Why an individual inspection is required
Vehicles produced for the German market carry EU type approval — each individual car inherits that approval automatically. Non-EU vehicles have no such approval. The Vollabnahme § 21 bridges that gap: the inspector examines your specific car against the Datenblatt and confirms that it meets German requirements.
What gets checked — system by system
Lighting The most common obstacle for non-EU imports — for two quite different reasons. Cars from left-hand-traffic countries (Japan, UK, Australia) have an asymmetric beam aimed at the left verge; in Germany, where traffic drives on the right, they dazzle oncoming drivers. Cars built to the US standard fail on something else: red rear turn signals are not permitted here (indicators must be amber), there is no rear fog lamp, and the lamps carry no E mark. Either way the fix is the same — replace the light units, €200–1,500 depending on make. Cars from right-hand-traffic countries with ECE lamps (Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey) usually pass on lighting unchanged.
Exhaust and emissions CO, HC and NOx are measured by an exhaust analyser. Vehicles built after 2000 also require an OBD diagnostic scan (error memory readout). US-spec vehicles (EPA standard) do not automatically meet Euro emission norms — retrofitting may be required.
Braking system Brake testing on a dynamometer for both axles: braking force, distribution, and condition of discs, pads and lines. Minimum requirements per § 41 StVZO must be met.
Steering Steering play, condition of tie rods and ball joints. ⚠️ A widespread myth: right-hand-drive cars can be registered in Germany. § 38 StVZO does not prescribe which side the steering is on, and in 2014 the Court of Justice of the EU held that a right-hand-traffic member state may not make registration conditional on moving the steering. What must be met are the other rules — above all lighting and visibility. That, not the steering, is what makes the import expensive.
Passive safety Airbags, seat belts with pretensioners, anchorage points. Retrofitted or deactivated airbag systems receive close scrutiny.
VIN verification The VIN on the vehicle must match the VIN in all documents. A tampered or illegible VIN results in immediate termination of the inspection.
Preparing your car for the inspection
- Wash the car — the body and VIN must be clearly visible
- Check all exterior lighting: headlights, indicators, brake lights, reversing lights
- Check tyre pressures (target values in the Datenblatt)
- Bring all documents: Datenblatt, Zoll-Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung, foreign vehicle title
- Keep the tank at least half full — exhaust testing requires a warm engine
After a successful Vollabnahme
You receive the Einzelgenehmigung — the individual approval document for your specific car. This goes to the Zulassungsstelle. Your vehicle is now technically cleared for German roads. All that remains is insurance.