Vehicle imported from outside the EU: the certificate does not exist

The principle: no European approval, no certificate

The certificate of conformity states that a vehicle corresponds to a type approved in the European Union. If that type was never approved in the Union for this particular vehicle, there is nothing to certify — and therefore nothing to issue.

That is the case for vehicles sold new in the United States, Japan, Switzerland or, since Brexit, the United Kingdom. The model may well exist in Europe: it makes no difference. What counts is the individual vehicle, identified by its chassis number, and the market it was built for.

An important consequence: no provider, whoever they are, can obtain a European certificate of conformity for these vehicles. If a website offers you one, be wary.

The four most frequent origins

• United States. Lighting, indicators, emissions and instrumentation differ from European versions. Common on Porsche, Jeep, Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette, and some BMW and Mercedes models.
• Japan. Japanese domestic-market versions are numerous in Europe on Subaru, Nissan, Mazda and Lexus, imported outside the official network.
• Switzerland. Not a member of the Union; vehicles there are often built to European standards, but their status must be checked case by case.
• United Kingdom. Since 1 January 2021 it is a third country. A vehicle first registered in the UK after that date is a non-EU import, with separate customs formalities.

Individual vehicle approval, in one sentence

Where a vehicle is not covered by European type approval, the law provides an individual route: the competent authority examines the vehicle itself and rules on its conformity with the applicable requirements, one vehicle at a time.

It is an authority procedure, not a document ordered from a manufacturer. It falls outside our service and we cannot carry it out on your behalf. Its steps, its documents and its cost depend on the country of registration: contact the competent authority there.

We deliberately stop at the principle here: an accurate general statement is worth more than a procedural detail that would vary from one country to the next.

How to check before buying

The chassis number carries the manufacturer identifier and an indication of the destination market. It is enough to establish, in seconds, whether the vehicle was delivered new in the Union.

That is the check we run systematically and free of charge before opening a file. If the vehicle originates outside the Union we tell you and we do not open a file: it saves you weeks of waiting for a refusal.

The brands most often affected:

These prices apply to vehicles approved in the Union. A vehicle of American or Japanese origin does not fall within this list: there is no document to obtain.