In the city, finding a parking space with a van is not always easy.

Not only because the vehicle is bigger, but also because you are not allowed to park it everywhere. For large trucks over 7.5 tonnes, the regulation is clear: They may only park temporarily and under no circumstances at night in residential areas. 

Smaller sprinters or vans can park in residential areas around the clock completely legally. According to Section 12 of the Road Traffic Regulations (Straßenverkehrsordnung (StVO)) relating to stopping and parking, only motor vehicles with a total permissible mass of more than 7.5 tonnes are prohibited from parking in purely residential areas between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.. Motor vehicle trailers with a permissible total mass of over 2.0 tonnes are also affected by this regulation.

With any vehicle, you must ensure that you comply with any parking space markingsthat may be present in residential areas. If the parking spaces are marked with white lines, you may only park your vehicle within these lines. That can be rather tricky with a van. If in doubt, ask for instructions.

Although you are not allowed to extend beyond the markings on the right and left, you are allowed to occupy two car parking spaces with a van. Of course, you must never block a driveway or a fire access route even for quick loading or unloading in residential areas. If you want to make sure that a parking space is available directly in front of the door, you can apply for a no stopping zone in advance. This will make parking the van in a residential area completely stress-free.