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Traffic · Germany

Zeugenfragebogen — the authority asks who was driving, and you are only a witness

A Zeugenfragebogen goes to the registered vehicle keeper when the authority believes the keeper did not commit the offense — the camera photo shows someone else. It asks who was driving. No fine is addressed to you.

How serious: routineAlso called: Zeugenbefragung, Anhörung als Zeuge (Halteranfrage)

The Bußgeldstelle believes the offense was committed with your vehicle, but not by you — often the camera photo shows a different person. To find the driver, it sends the keeper this questionnaire.

You are addressed as a witness, not as the accused. The form typically shows the offense data — plate, date, time, place — and asks you to name the driver.

The practically important consequence sits elsewhere: if the driver cannot be determined, the registration authority may order the keeper to keep a Fahrtenbuch — a logbook — under StVZO §31a.

Who sends it

The Bußgeldstelle (administrative fines office), writing to you as the registered vehicle keeper (Halter) — in the role of a witness, not the accused.

Bußgeldstelle letterhead, the word 'Zeuge', 'Zeugenfragebogen' or 'Anhörung als Zeuge', your vehicle's license plate, the date, time and place of the offense, and fields to enter the driver's name and address. No fine amount is addressed to you personally.

The deadline

There is no statutory deadline — the return date printed on the form is set by the authority itself.

If you do nothing

There is no direct fine for a keeper who does not answer a witness questionnaire. The practically important consequence: if the driver cannot be determined, the registration authority may order the keeper to keep a Fahrtenbuch (StVZO §31a). Such a logbook order typically runs for months, covers every trip, and its records must be kept for six months after the period ends.

How it escalates

  1. 01The authority tries to identify the driver by other means — the Berlin Bußgeldstelle reserves 'andere oder ergänzende Maßnahmen zur Ermittlung des Fahrers', including inquiries by the police station near your home and a photo comparison with the ID register (Lichtbildabgleich).
  2. 02If the driver cannot be identified before the six-month limitation period runs out (StVG §26 Abs. 3), the proceedings against the driver end.
  3. 03The registration authority may then impose a Fahrtenbuchauflage on the keeper (StVZO §31a): every trip recorded with driver name and address, plate, start and end; presentation on demand; records kept for six months after the period.

Your options, procedurally

  • The driver can be named on the form and the form returned.
  • It can be stated in writing that the driver cannot be identified.
  • The form asks only for the driver's name and address; beyond naming the driver or stating that the driver cannot be identified, it requests nothing further.

How to respond

Response types

  • Ask for clarificationRücksendung des Zeugenfragebogens (Fahrerbenennung oder Mitteilung, dass der Fahrer nicht benannt werden kann)Form: The Zeugenfragebogen supplied by the Bußgeldstelle, or its online equivalent; where the driver cannot be named, the same form with the driver fields left unfilled or a short covering letter
  • Confirm receiptBerichtigung der Halterdaten / Mitteilung der FahrzeugveräußerungForm: The Zeugenfragebogen or a short covering letter

Where and how

  • Brief an die Bußgeldstelle
  • Einschreiben (Übergabe-Einschreiben / Einschreiben mit Rückschein)
  • Telefax
  • Erklärung zur Niederschrift bei der Bußgeldstelle
  • Einfache E-Mail
  • Telefon

What makes it count

A response is in time only when it has reached the Bußgeldstelle that issued the notice — the administrative authority, not a court and not the police. §67(1) OWiG gives two weeks from service and allows the Einspruch schriftlich oder zur Niederschrift bei der Verwaltungsbehörde, die den Bußgeldbescheid erlassen hat. The date of posting does not preserve the period. Where it is missed, the criminal-procedure rules apply through §46(1) OWiG, so Wiedereinsetzung runs one week from the day the obstacle falls away and the missed act must be performed inside it (§45 StPO).

Common questions

Am I being accused of anything?

No. The letter addresses you as a witness. The authority believes the keeper did not commit the offense — it wants to find out who was driving. No fine amount is addressed to you personally.

What is a Fahrtenbuchauflage?

A logbook order under StVZO §31a, possible when the driver of a vehicle could not be determined after a traffic violation. Every trip must be recorded with driver name and address, plate, start and end; the records must be kept for six months after the period ends.

How long can the case stay open?

Prosecution of ordinary traffic offenses becomes time-barred six months after the act (StVG §26 Abs. 3). If no driver is identified by then, the proceedings against the driver end.

Sources

Facts verified against the sources below on 28 August 2026.