Type approval

COC stands for Certificate of Conformity. The document testifies that and how a particular product to recognized ( international ) standards behaves and is intended to facilitate the admission of the goods on international markets. Therefore you need it mainly engaged in import and export area as part of the customs clearance.

It affects many different departments, so drugs, instruments, vehicles and others. For instruments such as pressure gauges, for example, the Physikalisch- Technische Bundesanstalt is responsible.

In practice, you can recall when you need the COC from the manufacturer, because the institutions issuing the national operations and distribution permits, probably are the same as a rule, the exhibit for a more or less extensive test procedures, the COC and / or certified.

Manufacturers of new vehicles, which are holders of a vehicle type-approval set, acc. Article 18 of Directive 2007/46/EC each complete or incomplete vehicle in accordance with the approved type an EC certificate of conformity (English COC) for a sample of annex IX of the Directive. The certificate of conformity shall be tamper-proof. For this purpose must be used for printing paper that is protected either by colored graphics or the manufacturer's mark as a watermark. Each Member State permits provided for in Article 7 of the Directive, the approval or permit the sale or entry into service of new vehicles with regard to their construction and functioning if, and only if they are accompanied by a valid certificate of conformity. Approval is called the administrative procedure, confirmed by a Member State, that a type of vehicle, system, component or separate technical unit satisfies the relevant technical requirements. The EC type-approval shall apply to motor vehicles of categories M1, M2, M3, N1, N2, N3, N4, O1, O2, O3. The first vehicles with a full EC type-approval were those of the Mercedes Benz C-Class of 1993., The first electric vehicle with a full EU approval of category M1 were the THINK City cars.

Vehicles that are imported to Germany, whether new vehicles or used vehicles, for which no COC documents exist, must by way of issuance of an individual approval by an expert opinion in accordance with § 21 Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (used vehicles ) or § 13 EC vehicle type- approval Regulation (EC - FGV ) will be allowed for new vehicles. The charges are based on the annex to § 1 of the fee schedule for measures in road transport ( GebOSt ). Here are the fees numbers 413 and following of the Schedule of Fees for measures in road transport ( GebTSt ) apply. The range of fees, depending on the vehicle between € 43.60 and € 138.00. If for assessment in accordance with § 21 StVZO the necessary documents and evidence not submitted by the applicant, the extra time required for data retrieval or for (further) required tests in accordance with the fee number 499 can be calculated. Depending on the case and a request for an exemption may be required ( eg because of missing headlight range control ).