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HU appointment overdue: what actually happens

Bußgeldstelle (fines office) and testing centre · § 29 StVZO, catalogue of fines (Bußgeldkatalog)

No pointsStaggeredNo surcharge

Two claims about an overdue appointment persist stubbornly, and both are wrong. The first: that after two months there is an “extended” or “in-depth” periodic roadworthiness test (Hauptuntersuchung, HU — commonly called ‘TÜV’). Annex VIII knows nothing of the kind. What does exist concerns the safety inspection and therefore vehicle categories to which cars do not belong. The second: that there are points in Flensburg. That is not so either — none of the relevant offences in the Bußgeldkatalog carries an entry, and § 29 StVZO is not listed in Annex 13 FeV, which decides what goes into the Register of Driver Fitness (Fahreignungsregister, FAER).

What actually happens is manageable and staggered. The Bußgeldkatalog provides for the vehicle holder who does not present the vehicle a fine of €15 for up to two months' default, €25 for more than two and up to four months, €60 for more than four and up to eight and €75 for more than eight months — without points. The other consequence is more costly: the appointment is not made up, but postponed. Under Nr. 2.3 of Annex VIII, the deadline for the next HU begins “with the month and year of the last periodic roadworthiness test” — that is, with the one actually carried out. The overdue months are lost, not deferred.

This establishes the real disadvantage, and it has little to do with fines: it is the lost time. Anyone who delays the examination by six months pays a one-off €60 and permanently loses six months of sticker validity — a quarter of the interval on a two-year cycle, and that again at every subsequent round, for as long as the rhythm is not balanced out again.

The third point concerns not money but authority. § 29 StVZO allows the authority competent under state law to prohibit or restrict the operation of a vehicle without a valid sticker. This is not a matter of months and there is no scale: it is a decision of the authority, and it stands alongside the fine, not in its place.

Last updated29 August 2026
Legal basisBKat Nr. 186, Annex VIII
VerificationChecked against StVZO, Annex VIII and VIIIa, the catalogue of fines (Bußgeldkatalog) and the Driving Licence Ordinance (Fahrerlaubnis-Verordnung, FeV)
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information website: we are not TÜV, DEKRA or any other testing organisation, not an authority and not a paid advice service – we do not submit applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in plain language; binding information always comes from the competent body. No legal advice and not an official authority. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document official procedures and check the information against the official source – this is information, not legal or tax advice.
Up to 2 months€15BKat 186.1.1
More than 4 and up to 8€60BKat 186.1.3
PointsNoneNot in Annex 13 FeV
Lost timePermanentDeadline runs from new HU
Required documents

What you need

The most recent test report

It shows the previous due month and helps establish the actual default — the scale in the Bußgeldkatalog is tied to months.

Registration certificate Part I (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I)

Required for the examination itself, regardless of how long ago the appointment was due.

A vehicle in a condition fit for presentation

After a long default, a preliminary check is especially worthwhile: a second attempt after significant deficiencies extends the default further, and the cost of the second examination is added.

If the vehicle is unsafe for road traffic: clarify this in advance

If the vehicle is classified as unsafe for road traffic, the existing inspection sticker must be removed. In this case, clarify in advance how the vehicle may be moved.

Evidence of the reason for the default does not help

This line is included because it is often searched for: the Bußgeldkatalog scales purely by months. Illness, time abroad or a workshop's workload are not exceptions provided for in the catalogue.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Determine the actual default in months

    What matters is the end of the month shown on the sticker. This determines which tier of the Bußgeldkatalog the case falls into — €15, €25, €60 or €75.

  2. 2

    Make an appointment immediately, do not wait for the month to change

    Every further month can move the case into a higher tier and at the same time extends the lost validity. Both argue against delay.

  3. 3

    Have the vehicle checked over beforehand

    After a longer default, the likelihood of significant deficiencies is higher. A preliminary check avoids the additional re-test and further default.

  4. 4

    Have the examination carried out

    The scope of the examination is the same as always. Annex VIII does not provide for an “extended” examination because of default — if one is charged, it is worth asking for the legal basis.

  5. 5

    Note the new due month

    It runs from the month of the examination carried out. The old rhythm does not return on its own; anyone who wants it back must deliberately bring the next appointment forward.

Fee information

Costs and payment

The scale in the BußgeldkatalogFor the vehicle holder who does not present the vehicle
Up to 2 months€15
More than 2 and up to 4 months€25
More than 4 and up to 8 months€60
More than 8 months€75
PointsNone
Extended examinationNot provided for

The amounts apply to the vehicle holder. In addition, the competent authority may, under § 29 StVZO, prohibit or restrict the vehicle's operation — this is not a financial consequence, but an order.

Good to know

Important notes

Neither of the two most common claims about this subject is correct, and both can be checked against the text: Annex VIII knows nothing of an extended HU due to default, and there are no points, because § 29 StVZO is not listed in Annex 13 FeV — and this annex decides what is entered in the Fahreignungsregister.

The real loss is the validity period. Under Nr. 2.3 of Annex VIII, the new deadline begins with the month of the examination carried out. Half a year's default means half a year less sticker validity — permanently, because the shifted rhythm carries forward.

Alongside the fine stands the authority's power. Under § 29 StVZO, the body competent under state law may prohibit or restrict the operation of a vehicle without a valid sticker. This is independent of the monthly scale and applies above all to long periods of default.

Anyone who is not the vehicle holder but is the driver should know the difference: the scale in the Bußgeldkatalog is directed at the vehicle holder who did not present the vehicle. Driving despite an order from the authority is a separate offence.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Expecting an extended examination. Annex VIII does not provide for a larger scope of examination due to default.

Fearing points. § 29 StVZO is not listed in Annex 13 FeV; there is no entry.

Waiting until the end of the month. The change of month can raise the fine tier.

Underestimating the loss of time. The new deadline runs from the HU actually carried out, not from the old due month.

Overlooking the authority's prohibition. It stands alongside the fine and does not depend on the monthly scale.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Are there points in Flensburg if the TÜV has expired?

No. Two independent sources say the same thing: none of the relevant offences in the Bußgeldkatalog — Nr. 186.1.1 to 186.2.3 — carries an entry, and § 29 StVZO is not listed in Annex 13 FeV. This annex decides which offences are entered in the Fahreignungsregister.

Does the examination become more expensive if I am overdue?

Not as a matter of law. Annex VIII StVZO does not provide for an “extended” or “in-depth” HU due to default; the scope of examination remains the same. What does exist concerns the safety inspection and therefore vehicle categories to which passenger cars do not belong. If you are charged a surcharge, ask for the legal basis.

How much is the regulatory fine?

Staggered by months: €15 for up to two months' default, €25 for more than two and up to four months, €60 for more than four and up to eight months and €75 for more than eight months. The amounts are directed at the vehicle holder who did not present the vehicle.

Do I make up the lost months?

No, and that is the real disadvantage. Under Nr. 2.3 of Annex VIII, the deadline for the next HU begins with the month and year of the examination most recently carried out. The appointment is therefore postponed, not made up — anyone who wants the old rhythm back must deliberately bring the next appointment forward.

May I drive with an expired sticker?

The expired sticker alone does not automatically result in a driving ban, but it does trigger the fine for the vehicle holder. More important is the authority's power: under § 29 StVZO, the body competent under state law may prohibit or restrict the operation of a vehicle without a valid inspection sticker. Anyone who drives despite such an order commits a separate offence.

Does the month on the sticker count, or the day?

The month. The examination is due by the end of the month shown on the sticker; the scale in the Bußgeldkatalog is tied to the months that have elapsed after that. A single day's default is therefore something different from a month.

Related official procedures

Periodic roadworthiness test (Hauptuntersuchung)
First after 36 months, then every 24
No official tariff
Re-test
One month — then a new HU
Nr. 3.1.4.3 Annex VIII
Exhaust emission inspection (AU)
Part of the HU, not a separate appointment
Included in the HU

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