You are importing a car from Germany, you have the contract, translations and a full set of plates, and the clerk sends you back for a document the seller never mentioned. A certificate of conformity, also called a CoC (Certificate of Conformity), decides whether you register the vehicle straight away or face a detour via inspection stations. This article explains what the document confirms, when the registration office actually requires it, and where to get a duplicate.
What is a certificate of conformity and what exactly does it confirm?
A certificate of conformity is the manufacturer’s statement that a specific vehicle with a given VIN is in conformity with a previously approved European type. It says only that at the moment it left the factory it met the European Union legal requirements applicable to its type: requirements on safety, health protection, noise, exhaust emissions and equipment. It says nothing about the car’s technical condition today.
Everything rests on the 17-character body number. That number ties the paper to one car and indicates which variant and version of the approved type is concerned. Two cars of the same model and year may have different masses, axle loads and emission levels if they differ in engine or equipment. The certificate settles those differences at vehicle level, which is why the office treats it as a source of data, not as an inspection certificate.
Why is a CoC not a CE declaration of conformity?
A motoring certificate of conformity is a vehicle-specific document tied to a VIN, while an industrial CE declaration of conformity covers a whole type of series-produced product. Both documents speak of conformity, which is where the mix-up comes from, but they concern two different things.
| EC certificate of conformity (CoC) | CE declaration of conformity | |
|---|---|---|
| What does it cover? | one vehicle, identified by VIN | a whole type of series-produced product |
| Legal basis | type-approval regulations (EU) 2018/858 and 168/2013 | New Approach directives, including machinery and low voltage |
| Who issues it? | the vehicle manufacturer, on the basis of prior type-approval | the manufacturer or its authorised representative in the European Union |
| Notified body | does not take part; tests are carried out by a technical service, type-approval is issued by a national authority | takes part in conformity assessment of high-risk products |
| Visible result | technical data entered in the registration certificate | CE marking on the product |
| Who is it shown to? | the vehicle registration authority | market surveillance authorities, in Poland including the Trade Inspection |
A passenger car does not carry the CE mark and does not have to. Motor vehicles are excluded from the machinery directive, and the requirements that in other industries come from New Approach directives are, in motoring, contained in a much more detailed type-approval regime. A seller who cites a CE certificate for a car is either using a shorthand or does not know what they are talking about.
Regulation 2018/858, 168/2013 and the move to e-CoC
The basis for issuing certificates of conformity for passenger cars, vans, trucks and trailers is Regulation (EU) 2018/858, and for motorcycles, mopeds and quadricycles — Regulation (EU) No 168/2013. Before the manufacturer issues the first certificate, the vehicle type undergoes tests at an accredited technical service, and the type-approval authority designated by the Member State issues a type-approval certificate. In Poland that is done by the Director of the Transport Technical Supervision. Certificates of conformity for individual vehicles come only after that.
From 29 November 2026 the manufacturer will be required to make the certificate available as structured data: an XML file in the IVI schema, secured with an advanced or qualified electronic signature or seal and transmitted via the national access point to the EUCARIS system, which is used for data exchange between Member State authorities. The move to e-CoC was initially planned for 5 July 2026, but the European Commission’s working group on motor vehicles agreed on 6 May 2026 that in countries that had not finished the infrastructure, paper certificates and signed e-CoC printouts remain in use until 29 November 2026, and from that date the electronic format applies to all new category M, N and O vehicles.
Openness of the data is a separate matter. Article 12(2) of Regulation 2018/858 requires Member States, also from 5 July 2026, to make publicly available in a secure exchange system two sets: the full certificate searchable by VIN, and information from certificates stripped of VINs.
Check our accreditation yourself
The Polish Centre for Accreditation provides a search engine of accredited bodies — enter number AB 1607 or the name CARTEST and you will see the current accreditation status and a document with the full scope of tests we may perform.
When will the registration office actually ask for a CoC?
A certificate of conformity is required for first registration of a brand-new vehicle and when the foreign registration certificate of a used car does not contain a complete set of type-approval data. In other cases the office can manage without it.
For a new car that has never been registered there is no document from which the technical parameters could be copied. The certificate of conformity is their only source and at the same time exempts the vehicle from a technical inspection before first registration (Article 81(4) of the Road Traffic Act).
European type-approval versus national approval
European type-approval is valid in all European Union countries, while national type-approval remains valid only on the territory of the country that issued it. For a buyer this is one of the costliest import traps. A car with individual approval issued in Germany or the Netherlands does not automatically confer a right to register in Poland. The office may refuse, and the owner must go through recognition of that approval by the Director of TDT or obtain individual approval in the country, which involves extra tests, fees and sometimes weeks of delay for a vehicle that cannot be brought into conformity without conversion.
Bodywork, motorhomes and multi-stage vehicles
A multi-stage vehicle needs documents from every production stage or a final certificate covering the completed vehicle. The base manufacturer issues a certificate for a complete or incomplete vehicle. In the latter case that may be, for example, a chassis with cab, and the company doing the bodywork is responsible for the second stage and confirms that the finished motorhome, reefer, tipper or car transporter is in conformity with type-approval.
For vehicles built in stages by different parties, a missing document from the last stage is a frequent cause of registration trouble. Bodywork changes kerb mass, axle-load distribution and the number of seats, so the chassis manufacturer’s data no longer match reality.
What does a certificate of conformity contain?
A valid certificate of conformity gives specific numerical values of technical parameters, without ranges, and is signed by a person authorised by the manufacturer. The standard data set includes:
- vehicle identification: make, type, variant, version and VIN,
- the manufacturer’s name and address and the type-approval certificate number,
- masses: kerb mass, technically permissible maximum mass and technically permissible axle loads,
- external dimensions and the number of seating positions,
- engine data: capacity, power and fuel type,
- exhaust emission level with the assigned Euro standard,
- fuel or energy consumption and noise level.
The values must be single figures, because the clerk copies them straight into the registration certificate. Ranges such as “from 1,450 to 1,620 kg” disqualify the document.
Who endorses the document also matters. The manufacturer must give the type-approval authority a list of persons authorised to issue certificates, so that the signature of the person named on the document can be verified at source. This is not office paperwork: the manufacturer is legally responsible for the vehicle’s conformity with the type and is the one who accounts for discrepancies.
How much does a certificate of conformity cost and how long does it take?
The original CoC for a new vehicle is issued by the manufacturer free of charge, while a duplicate for a used car is a paid commercial service at the tariff of the specific brand. There is no official rate, because the document is not issued by an authority.
The price depends on the manufacturer, the brand and the market the car comes from. Volkswagen Group Polska publishes a rate of PLN 390 gross for a certificate for a vehicle from the Polish market and PLN 780 for Volkswagen and Audi from foreign markets, and Honda Polska quotes EUR 175 for a duplicate. Those are prices from 2026 price lists, given as an example, not a rule: each importer sets its own tariff and changes it independently of the others.
The cost falls on the current owner, even if the document was already lost by the previous one. Waiting time also depends on the brand: for popular models from the European market a duplicate arrives in a few working days, while for older vehicles or brands with a small network in Poland the importer must apply to the manufacturer’s headquarters and the lead time is measured in weeks.
How to order a CoC duplicate step by step
A certificate of conformity is ordered only from the manufacturer or the brand’s official importer, on the basis of the VIN and a document confirming the right to the vehicle. No office or inspection station will issue such a document.
- Copy the VIN as text from the nameplate or the registration certificate.
- Prepare proof of ownership: an invoice, a purchase contract or a foreign registration certificate in your name. Verification of title to the vehicle is the importer’s responsibility; they do not issue technical documentation to random persons.
- Choose the ordering channel appropriate to the brand: a type-approval portal with a form, an e-mail address of the importer’s type-approval department, or an application via an authorised service station.
- Indicate the language of the document if the manufacturer offers a choice. Formally it does not matter for registration: the regulation on registration and marking of vehicles expressly exempts the certificate of conformity from the sworn-translation requirement.
- Pay for the order according to the brand’s price list. Fulfilment usually starts from the booking of the payment, not from submission of the application.
Two limitations are worth knowing in advance. Vehicles placed on the market before 1995 usually fall outside the automatic procedure and require an enquiry to headquarters in the country of origin. Cars never covered by European type-approval, for example in US specification, will not get a certificate at all: there is no type to which they could be related.
The cheapest moment to check these things is before purchase. Establishing whether the vehicle has European or only national type-approval, whether the EC certificate of conformity matches the nameplate, and whether for bodywork there is a document from the last stage, costs a fraction of later tests and appeals.