Buy emission sticker Germany

Many German cities have environmental zones for which you require an emission sticker, Umweltplakette. If you are only driving on the motorways, you do not have to worry about this. Only when you enter a big city, will you often need an emission sticker. On this page you can read about all the emission regulations that apply in Germany and you can easily order the right sticker online.

Which emission sticker for Germany do you require?

Germany has the following three different emission stickers:

The colour of the sticker indicates how polluting a vehicle is: the green colour is the most environmentally friendly and the red the least.

Red emission sticker: In Germany, the red emission sticker applies to vehicles that do not meet the European emission standards Euro 4 or higher. This mainly includes older vehicles such as diesel vehicles produced before 2009 and petrol vehicles produced before 1993.

Yellow emission sticker: The yellow emission sticker applies to vehicles that meet European emission standards Euro 4 or lower. This mainly includes vehicles produced between 1993 and 2009.

Green emission sticker: The green emission sticker applies to vehicles that meet the European emission standards Euro 5 or higher or electrically powered vehicles. This mainly includes vehicles produced after 2009.

Validity of the emission sticker for Germany

The emission sticker for Germany is linked to your license place and has no end date. For example, you can continue to use a sticker that you bought in 2019 as long as your vehicle is on the road.

Where is the emission sticker required in Germany?

This map clearly shows in which cities in Germany an emission sticker is required:

As can be seen on the map, only the central areas of the big cities fall within the emission zone. Compare it with a city like Amsterdam The moment you enter the Ring, you are in the emission zone and different rules apply. For example, a car that runs on diesel is not allowed to enter this area.

The following image clearly shows what such an area looks like in a city like Berlin:

List of German cities with an environmental zone

Biggest cities

• Berlin
• Düsseldorf
• Hannover
• Frankfurt
• Cologne
• Aachen
• Munich
• Stuttgart
• Leipzig
• Bremen

German cities with a diesel ban

A number of German cities also have a diesel ban.

• Berlin: There is a ban on diesel vehicles up to and including Euro 5 in a number of scattered streets. These streets are marked with signs.
  
  
• Darmstadt: There is a ban for diesel vehicles up to Euro 5 and petrol vehicles up to Euro 2 on Hügelstraße and Heinrichstraße.
  
  
• Hamburg: There is a ban for diesel vehicles up to and including Euro 5 on Stresemannstraße between Kaltenkircher Platz and Neuer Kamp, and Max-Brauer-Allee in Altona between Chemnitzstraße/Gerichtstraße/Julius-Leber-Straße and Holstenstraße.

These streets are marked with signs. The ban does not apply to passenger cars on Stresemannstraße. For current information, see hamburg.de/luftreinhaltung and hamburg.de/durchfahrtsbeschraenkungen

• Munich: From 1 February 2023, diesel vehicles up to and including Euro 4 will be banned in the existing environmental zone. A tightening to Euro 5 is mainly planned in October 2023. For more information and a map of the zone, see stadt.muenchen.de/infos/umweltzone-muenchen.
  
• Stuttgart: There is a ban for diesel vehicles up to and including Euro 4 in the entire existing environmental zone, with the exception of a few roads indicated with 'Zufahrt zu ... frei'.

There is also a ban on diesel vehicles up to and including Euro 5 in a part of this zone, called the 'small environmental zone'. For more information and maps of the zones, see stuttgart.de/diesel-verkehrsverbot. It is currently being investigated whether additional measures are necessary.

Roads with an exception

• Motorways that run through emission zones are exempt from the emission sticker requirement. As a result, no emission sticker is required for a through route to Austria or Switzerland
  
• Motorcycles, three-wheeled motor vehicles, mopeds and light mopeds are also exempt from the emission sticker requirement. Quads registered as a motorcycle or moped (vehicle class L) are also exempt.
• Vehicles with a clearly visible valid European disabled parking card behind the windscreen are also exempt from the environmental sticker requirement.
• The exemption does not apply in cities where a diesel ban is in force. Whether the exemption applies in a specific city depends on local ordinances. For more information, consult the website of the relevant municipality.

When do you require an emission sticker for Germany?

You require an emission sticker when you are planning to enter a big city. Are you passing through and staying on the motorway? Then you do not need a sticker. The emission zones are always marked with signs with a green, yellow or red sticker.

Vehicles that meet the European emission standards (Euro 4 or higher for petrol vehicles, Euro 6 for diesel vehicles) receive a green sticker. Vehicles that are older or that do not meet these standards must purchase a yellow or red sticker.

Order emission sticker for Germany

You can simply order it on our website. Ordering the right emission sticker for Germany from us, has the following benefits:

• Delivered within 7 working days
• We send the sticker within 24 hours of the application
• Very cheap compared to other providers

How much costs the emission sticker Germany?

An emission sticker for Germany costs € 12.50. This includes 21% VAT and shipping costs. This makes us one of the cheapest online providers online.

Checking the emission sticker in Germany

In Germany, however, a camera system is not yet used to check whether a vehicle has the correct emission sticker.

You must therefore really be stopped by a police officer, who can then impose a fine on you. However, the German road police regularly checks this. This is especially the case with parked cars.

This is how you can buy an emission vignette for Germany!

Follow the steps below to buy the German environmental vignette online:

1. Go to the order page
2. Enter your license plate
3. Enter your registration code (is stated on your car registration document)
4. Check which sticker you require
5. The environmental vignette will be sent to your post adres.

Fine if you do not have an emission sticker

If your vehicle does not have the correct emission sticker, you may be fined when you enter an emission zone in Germany. For passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, motorcycles and mopeds, this fine is approximately €100.

Are you travelling in a German rental car? 

Cars rented in Germany have the right emission sticker. Is the car registered in another country? Then you must still provide it with the correct emission vignette when you enter an emission zone.