EU whole-vehicle type approval
The standard route for series production. A complete vehicle type is approved once and the certificate is recognized across all EU member states, allowing unrestricted sale and registration.
Home / Type Approval
CORE CONCEPT — FULL PROCESS
How type approval
actually works
Type approval is the formal confirmation that a vehicle type — or a system, component, or separate technical unit fitted to it — complies with the applicable technical and administrative requirements before it can be placed on the market.
ROUTES TO APPROVAL
Three ways to approve a vehicle
Not every vehicle is approved the same way. The route depends on production volume and intended use.
National small series approval
Used for limited production runs that do not justify a full EU approval. Numerical limits apply per year, and validity may be restricted to the issuing member state unless mutually recognized.
Individual vehicle approval
Applied to a single, specific vehicle rather than a type — for example a one-off build, an import, or a heavily modified vehicle that falls outside series production.
WHAT GETS SUBMITTED
Documents behind the certificate
The paper trail that supports a type-approval decision.
MANUFACTURER SUBMITS
Information document
Describes the vehicle type in full technical detail, following the standardized format set out in the applicable framework regulation.
TECHNICAL SERVICE ISSUES
Test reports
Results from the required physical and administrative tests — safety, emissions, noise, and other regulated subjects — carried out on behalf of the approval authority.
APPROVAL AUTHORITY ISSUES
Certificate of conformity (COC)
Issued by the manufacturer under the authority's approval, the COC accompanies each individual vehicle produced and enables its registration.
AFTER APPROVAL
Conformity of production
Approval is not a one-time event. The manufacturer must maintain arrangements to ensure that every vehicle produced continues to match the approved type, and the approval authority may audit those arrangements at any time. Approval can be modified, suspended, or withdrawn if conformity is no longer demonstrated.