Special cases
No certificate of conformity is available: what are the alternatives?
Two routes exist. A manufacturer’s identification certificate (attestation d’identification in France, Datenbestätigung in Germany) describes the vehicle and allows registration when it matches an approved type. Failing that, an individual approval by the national technical service, with the vehicle presented, produces a report that replaces the certificate.
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A certificate of conformity only exists for a vehicle produced according to a type that obtained EU type approval. It is unavailable when the vehicle is too old, built for another market, converted, or when the manufacturer has disappeared. The solutions, in order of simplicity:
- The manufacturer’s identification certificate to a national or EU type: drawn up by the manufacturer or its representative, it restates the technical data and lets the authority issue the registration certificate. We offer it for brands that issue one (see identification certificate).
- Individual approval by the national technical service — DREAL in France, TÜV or DEKRA under § 21 StVZO in Germany, RDW individual inspection in the Netherlands, regional approval service in Belgium: the vehicle is presented, sometimes after tests in an approved laboratory, and the approval report replaces the certificate. Longer and more expensive, but unavoidable for vehicles outside European standards.
- A complete foreign registration document: if it carries fields K and D.2 in full, the COC is not necessarily required.
Before starting an individual approval, send us the VIN: we tell you for free whether a certificate or an identification certificate can be obtained, which in many cases avoids the heavy procedure.