Registration
When the COC is required to register an imported vehicle, the documents of the file, taxes, fiscal power and registering in another EU country.
5 questions
Questions in this theme
Is the certificate of conformity mandatory to register an imported vehicle?
Not always. Registration authorities require the COC when the foreign registration certificate does not identify the EU type approval. If that document carries the EU type-approval number (field K) and the full type-variant-version (field D.2), the certificate is generally not requested — in France in particular. Check those two fields before ordering.
Which documents do I need to register an imported vehicle?
For a vehicle from another EU country: the foreign registration certificate, proof of purchase, the tax clearance of the destination country, the certificate of conformity if the foreign document is incomplete, a recent roadworthiness test for older vehicles, proof of identity and address. The exact list depends on the country of registration.
What tax clearance is needed to register an imported vehicle (quitus fiscal, VAT)?
Every Member State checks the VAT position of a vehicle bought in another EU country before registering it. In France this is the quitus fiscal issued by the tax office; in Germany, VAT on a new vehicle is settled with the Finanzamt; in the Netherlands, a BPM declaration is filed with the tax authority. A used vehicle bought from a private seller owes no VAT.
How do I read power, CO₂ and fiscal data on the certificate of conformity?
The certificate gives the raw data: net power in kW (field P.2), CO₂ in g/km (V.7), often as both NEDC and WLTP values, and the Euro standard (V.9). Each country derives its own taxes from them — French fiscal horsepower and malus, German Kfz-Steuer, Dutch BPM — using the WLTP value for recent vehicles.
Does the COC also work to register in Belgium, the Netherlands or Germany?
Yes. The certificate of conformity is the same document across the Union: the DIV in Belgium, the RDW in the Netherlands and the Zulassungsstelle in Germany use it to register an imported vehicle without an individual approval. Each country adds its own documents: import inspection, insurance, registration tax.