signatures: both sides with place and date; record differing assessments as a remark

With the app builder you can turn this into your own template that is filled in on site on a smartphone – with photos for each room and signatures. Digitise your protocol →

• Contract: client, contractor, project or property, and the scope of work accepted
• Date and attendees: date of acceptance and everyone present
• Defects: describe every defect individually, with photo and location; note the deadline for remedying it
• Reservations: enter reservations expressly, for example because of known defects or a contractual penalty
• Follow-up work: who does what by when – and whether a follow-up acceptance has been agreed
• Signatures: both sides, with place and date

Digitally this can be done right on the construction site: photos, defect list and signatures end up in one protocol. Contractual particulars (for example under construction contract rules) may differ and are not covered by this guide. View the app builder →