Procedure descriptions

Apply for a licence to operate individual vehicles

The type-approval certificate, together with the registration number, forms part of the registration process for motor vehicles on public roads. A type-approval certificate confirms that your vehicle complies with the relevant regulations.

For type-approved vehicles, it is issued by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) or equivalent bodies in other European Union countries. For vehicles without type approval, it is granted by the registration authority as an individual approval.

You will need a general operating licence if you wish to manufacture vehicles in series. In this case, the operating licence will be granted to you on a general basis following a test carried out at your own expense.

You require an individual operating licence (EBE) if

  • you manufacture a vehicle individually or in small-batch production,
  • the vehicle is of your own design
  • you have imported it from abroad without EC type-approval, or
  • it is a vehicle that has already been taken off the road, was deregistered 7 or more years ago, is to be re-registered and you cannot provide proof of a type-approval.

The individual operating licence is issued by the locally competent registration authority for a single vehicle and is valid only for that vehicle.

Upon application, the competent registration authority grants

  • an individual authorisation for new vehicles on the basis of a report by one or more officially recognised experts from a technical inspection centre or a technical service recognised for testing the relevant vehicle class.
  • for all other vehicles, a roadworthiness certificate based on an expert report from one or more officially recognised experts or a technical service.

To register new or used vehicles for which you do not hold an EC type-approval including a Certificate of Conformity (CoC), you must apply for a roadworthiness certificate based on an expert report from one or more officially recognised experts or a technical service. This also applies if, as a result of modifications to the vehicle – for example, the fitting of a gas system or changes to the chassis – you have received an expert report from an officially recognised expert or a technical service, as in this case too the roadworthiness certificate for your vehicle has expired and must therefore be reissued.

Unless it is expressly limited in time or revoked, the roadworthiness certificate remains valid until the vehicle is permanently taken off the road. The roadworthiness certificate expires if

  • you have made modifications to the vehicle that result in
    • the vehicle type is altered,
    • technical defects are likely to endanger road users, or
  • the exhaust emissions or noise levels deteriorate.
  • a component is subject to a fitting approval requirement, but you have failed to comply with this.
  • you have failed to comply with installation regulations, restrictions or conditions relating to technical modifications.

If you drive without a valid type-approval certificate, or with one that has expired, you are committing an administrative offence. The registration authority may then prohibit you from continuing to use the vehicle and de-register the number plate.

You must carry the type-approval certificate with you if modifications have been made that are not listed in the vehicle registration document.

Responsible authority

The registration authority in your district or independent city is responsible for issuing an operating licence.

Local jurisdiction is determined

  • in the case of natural persons, on the place of residence (principal residence) of the vehicle owner
  • in the case of legal entities (companies), by the registered office of the head office or branch
    • this also applies to partnerships entered in the commercial register (for example, OHG and KG) or registered traders
Landratsamt Ortenaukreis

Details

Prerequisite

You require an individual authorisation under Section 13 of the EC Motor Vehicle Regulation for

  • new vehicles for which no Certificate of Conformity (CoC) is available and which belong to one of the following vehicle classes:
    • M (passenger cars, motorhomes, buses)
    • N (vans, lorries, articulated lorry tractors)
    • O (trailers)

You will need a type-approval certificate for all other new or used vehicles for which no Certificate of Conformity (CoC) is available, for example:

  • vehicles of your own design,
  • vehicles imported from a country outside the European Economic Area
  • vehicles without EC type-approval
  • vehicles whose registration has expired
    • vehicles that have been de-registered for more than 7 years
    • Vehicles to which modifications have been made through installations or conversions

Procedure

  • You must apply for a report from an officially recognised expert or a technical service designated to inspect complete vehicles of the relevant vehicle class
  • You must submit the expert report, together with the other documents, to your local registration authority.
  • The local registration office will issue or amend Part II (Vehicle Registration Certificate) and Part I (Vehicle Registration Document) of the registration certificate, or will affix a stamp to the expert report to confirm that individual approval or general type-approval has been granted

Deadlines

None

Required documents

Granting of an individual authorisation

  • An expert report from an officially recognised expert or a technical service authorised to inspect complete vehicles of the relevant vehicle class.
  • The applicant’s identity card or passport. The applicant and the future owner of the vehicle do not necessarily have to be the same person.
  • For legal entities (companies): a copy of the extract from the commercial register
  • where applicable, proof of authorisation to dispose of the vehicle

Granting of a type-approval

  • Report by an officially recognised expert or a technical service designated to inspect complete vehicles of the relevant vehicle class.
  • If already available, the Certificate of Registration Part I or the vehicle registration document, including equivalent foreign documents
  • Identity card or passport of the applicant. The applicant and the future owner of the vehicle do not necessarily have to be the same person.
  • In the case of legal entities (companies): a copy of the extract from the commercial register
  • Where applicable, proof of authorisation to act on behalf of the company

Costs

The fees are set in accordance with the Schedule of Fees for Road Traffic Measures (GebOSt).

Processing time

These are individual authorisations. It is therefore not possible to specify the processing time precisely.

Miscellaneous

Driving without a valid roadworthiness certificate, or with one that has expired, constitutes an administrative offence. Furthermore, the registration authority may prohibit the vehicle from being driven and cancel the registration number. In addition, if a roadworthiness certificate or individual authorisation has not been granted, third-party liability insurance cover may lapse.

The roadworthiness certificate under Section 21 of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO) is valid only in Germany. The registration certificate, Part I (formerly: vehicle registration document), serves as proof of a vehicle’s roadworthiness.

As a driver, you must carry this with you. You must also carry the relevant documents for parts fitted to or attached to the vehicle, either as originals or copies, for example

  • the relevant type-approval certificate,
  • type-approval,
  • approval granted under the type-approval or an amendment thereto
  • an extract from this authorisation or approval

If the modification is approved on the basis of

  • an authorisation,
  • an authorisation or
  • a component certificate,

the modifications do not need to be entered in Part I of the registration certificate. In such cases, you must carry appropriate evidence confirming that the parts have been fitted or installed correctly, together with the conditions that must be observed. If the modifications carried out have been entered in the Registration Certificate Part I (vehicle registration document), there is no obligation to carry the documents and evidence described above.

Legal basis

Verordnung über die EG-Genehmigung für Kraftfahrzeuge und ihre Anhänger sowie für Systeme, Bauteile und selbständige technische Einheiten für diese Fahrzeuge (EG-Fahrzeuggenehmigungsvoraussetzung - EG-FGV):

  • § 13 Einzelgenehmigung für Fahrzeuge

Straßenverkehrs-Zulassungs-Ordnung (StVZO):

  • § 19 Erteilung und Wirksamkeit der Betriebserlaubnis
  • § 21 Betriebserlaubnis für Einzelfahrzeuge

Release note

Machine generated, based on the German release by: Verkehrsministerium Baden-Württemberg, 23.07.2026