Free parking in a town or outside a shop is often limited to one or two hours. A parking disc, or Parkscheibe, shows your arrival time. A missing disc or an exceeded parking limit can cost €20–€40 in public parking areas.
When is a parking disc required?
A parking disc is required where a road sign and supplementary plate specify it. The sign states the maximum parking time and, where applicable, the days or hours when the restriction applies. The displayed time must be readable from outside the vehicle.
A five-minute shopping trip still counts as parking. Under section 12 of Germany’s StVO, leaving the vehicle or stopping for longer than three minutes constitutes parking. Section 13 provides an exception from operating parking-control devices when passengers are boarding or alighting, or during loading and unloading.
How to set a parking disc in Germany
Set the disc to the next half-hour mark after you arrive:
- Arrive at 14:07 → set the disc to 14:30.
- Arrive at 14:31 → set the disc to 15:00.
“Ankunftszeit” means arrival time, shown with the prescribed rounding. With a two-hour parking limit, arrival at 14:07 and a disc set to 14:30, your permitted stay ends at 16:30.
Can you turn the disc forward to extend your stay?
Turning the disc forward while the car remains in the same place is not permitted. Moving a short distance forwards and backwards does not begin a new parking session either. The previous session must actually end: for example, driving away, going around the block and returning to an available space.
Forgotten parking disc or an overstayed limit: What is the fine?
| Duration of violation | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Up to 30 minutes | 20 € |
| Over 30 minutes, up to 1 hour | 25 € |
| Over 1 hour, up to 2 hours | 30 € |
| Over 2 hours, up to 3 hours | 35 € |
| Over 3 hours | 40 € |
The table applies to violations in public parking areas. It measures the duration of the violation; for an overstay, this is the time after the permitted parking period ends.
What does a valid German parking disc look like?
A conventional mechanical parking disc in Germany is blue and white, 11 cm wide and 15 cm high. It must be clearly readable through the glass and is usually placed on the dashboard.
A motorcycle also needs a parking disc where the relevant sign requires one. It must be secured so that the indicated time remains readable.
Are electronic or digital parking discs legal?
Yes. An electronic parking disc with type approval for Germany detects when the car is stationary and automatically sets the arrival time. It must carry a white P on a blue background and the word “Ankunftszeit”. The time must use a 24-hour format, with digits at least 2 cm high.
The displayed arrival time must remain unchanged throughout the parking session. An automatic parking disc that keeps moving the time forward does not meet this requirement.
German law does not prescribe a particular corner of the windscreen. The display must be readable from outside, and the device must not obstruct the driver’s view. The lower right corner is a suitable position; OOONO also specifies this position in its mounting instructions.
OOONO P-DISC NO1 setup: O button, DST and battery
These steps apply to the German-approved version of the P-DISC NO1:
- Hold the O button on the back until the digits flash.
- Use the < / > arrow buttons to set the hours and minutes, confirming each step with O.
- DST enables the automatic change between summer and winter time. With DST enabled, also set the year, month and date. nDST disables the automatic change.
- For Germany, choose the 0:30 rounding interval and confirm with O.
The NO1 uses one CR2450 3 V battery. A battery symbol and audible signals when driving starts or stops indicate a low battery. Set the time and date again after replacing it. Other P-DISC models can have different buttons, batteries and setup steps.
Parking discs at Aldi, Lidl and private car parks
Private supermarket car parks can set their own conditions for parking time, disc use and a contractual parking charge. These appear on signs at the entrance and within the car park. The public €20–€40 schedule does not determine the amount of a contractual charge; the particular car park’s conditions apply.
Parking discs in Denmark: Quarter-hour rounding
In Denmark, round up to the next quarter-hour. An arrival at 14:07 is displayed as 14:15, compared with 14:30 in Germany. A German-registered car may use a conventional mechanical disc in Denmark that complies with German requirements.