Environmental sticker

Free transport in the environmental zones of Germany even for foreign-registered vehicles.

Any person who wants to drive his or her foreign-registered car without restriction in Germany – even in cities that have environmental zones – must have a car with low emission of harmful substances and a particulate matter sticker.

What purpose does the environmental sticker (Feinstaubplakette) serve?

Road traffic is responsible for approximately a third of the particulate matter burden on the environment. In cities and their agglomerations and along busy roads the proportion of particulate matter emission is often well above 50%. A directive was adopted in Europe for the purpose of protecting health, which allows local governments to create environmental zones in their agglomerations. It depends on the specific local conditions if and when this is carried out.

Information

The red environmental zones were abolished throughout Germany, so the sale of environmental stickers to vehicles with a EURO I or EURO II environmental classification was terminated with immediate effect.

Which environmental sticker is given to which vehicles?

Possible traffic bans may affect passenger cars, lorries and buses. The following vehicles are exempt: motorcycles and three-wheeled motor vehicles, machines, agricultural and forestry tractors, mobile machines/devices, vintage cars, vehicles of disabled persons and vehicles that have a special permit.

There are four groups of harmful substances:

The lower the particulate matter emission, the higher the group number of harmful substances.

Vehicles classified into group 1 may not be given any sticker. Such vehicles are passenger cars with no regulated catalyst, diesel passenger cars with a EURO 1, EURO 2 or worse rating and lorries with a EURO 1, EURO 2 or worse rating. All other motor vehicles may receive an environmental sticker.

In the case of vehicles put into service abroad, the rating is performed on the basis of the European exhaust gas standard according to which the vehicle was first put into service, provided that this can be established from the documents of the car or it can be proven otherwise. If this is not possible, environmental stickers will be issued for foreign-registered cars in a simplified procedure, according to the year when the vehicle was first put into service.

Where can I buy an environmental sticker?

Environmental stickers are sold in the Budapest office of ÉMI-TÜV SÜD Kft., on behalf of TÜV SÜD Auto Service. Our clients can request an environmental sticker in person. ÉMI-TÜV will make a copy of the original document about the vehicle being put into service (certificate of motor vehicle registration) and send it to the competent organization in Germany. After the approval of TÜV SÜD Auto Service, ÉMI-TÜV will issue the sticker immediately, which can be collected in person in the Budapest office during opening hours.