FAQ: Environmental Sticker

Local authorities and cities impose traffic restrictions to improve air quality in areas particularly vulnerable to particulate matter, such as city centres, certain main roads or transport hubs.

All vehicles with a sticker on their windscreen are permitted to enter the low-emission zone. This sticker corresponds to the vehicle’s emissions standard. There are a few general rules: cars with petrol engines and a regulated catalytic converter are usually issued with green stickers. Diesel vehicles must meet at least the Euro 2 emissions standard to receive a red sticker. You will receive a yellow sticker for Euro 3 and a green one for Euro 4.

You can find further information on the environmental sticker and the low emission zones here.

If you are caught driving in the low-emission zone without the correct sticker, you will be liable for a fine of €80. Since 1 May 2014, this offence no longer results in points being added to your driving record in Flensburg.

Yes, for the low-emission zones currently being planned; however, there could also be temporary low-emission zones.

Low-emission zones are areas within towns and cities where traffic restrictions apply due to high levels of particulate matter. In these low-emission zones, you may only drive a car that has an emissions sticker. Low-emission zones are established in areas where the limit value for particulate matter was exceeded more than 35 times last year. The aim of low-emission zones is to reduce particulate matter levels below the limit values.

Areas with particularly high levels of particulate matter must be designated as ‘low-emission zones’ by means of an appropriate traffic sign. The stickers shown indicate which vehicles are permitted to enter. The low-emission zone is indicated by sign 270.2.

Natural sources of particulate matter include, for example, Saharan dust, microorganisms and their fragments, pollen, forest fires, volcanic eruptions and similar phenomena. However, a significant proportion is caused by human activity: industry, private households, road traffic and power stations are just some of the sources of particulate matter.

Natural sources of particulate matter include, for example, Saharan dust, microorganisms and their fragments, pollen, forest fires, volcanic eruptions and similar phenomena. However, a significant proportion is caused by human activity: industry, private households, road traffic and power stations are just some of the sources of particulate matter.

With the introduction of low-emission zones, many car owners are wondering: Which sticker does my car need? Depending on their emission class, vehicles are issued with either a red, yellow or green sticker. The relevant sticker is determined by the emission code number. This is recorded in your vehicle documents. Diesel vehicles fitted with a retrofitted particulate filter receive a certificate. You can find further information on the sticker colours here.

TÜV NORD Mobilität offers a free and very useful service for all car owners: with just a few entries, our emissions sticker calculator determines your sticker colour.

You can, for example, order the environmental stickers conveniently online. Simply fill in the order form and purchase the environmental sticker online. Alternatively, you can visit your nearest TÜV-NORD branch.

At TÜV NORD centres, an emissions sticker costs just €6 (for vehicles with German number plates); for vehicles with foreign number plates, we may charge an additional fee to cover any necessary research. If you order the environmental sticker online, we will post it to you and charge €14.90 (including postage and handling), or €19.90 for vehicles not registered in Germany.

The stickers are valid nationwide in all low-emission zones. You can find the planned low-emission zones here.

The sticker is valid indefinitely. However, you will need a new sticker if you re-register your vehicle and the registration number changes, as the number on the sticker must match the registration number.

The emissions sticker must be displayed in a clearly visible position inside the vehicle. We recommend placing it in the lower part of the windscreen on the passenger side.

The stickers are used to identify vehicles that are permitted to enter the low-emission zones.

If the text on the emissions sticker is no longer legible, it must be replaced. The sticker is invalid if it cannot be clearly read. This can usually result in warnings or fines.

• Emissions category 1: No sticker (worst emissions category)
• Emissions group 2: Red sticker
• Emissions group 3: Yellow sticker
• Emissions group 4: Green sticker (best possible sticker)

“XY-OM 531” is a fictitious registration number. It is intended to illustrate that the vehicle’s registration number must be entered in the white box on the particulate matter sticker. Without this entry, the sticker is invalid. The sticker is only valid for the vehicle bearing the same registration number as that stated on the sticker. The entry is made by the garage or the registration office. The sticker will not be issued without this entry.

The vehicle registration document is sufficient. You do not need to present the car itself. This means you can easily order the sticker online.

Vehicles without internal combustion engines (e.g. electric motors, fuel cells) fall into pollution group 4 (green). They too require a sticker to be allowed to enter an environmental zone.

No, only four-wheeled vehicles require a sticker.

It depends on how they have been registered. Most quads and trikes are classified as ‘motorcycles’ and are therefore exempt from the regulation. They are still free to drive. The same applies to vehicles registered as agricultural or forestry tractors. However, quads and trikes registered as passenger cars are affected by the regulation.

Upgrading from Euro 1 to Euro 2 halves the tax. Retrofitting is therefore well worth considering.

The driving ban in the low-emission zone generally applies to petrol cars without a regulated catalytic converter or older diesel cars.

Changing your vehicle or retrofitting it can certainly be worthwhile. Today, there are even used cars with petrol engines and regulated catalytic converters that emit very little nitrogen oxide and almost no particulate matter. Furthermore, many older diesel vehicles that meet the Euro 1 emissions standard can be upgraded to the Euro 2 standard. This not only entitles you to the red sticker for driving in the low-emission zone. Depending on the engine capacity, the road tax is also reduced by €100 or more per year.
Another alternative is public transport. You must decide for yourself whether the costs are reasonable, as ultimately it is also a political issue.

1. Mopeds, light motorcycles, motorcycles, scooters and three-wheeled motor vehicles,
2. agricultural and forestry tractors,
3. mobile machinery and equipment,
4. work machines,
5. Ambulances, doctors’ cars bearing the appropriate ‘Doctor – Emergency Call-out’ marking
6. Motor vehicles for persons with severe disabilities who have the ‘aG’, ‘H’ or ‘Bl’ designation on their disability card.
7. Classic cars with an H licence plate or a red “07 number”

Driving without a sticker or a special permit is an administrative offence. This carries a fine of €80. Since 1 May 2014, no points have been added to the Flensburg register for this offence.

Passenger cars fitted with a first-generation catalytic converter (Annex XXIII of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations) with emission code numbers 01, 02 and 77 (retrofitted) are also issued with a green sticker.

Classic cars are permitted to drive in the low-emission zone even without a sticker or a special permit. 

No, you will still be able to enter Germany without a sticker in future. The only restriction is that you will not be allowed to enter the low-emission zones.

You can easily order the environmental stickers online. Simply fill in the order form in either German or English.

Yes, the road signs marking the entrance to a low-emission zone are part of the general road signs that apply to everyone. This means that foreign nationals must also comply with these rules when driving their vehicles.

Vehicles registered abroad also require an emissions sticker. The classification of foreign vehicles into emissions categories, and thus their allocation to a specific sticker, is governed by the Vehicle Registration Regulations. Otherwise, the allocation is based on the year of the vehicle’s first registration.