Artikel 17

1. The forces and their members shall be entitled to enter, move within and over and depart from the Federal territory with vehicles, vessels and aircraft owned or operated by them or on their behalf without restriction except as contained in the present Convention. The Federal Republic shall ensure to the Forces and their members the use of all German public highways and waterways, and the right to fly in the air space of the Federal territory and to depart from, land on and use the airfields at the disposal of the Forces. The Forces shall be entitled to such use of the air space and airfields in the Federal territory as may be necessary for the security of the Forces or for their training, provided that the use of civil airfields for training purposes shall be requested from the German authorities, such request having been approved by the highest Air Headquarters of the Forces concerned.
2. The operating rights of the German railways shall remain unaffected. Rolling stock owned, or exclusively used by the Forces may be brougth into, and taken out of, the Federal territory. It shall be accepted for movement by the German railways if it can be operated in general conformity with the traffic operating methods of the latter.
3. Unless otherwise provided in this Convention or in any other applicable agreement, German traffic laws, ordinances and regulations shall apply to the Forces and their members. Deviations from German traffic regulations shall be permissible to the Forces in cases of military exigency, with due regard to public safety and order. For railway traffic such deviations shall be permitted only by agreement between the Forces and the competent railway administration.
4. The vehicles, sea-going vessels and aircraft of the Forces or their members may be licensed or registered, and shall be provided with licence plates or other identification as appropriate, by the authorities of the Forces. Subject to the international regulations applicable in each case, the same provisions shall apply to inland water craft of the Forces or their members, excluding craft owned by members of the Forces of 15 tons carrying capacity or over. In the case of licensing by German authorities, these authorities may collect the normal licence fee, which shall not include any form of taxation. The authorities of the Power concerned shall take adequate safety measures for, and shall ensure the technical supervision of, the vehicles, vessels and aircraft licensed by them and shall, where necessary, and at the request of the German authority, furnish the name and address of the owner of a vehicle, aircraft or vessel licensed by them.
5. The Forces shall with regard to their vehicles be exempt from all German regulations limiting axle loads or the total weights of vehicles. Vehicles owned or operated by the Forces or by their members shall be exempt from German laws, regulations or police measures requiring changes or additions in the construction, design or equipment of vehicles, such as markings, warning signals, brakes, lighting and direction indicators.
6. Documents issued by the appropriate authorities of the Power concerned to a member of the Forces which authorise him to operate vehicles, sea-going vessels or aircraft shall be valid in the Federal territory. Authorisation to operate inland water vessels licensed by the Forces shall be governed by regulations of the Forces, which shall take due account of German and, where applicable, international waterway regulations.
7. Members of the Forces shall use or permit to be used in the Federal territory private vehicles and aircraft belonging to them only if such vehicles or aircraft are insured against liability arising out of such use. The required insurance coverage, both in type and amount, shall be determined in accordance with German law. This insurance may, however, be effected with any insurance enterprise entitled to carry on such activity in the territory of the Power concerned and able under the exchange control regulations, according to a declaration of the Power concerned, to pay claims in the Federal territory and in the currency of the Federal Republic.
8. A Standing Commission shall be established, to be composed of representatives of the appropriate authorities of the Three Powers and of representatives of the authorities of the Federal Republic. The duty of this Commission shall be to guarantee effective co-ordination between civil and military air activities.
9. All air traffic control and related communications systems developed and carried on by the Federal authorities and by the Forces shall be technically and administratively co-ordinated to the extent necessary to ensure air traffic safety and the common defence.
10. Permission for aerial photography by private individuals or civilian agencies and the production and distribution of prints and negatives therefrom, shall be given by the German authorities, subject to security clearance by the authorities of the Forces. The methods of security clearance shall be determined by the Standing Commission.