Certificate of conformity by make Fiat

The Ducato is the most heavily converted vehicle in Europe. A very large share of the motorhomes sold on the continent are built on a Ducato chassis, completed by a German, French or Italian body builder.

If that is your vehicle, Fiat will only issue the certificate for the base chassis: the document describing the conversion is produced by the body builder and must be requested from them. Both are often required together at registration. On the passenger cars — 500, Panda, Tipo — the request goes through the national importer, which mechanically lengthens processing. Older Panda and 500 models are also approaching the ten-year limit.

The emblematic file is a Ducato converted into a motorhome, bought second-hand from a German or Italian private seller. The owner needs the certificate to register the vehicle, and discovers that the manufacturer’s document does not describe the living cell. We explain that before opening the file. On a Fiat we therefore ask up front whether the vehicle was bodied, and we identify the converter, whose plate is usually fixed in the cab. We obtain the chassis certificate and tell you what to request from the body builder. On 500 and Panda models our check focuses instead on the date of manufacture: many are approaching the ten-year limit, and we verify availability before invoicing.

For a Fiat, the request usually goes through the national importer of the country of first registration: one more link in the chain, so a longer turnaround.

Where to find the chassis number (VIN) on a Fiat

A certificate covers one vehicle only, identified by its chassis number (VIN). The safest place to read it is field E of the foreign registration document. On a Fiat, it also appears:

• at the base of the windscreen, driver’s side, readable from outside
• under a floor flap on the front passenger side
• under the boot floor mat, near the spare wheel well

A VIN never contains the letters I, O or Q: mistaking one for a 1 or a 0 is enough to send the search astray.

Most frequently imported Fiat models

The Fiat vehicles we handle most often come from Italy, from Germany and from Poland.

The requests we receive mostly concern:

• Fiat 500
• Fiat Panda
• Fiat Tipo
• Fiat Ducato
• Fiat Doblo
• Fiat 500X
• Fiat 500e

The rest of the EU-approved Fiat range is handled the same way.

Fiat and the eCOC: what changes in 2026

Since 5 July 2026, Fiat has been sending conformity data for its new vehicles to the approval authorities in eCOC format. Your used Fiat is not affected: you need the ordinary COC, issued exactly as before. Paper and printouts of the eCOC remain accepted until 29 November 2026 at the latest. Understand the eCOC.