What exactly is an eCOC?

A definition in three parts

The word eCOC covers three things at once, and that is what makes the notion slippery.

• A format. An XML file structured according to the IVI format (Individual Vehicle Information), defined at European level. Not a PDF, not a photograph: machine-readable data.
• A guarantee of origin. The file is electronically sealed within the meaning of the eIDAS Regulation. The seal proves it genuinely comes from the manufacturer and has not been altered since.
• A channel. The file is made available to the approval authorities by the manufacturer. This is the most important point, and the most misunderstood: the eCOC is an exchange between the manufacturer and the administration.

Why you cannot order one

Three reasons stack up, and any one of them is enough for the answer to be no.

1. 1

   It does not exist for your vehicle

   If your vehicle was produced before 5 July 2026, no eCOC was ever generated for it. There is nothing to retrieve.

2. 2

   The owner’s right is to paper

   Article 36 of Regulation (EU) 2018/858 provides that the duplicate owed to the owner is supplied in paper format, and for ten years after manufacture.

3. 3

   The electronic channel is not open to you

   Article 37 reserves access to approval authorities, market surveillance authorities, Member State registration authorities and the Commission.

What “fully digital” legitimately means

A provider can perfectly well deliver your certificate of conformity as a digital copy by e-mail rather than waiting for the post. That is a genuine saving of a few days, and it is what we do by default.

What nobody can do is sell you the regulatory eCOC for a vehicle that does not have one. The distinction may look subtle; it is in fact the difference between a real service and an empty promise.

← Back to the eCOC 2026 guide