Particulate Matter Sticker/ Environmental Sticker Information
For areas with poor air quality, there are air pollution control plans. Air pollution control plans contain measures to improve air quality. Low emission zones are one possible measure of such air pollution control plans. Low emission zones reduce particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide pollution. Vehicles with high pollutant emissions are not allowed to drive in environmental zones.
If you want to drive your vehicle in such an environmental zone, you must purchase a fine dust sticker/environmental sticker. The sticker is available in three different colours, each of which is assigned to a pollutant group. The classification of your vehicle into one of the pollutant groups is based on the emission code numbers. These can be found in the vehicle documents.
Note: The environmental zones are indicated by a separate traffic sign. The additional sign indicates the colours of the stickers with which vehicles can travel freely in the specific environmental zone.
Process flow
Some urban and rural districts provide online services. You can use them to order an environmental sticker. You pay by direct debit, bank transfer or credit card. The badge will be sent to you by post. The exact regulations can be found on the website.
Competent authority
The responsibility lies with the licensing authorities of the districts and independent cities.
Requirements
To obtain an environmental sticker, your vehicle must meet the criteria of pollutant groups 2, 3 or 4.
You cannot obtain a sticker for vehicles in pollutant group 1. These are:
- petrol engine without regulated catalytic converter and
- older diesel vehicles with Euro 1 emission standard or worse.
Which documents are required?
Vehicle registration document (for older vehicles) or registration certificate Part I (for newer vehicles)
What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?
none
Processing duration
none
In most cases, you will receive the badge immediately.
Legal basis
§§ 40 et seq. of the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG)
Section 40 (1) of the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) (traffic restrictions)
Appeal
It is pure information. No objection or legal proceedings can be initiated against them.
What else should I know?
If you are planning to drive into an environmental zone, try to buy a fine dust sticker/environmental sticker as early as possible. If there are delays and you do not have a fine dust sticker/environmental sticker, you are not allowed to drive into the environmental zone.
An overview of environmental zones throughout Germany can be found at the Federal Environment Agency (https://gis.uba.de/website/umweltzonen/index.php ).
For certain journeys, you can obtain an exemption from the traffic restrictions in environmental zones.
Technically approved by
Lower Saxony Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour, Transport and Digitalisation
Professionally released on
25.11.2020
Author
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
