Genehmigung der Bauart von Fahrzeugteilen beantragen

Devices used on vehicles, such as headlights and other lights, brakes, pneumatic tires, seat belts and other restraint systems, windows, brakes, warning triangles, warning devices, devices for connecting vehicles and lights for securing protruding loads, may only be used on or in vehicles on public roads if they are of an officially approved design.

The vehicle part may only be used if a general design approval or a design approval in individual cases has been granted by the competent authority for the design of its type. The type approval also covers the offering for sale, sale, purchase and use of the approved items for both vehicles subject to registration and vehicles not subject to registration, as well as for non-motorized transport vehicles.

In the case of an application for a general type approval, the type designation of the vehicle part must be stated in the application to the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Motor Transport Authority) and samples and documents relating to the vehicle part must be enclosed in the application to be sent to the test center. Further details on the samples and documents to be submitted can be found in Annex 1 of the Vehicle Parts Regulation.

In the case of an application for a type approval in an individual case, the expert opinion of an officially recognized expert for motor vehicle traffic or of the test center must be submitted with the application to the approval authority.

Test centers are

• one of the test centers specified in Annex 2 of the Vehicle Parts Ordinance which is responsible for testing certain vehicle parts,
• the Technical Inspection Agency of the former German Democratic Republic in Dresden
• a recognized technical service.

The applicant intends to use vehicle parts on the vehicle that are not subject to the type approval requirement according to § 22a of the German Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (Straßenverkehrs-Zulassungs-Ordnung) and for which no general type approval or individual type approval has been available to date.

The issuance of type approvals for vehicle parts is subject to a fee. The fees and expenses are set by the competent authority in accordance with the Fee Regulations for Road Traffic Measures (GebOSt). The fee rates are calculated in such a way that there is a reasonable relationship between the amount of the fee, which takes into account the administrative expense, on the one hand, and the significance, economic value or other benefit of the official act for the party liable for the costs, on the other hand, and can vary depending on the individual case. The authority responsible for you will be happy to provide you with information on this.

The administrative procedure is governed by the Vehicle Parts Ordinance and the associated guidelines. Applications for the granting of a general type approval for vehicle parts to be manufactured or produced in series must be submitted in writing or electronically to the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Motor Transport Authority), stating the type designation. The application must be accompanied by the expert opinion of the test center that was previously responsible for testing the type of part. In its expert opinion, the test center checks whether the vehicle parts meet the requirements that must be met in order to comply with the regulations on the construction and operation of vehicles and vehicle parts.

If the vehicle part intended for use does not belong to an approved type, an individual approval can be applied for at the responsible approval authority by submitting the expert opinion of an officially recognized expert for motor vehicle traffic or the above-mentioned test center. In the event of a positive examination, the approval authority shall issue the individual approval by noting on the report of the officially recognized expert for motor vehicle traffic or the test center, stating the place and date: "Individual approval issued". Any restrictions or exceptions to the provisions of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations shall be included in the endorsement. If the vehicle part is used on a motor vehicle or motor vehicle trailer, the individual approval must be entered in the registration certificates and identified in any trailer directories issued.

The timing of the processing of the application for a design approval depends on the circumstances of each individual case (duration of the investigation, business load of the authorities concerned, cooperation of the applicant) and is not amenable to a general-abstract clarification.

There are no deadlines to be observed.

Vehicle parts which must be of an officially approved design may only be offered for sale, sold, purchased or used within the scope of this Ordinance if they are marked with an officially prescribed and issued test mark. It is an administrative offense to intentionally or negligently offer for sale vehicle parts that must be of a type approved by the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Motor Transport Authority), even though they are not marked with an officially prescribed and assigned test mark. In the event of a vehicle inspection, the test mark assigned by the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Motor Transport Authority) must be ascertainable as far as possible. The test mark consists of a wavy line of three periods, one or two identification letters designating the type of vehicle parts, a number and, if necessary, additional characters. Samples of test marks are given in Annex 3 of the Vehicle Parts Regulation.

Devices on vehicles may only be used on or in vehicles on public roads if they are of an officially approved design.

In Germany, the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Motor Transport Authority) is responsible for granting general type approval.

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the district councils, (senior) mayors of the independent towns and cities and of the large towns and cities in the district are responsible for issuing type approval in individual cases. The local authority responsible is the authority of the place of residence, or in the case of several residences, the place of the main residence, or in the absence of such, the place of residence of the applicant or the person concerned. Jurisdiction is based on the place of residence of the vehicle owner (main residence according to the identity card).