The operating license, together with the registration plate, is part of the registration procedure for motor vehicles on public roads. An operating license is a confirmation that your vehicle complies with the relevant regulations.

It is issued for type-approved vehicles by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) or comparable institutions in other countries of the European Union. For vehicles without type approval, it is issued by the registration authority as an individual approval.

You need the general type approval if you want to manufacture vehicles in series. In this case, you will be issued with a general type approval following an inspection carried out at your expense.

You require an individual type approval (EBE) if

• you manufacture a vehicle individually or in small series production,
• it is a vehicle that you have designed yourself
• you have imported it from abroad without EC type approval or
• It is a decommissioned vehicle that has been deregistered after 7 years and is to receive a new registration.

The individual type approval is issued by the local licensing authority for a single vehicle and is only valid for this vehicle.

Upon application, the competent licensing authority issues

• an individual approval for new vehicles on the basis of an expert opinion from an officially recognized expert from a technical inspection authority.
• for all other vehicles, an operating permit on the basis of an expert opinion from an officially recognized expert or a technical service.

You can apply for an individual approval for new vehicles if it is the first registration of a new vehicle of category

• M, for example passenger cars, motorhomes,
• N, including trucks or tractor units and
• O, i.e. trailers

for which you do not have an EC type approval including COC certificate.

For the registration of all other new or used vehicles for which you do not have an EC type approval including COC certificate, you must apply for an operating permit on the basis of an expert opinion from an officially recognized expert or a technical service. This also applies in the event that you have received an expert opinion from an officially recognized expert due to modifications to the vehicle - for example by installing a gas system or changing the suspension - as the type approval for your vehicle has also expired in this case and must therefore be reissued.

Unless it is expressly limited in time or withdrawn, the operating license remains valid until the vehicle is finally taken out of service. The operating license expires if

• you have made changes to the vehicle which result in
  • the vehicle type is changed,
  • technical defects are likely to endanger road users or
    • the exhaust or noise behavior is worsened.
• a component is subject to mandatory approval, but you have not complied with this requirement.
• you have not complied with installation regulations, restrictions or requirements for technical modifications.

If you drive without an operating license or with an expired operating license, you are committing an administrative offence. The licensing authority can then prohibit you from continuing to use the vehicle. The registration authority will then cancel the license plate.

You must carry the operating license with you if changes have been made that are not on the vehicle registration document.