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The CoC: what it is and when you need it

The CoC (Certificate of Conformity; in German EG-Übereinstimmungsbescheinigung) is the manufacturer's certificate that a car matches its approved EU type, with the car's technical data. In Serbia it is called potvrda o saobraznosti, in BiH izjava o usklađenosti. Neither Serbia nor BiH requires it in every case, but it makes the check of an imported car simpler and in BiH cheaper, so ask for it before you pay.

What is on a CoC

The CoC lists the car's technical data: the VIN, the type, variant and version, the masses, the dimensions, the tyres, the engine, the consumption, the CO₂ emissions, the Euro emission class and the number of the EU type approval. That is more than the two German registration documents (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II) show, which is why testing bodies use it to confirm what the car is.

Which cars have one

Every car built to an EU whole-vehicle type approval. For passenger cars that approval was optional from 1993, compulsory for new types from 1996, and from 1 January 1998 every new car needed a valid CoC to be registered in the EU (Directive 92/53/EEC).

The manufacturer issues the paper CoC free of charge with the new car (Regulation (EU) 2018/858, article 36; before September 2020, Directive 2007/46/EC). A car built only for another market, such as the USA, has no EU type approval and so no CoC.

If the CoC is missing

Only the manufacturer can issue a replacement, marked "duplicate". Agencies that offer CoC documents order them from the manufacturer. Since September 2020 EU law obliges the manufacturer to issue a duplicate at the owner's request for ten years after the car was built, for no more than it costs to issue.

ADAC found prices of €70 to €180, exceptionally €250; Hyundai in Germany, for example, charges €119. Manufacturers do not publish how long it takes, so order it before you travel.

The electronic CoC from July 2026

From 5 July 2026 manufacturers must also deliver each new car's CoC as electronic data, and may then skip the paper copy; the owner keeps the right to a paper duplicate. EU countries must make the electronic CoC viewable by VIN. Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) shows the data of cars sold in Germany since October 2019, but says that the data, even printed, cannot be used for registration. The lookup is a free way to check a car's data before you buy, not a replacement for the paper CoC.

In Serbia: when the CoC is needed

The CoC is not a customs document. It matters at the examination of an imported used car (ispitivanje, popularly "homologation"), where an authorised body such as AMSS-CMV inspects the car and the Road Traffic Safety Agency (ABS) issues the certificate.

The rulebook asks for a CoC, a duplicate or a confirmation from the manufacturer's authorised representative in Serbia only when the data in the registration document do not match the technical databases. ABS publishes the list of those representatives. The car is inspected in person either way. Without a CoC the check takes a little longer, and the testing body may charge extra for establishing the car's technical data (see the vehicle test guide).

In BiH: the CoC or the manufacturer's confirmation

Homologation in BiH needs either the CoC or the manufacturer's confirmation (potvrda proizvođača), and with the CoC it costs less. The BiH homologation guide gives the prices and the documents.

Before you pay

  • Ask whether the original CoC is in the car's folder.
  • Check that its VIN matches the car and the Zulassungsbescheinigung.
  • Write into the contract that the seller hands it over.
  • If it is missing, ask the manufacturer what a duplicate costs and how long it takes, or plan for the manufacturer's confirmation in BiH.

Common mistakes

  • "Customs require the CoC." Neither Serbian nor BiH customs do: in Serbia it matters only at the vehicle examination, in BiH at homologation.
  • "An agency can issue a CoC." Only the manufacturer can; an agency orders it for you.
  • "The KBA printout replaces the CoC." KBA says it cannot be used for registration.
  • "Any car can get a CoC." Only a car built to an EU type approval has one.

Next step

Work out the whole cost

Sources

The official laws, decisions and pages this guide rests on, read on 23/09/2026. Rules and amounts change, so check the ones that matter to you before you buy.