Special cases
My vehicle is over ten years old: can I still get a certificate of conformity?
Often yes, but without guarantee. Article 36 of Regulation (EU) 2018/858 only obliges the manufacturer to issue a duplicate for ten years after manufacture. Beyond that, many still do, others have archived or lost the data. We check availability before charging you and refund in full if the document cannot be obtained.
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The European regulation requires the manufacturer to keep conformity data and supply a duplicate to the owner for ten years from the date of manufacture. After that, issuing depends on its internal policy:
- the large German and French groups generally hold digital archives and respond for much older vehicles, sometimes with a longer lead time;
- some brands apply the limit strictly and refuse any request beyond it;
- defunct or acquired brands depend on whoever took over the archives.
Our VIN check warns you when the probable model year exceeds ten years. If you order, we first query the manufacturer on availability; if it refuses, you are refunded in full.
If no duplicate is possible, two solutions remain: the manufacturer’s identification certificate, issued by the manufacturer or its representative and sufficient for authorities when the vehicle matches an older national or EU approval, or an individual approval by the national technical service (DREAL in France, TÜV/DEKRA under § 21 StVZO in Germany, RDW individual inspection in the Netherlands).