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Re-test after significant deficiencies

Technical testing centre or monitoring organisation · Anlage VIII

One monthOn siteOnly the deficiencies

After significant deficiencies, a deadline runs that is worth knowing, because letting it expire is costly: under number 3.1.4.3 of Anlage VIII, the vehicle is to be presented again “at the latest by the expiry of one month after the day of the periodic roadworthiness test”. If it is presented later, or if the test report is missing, the aaSoP or PI has “to carry out a new periodic roadworthiness test instead of the re-test of the deficiency remedy”. A reasonably priced re-test then becomes a full second HU — the month is the entire difference.

Scope is the second difference and the reason the re-test is cheaper: what is examined is the remedy of the identified deficiencies, not the vehicle from scratch. This is exactly what changes once the deadline expires — then the full catalogue of Anlage VIIIa applies again, with brakes, axles, lighting and emissions.

A practical tip that saves trips: the re-test does not necessarily have to take place with the same person, but it does require production of the test report. Number 3.1.4.3 expressly ties the consequence to this too: if the report is not produced, a new periodic roadworthiness test also becomes due. The slip is therefore not paperwork, but the admission ticket.

The result has five levels, not three — numbers 3.1.4.1 to 3.1.4.5 of Anlage VIII. No deficiencies: sticker. Minor deficiencies: the sticker may still be issued, but the deficiencies must be remedied without delay. Significant deficiencies: no sticker, re-test required. Dangerous deficiencies: also no sticker, with greater urgency. And not roadworthy — the strictest level: there, under number 3.1.4.5, “the existing inspection sticker is to be removed”. The vehicle therefore loses its valid sticker on the spot, not only once the deadline expires.

Last updated29 August 2026
Legal basisNr. 3.1.4.3 Anlage VIII StVZO
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.
DeadlineOne monthFrom the day of the HU
ScopeOnly the deficienciesNot the whole vehicle
After the deadline has expiredNew HUFull
To bringTest reportOtherwise a new HU
Required documents

What you need

The test report of the HU

The central document. Without it, under number 3.1.4.3 of Anlage VIII, no re-test is carried out, but a new periodic roadworthiness test — regardless of how quickly you come back.

Registration certificate Part I (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I)

As with the periodic roadworthiness test itself, to identify the vehicle.

Evidence of the repair, if available

They are not required, but they make it easier to identify the points remedied and save follow-up questions — especially if the repair was carried out at a different garage.

For modifications, the corresponding paperwork

If a part was fitted during the repair that requires a modification approval under § 19 Abs. 3 StVZO, evidence of that approval belongs with it.

The appointment within the month

It is not the repair but the presentation that must fall within the month. Garage workload is not a reason for an extension — book the re-test appointment before confirming the repair appointment.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Note the day of the periodic roadworthiness test

    The deadline runs from the day of the HU, not from the day of the repair or from the end of the month. Only with this date can the last possible appointment be determined.

  2. 2

    Have the deficiencies fully remedied

    What is examined is the remedy of the points listed in the report. Partially completed items lead to no different a result than items not completed at all.

  3. 3

    Book the re-test appointment within the month

    Book it early, regardless of whether the garage promises to finish in time. The month is the hard limit.

  4. 4

    Bring the test report

    Without it, a new periodic roadworthiness test is carried out instead of the re-test. This is expressly governed by number 3.1.4.3 of Anlage VIII.

  5. 5

    Check the sticker and the new report

    After passing the re-test, the sticker is issued. Check the due month shown — it is based on the periodic roadworthiness test, not on the re-test.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Deadline, scope and consequencesThe month decides the price
DeadlineOne month from the day of the HU
ScopeRemedy of the deficiencies
Without the reportNew periodic roadworthiness test
After the deadline has expiredNew periodic roadworthiness test
PriceFreely priced
Legal basisNr. 3.1.4.3 Annex VIII

The re-test costs significantly less than a full periodic roadworthiness test. This exact difference disappears as soon as the month has expired.

Good to know

Important notes

The month runs from the day of the periodic roadworthiness test — not from the end of the month, not from the repair. Anyone who fails on 3 March has until 3 April, and that day is the limit at which a re-test turns into a second full HU.

If the test report is missing, the same applies as when the deadline expires. Number 3.1.4.3 names both cases in the same breath: late presentation or a missing report.

With a not roadworthy result, the existing sticker is to be removed. The vehicle must then not be driven on as usual — here it is no longer a matter of a deadline, but of the condition.

The new due month is based on the periodic roadworthiness test, not on the day of the re-test. Anyone who uses the re-test window to the full therefore does not push the next appointment back.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Calculating the deadline from the end of the month. It runs from the day of the periodic roadworthiness test.

Leaving the test report at home. Without it, a new HU becomes due.

Relying on the garage appointment. What matters is the presentation, not the repair.

Fixing only some of the deficiencies. What is examined is the remedy of all the listed points.

Expecting the re-test to push back the next appointment. The cycle runs from the periodic roadworthiness test.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

How long do I have for the re-test?

One month. Number 3.1.4.3 of Anlage VIII StVZO requires the vehicle to be presented again at the latest by the expiry of one month after the day of the periodic roadworthiness test. The deadline therefore runs from the test day, not from the end of the month and not from the repair.

What happens if I exceed the month?

Then there is no longer a re-test. The provision is unambiguous: if the vehicle is presented again later than one month after the day of the periodic roadworthiness test, the aaSoP or PI has to carry out a new periodic roadworthiness test instead of the re-test of the deficiency remedy — with the full scope of examination and the corresponding price.

Do I have to go back to the same testing centre?

Anlage VIII does not require this. What matters is that you produce the test report: if it is missing, a new periodic roadworthiness test is also carried out, even if you appear within the month. In practice, returning to the same body is simpler, because the case is already known there.

Is everything examined again at the re-test?

No, what is examined is the remedy of the deficiencies recorded in the report. This is exactly where the price difference to the full periodic roadworthiness test lies — and exactly this advantage disappears once the month expires.

Does the next HU appointment shift?

No. The cycle is based on the periodic roadworthiness test, not on the day of the re-test. Anyone who puts off the re-test to the last day gains nothing for the next appointment.

Am I allowed to keep driving with significant deficiencies?

With significant deficiencies, no sticker is issued; the vehicle initially remains registered, but the deficiency must be remedied. The position is different with “not roadworthy”: there, under number 3.1.4.5 of Anlage VIII, the existing inspection sticker is to be removed, and the competent authority may prohibit or restrict operation under § 29 StVZO.

Related official procedures

Periodic roadworthiness test (Hauptuntersuchung)
First after 36 months, then every 24
No official tariff
Test overdue
No points, no extended examination
€15 to €75
Modification approval (Änderungsabnahme)
Otherwise the operating licence lapses
§ 19 Abs. 3 StVZO

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