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Modification approval after alterations

Technical testing centre or supervisory organisation · § 19 StVZO

Without undue delayOn siteThree triggers

Not every alteration is a case for approval — but which ones are is stated precisely by the law. Under § 19 Abs. 2 Satz 2 StVZO the operating licence lapses if one of three effects occurs: if “the type of vehicle approved in the operating licence is altered”, if “a hazard to road users is to be expected”, or if “exhaust emission or noise behaviour is made worse”. Anyone wishing to check whether their alteration requires approval checks against these three points — not against a list of components.

What preserves the licence is set out in Abs. 3: approval of the modifications by an officially recognised expert after installation. The provision requires it to be carried out without delay — it does not name a fixed deadline in days, which means the opposite of “taking your time”: what matters is acting without culpable delay.

The third part is the one that matters day to day: Abs. 4 requires you to carry the evidence with you — the confirmation of approval or the extract of the authorisation — for as long as the corresponding entry is not in the registration certificate (Zulassungsbescheinigung). Anyone who has had the approval carried out but keeps the evidence at home does not satisfy the provision.

A sentence up front, because it sets the roles straight: TÜV and DEKRA are not authorities. Annex VIII StVZO transfers the Hauptuntersuchung to two private, state-recognised figures — the officially recognised experts or examiners for motor vehicle traffic (aaSoP) of the technical testing centres and the test engineers (PI) of the officially recognised supervisory organisations. They certify, they do not impose sanctions. Who may prohibit the operation of a vehicle is set out in § 29 StVZO and is a different body: “the authority competent under state law”. The Bußgeldstelle, in turn, imposes the regulatory fine. Three roles, three addressees.

Last updated29 August 2026
Legal basis§ 19 Abs. 2 and 3 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.
TriggerThree§ 19 Abs. 2 Satz 2
TimingWithout undue delayAfter installation
Who carries out the approvalaaSNot an authority
ProofIn the vehicle§ 19 Abs. 4
Required documents

What you need

Component expert report (Teilegutachten) or general type approval (ABE) for the part

They describe the conditions under which the part may be fitted. As a rule, nothing can be approved without this document — it is the basis of the inspection, not its result.

Registration certificate Part I (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I)

The modifications are entered into it where that is provided for. It is precisely this entry that later makes carrying the evidence unnecessary.

Installation carried out correctly

What is approved is the condition as fitted. Conditions from the report — wheel arch rolling, spacers, specific tyre sizes — must be met, otherwise the appointment ends without a result.

Evidence for further parts fitted

Several modifications at once are possible, but each one needs its own basis. If it is missing for one, the approval as a whole can fail.

The vehicle in the condition to be approved

Not in a condition reverted for the appointment. What is assessed is how the vehicle actually takes part in traffic.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Check before purchase whether approval is needed

    The standard is the three effects of § 19 Abs. 2 Satz 2: altered vehicle type, hazard to be expected, worsened exhaust emission or noise behaviour. The component expert report for the part usually states what applies.

  2. 2

    Comply with the report’s conditions when fitting

    They are part of the admissibility, not a recommendation. A part correctly purchased but fitted contrary to the conditions cannot be approved.

  3. 3

    Have the approval carried out without delay

    § 19 Abs. 3 requires it without culpable delay after installation. Until then, the vehicle is potentially being driven without a valid operating licence.

  4. 4

    Arrange the entry where it is provided for

    If the modification is in the registration certificate, carrying the evidence is no longer necessary. That is the real convenience gained from the entry.

  5. 5

    Carry the evidence with you until then

    Abs. 4 requires this expressly, for as long as the entry is not in the documents. A copy in the glove compartment is the simplest solution.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Legal framework and processThe approval is not an administrative service
Grounds for lapseThree, § 19 Abs. 2 Satz 2
Approval byOfficially recognised expert
TimingWithout delay after installation
BasisComponent expert report or ABE
ProofCarrying it, § 19 Abs. 4
RegistrationAt the vehicle registration office

The approval itself is carried out by the testing centre or supervisory organisation; the entry in the registration certificate is then made at the vehicle registration office and is governed by its fee ordinance.

Good to know

Important notes

The question “does this need to be entered?” is not answered by the component, but by the three effects of § 19 Abs. 2 Satz 2. That is why the same part can require approval on one vehicle and not on another — and why the answer is found in the component expert report, not in general lists.

“Without delay” is not a deadline in days, but the standard of “without culpable delay”. Anyone who puts off the appointment for months is potentially driving the vehicle without a valid operating licence during that time — with consequences that can go far beyond an inspection fee.

The evidence belongs in the vehicle for as long as the modification is not in the registration certificate. Abs. 4 requires this expressly, and it is the point on which the matter actually turns during a check.

At the periodic roadworthiness test (Hauptuntersuchung, HU) the same evidence counts. A recognisable alteration without papers leads to no result there, even if everything is technically in order.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Deciding by component lists instead of by § 19 Abs. 2. What matters are the three effects, not the name of the part.

Disregarding the report’s conditions. A part fitted contrary to the conditions cannot be approved.

Postponing the approval. § 19 Abs. 3 requires it without delay after installation.

Leaving the evidence at home. Abs. 4 requires carrying it, for as long as nothing is entered in the documents.

Reverting the vehicle for the HU. What is assessed is the condition in which the vehicle takes part in traffic.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

When does an alteration cause the operating licence to lapse?

Under § 19 Abs. 2 Satz 2 StVZO, in three cases: if the type of vehicle approved in the operating licence is altered, if a hazard to road users is to be expected, or if exhaust emission or noise behaviour is made worse. Whether approval is required is decided by these three effects — not by a list of components.

Who carries out the modification approval?

An officially recognised expert, after the fitting of the modified parts. This is not an authority: testing centres and supervisory organisations are state-recognised private bodies. The subsequent entry in the registration certificate, by contrast, is made by the vehicle registration office.

What deadline do I have for the approval?

The law does not name a deadline in days, but requires in § 19 Abs. 3 StVZO that the approval be carried out without delay — that is, without culpable delay. That is stricter than a fixed deadline, not more generous: until the approval, the vehicle is potentially being driven without a valid operating licence.

Must I have the evidence in the car?

Yes, for as long as the modification is not entered in the registration certificate. § 19 Abs. 4 StVZO requires you to carry the confirmation of approval or the extract of the authorisation with you. Once the entry is made, this obligation no longer applies — that is its real practical benefit.

What happens at the HU without these papers?

A recognisable alteration without a component expert report, ABE or approval confirmation means no inspection sticker is issued — regardless of whether anything is technically at fault. At that point, it is not about the condition, but about the operating licence.

What does the approval cost?

There is no official tariff for this: the approval is a service of the testing centre or supervisory organisation and is priced by it. In addition there is the vehicle registration office’s fee for the entry, which is governed by its fee ordinance.

Related official procedures

Periodic roadworthiness test (Hauptuntersuchung)
First after 36 months, then every 24
No official tariff
Classic car certificate (Oldtimer-Gutachten)
Requirement for the H licence plate
§ 23 StVZO
Exhaust emission inspection (AU)
Part of the HU, not a separate appointment
Included in the HU

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