Importing a car from Austria: registration, COC and paperwork

The documents to gather

From the seller, you should leave with the Zulassungsschein (registration certificate) and, above all, the Typenschein or its electronic successor, the Genehmigungsdatenauszug, together with a sales contract or invoice quoting the chassis number.

For the registration file itself, three items come up every time: the registration document of the country of origin, the certificate of conformity and the tax clearance. A roadworthiness test is added depending on the age of the vehicle and the rules of your country of registration.

The exact list depends on the authority that will process your file.

The certificate of conformity: why it is often missing

Austria is the most interesting case on this list. It has a national document, the Typenschein — replaced on recent vehicles by an electronic extract of approval data — which describes the technical characteristics of the vehicle and serves as the reference for Austrian registration.

Locally, that document fills a role close to that of the certificate of conformity. The result: an Austrian buyer has almost never needed the European COC, and the seller will hand you the Typenschein believing he is giving you the equivalent. He is not: the Typenschein is an Austrian document, not a manufacturer’s document valid throughout the Union.

The good news is that the Austrian fleet is largely made up of Volkswagen Group vehicles and German premium brands, for which type-approval records are well kept and the request channel is well established.

Step by step

1. 1

   The purchase

   Collect the complete Austrian documents and note the chassis number, 17 characters.

2. 2

   The certificate of conformity

   Start the request at signing: it is the longest step, because it depends on the manufacturer.

3. 3

   Tax clearance

   Handled in parallel with the tax authority of your country of registration.

4. 4

   Roadworthiness test

   Required depending on the age of the vehicle and the rules that apply where you register it.

5. 5

   The registration application

   It brings all the documents together. A single missing item blocks the file.

The only turnaround we state is the manufacturer’s, brand by brand: the administrative steps depend on the authority concerned.

The cost of the COC by brand

The brands most represented among imports from Austria:

Indicative prices including VAT, confirmed once the chassis number has been checked. Full list: price by brand. Turnarounds: turnaround guide. What the eCOC changes in 2026: our eCOC guide.