German Umweltplakette: low emission zones, costs and fines

What to do before you set off

If your route takes you through a German city with a low emission zone (Umweltzone), you need a green environmental badge (Umweltplakette) stuck clearly visible on the inside of the windscreen. This applies equally to German and foreign vehicles. You buy the badge once and it is then valid in every low emission zone in Germany, not just in one city.

In short:

• Check whether your destination or route lies within a low emission zone.
• Get the green badge in good time, ideally by post before you leave.
• Stick the badge on before you first enter a zone.

You do not need a badge simply to enter Germany. If you are only passing through on the motorway and do not touch a low emission zone, you need do nothing.

Which cities still have a low emission zone?

The first low emission zones were introduced in 2008, mainly to tackle particulate matter. Air quality has improved considerably since then. According to the Federal Environment Agency, in 2024 all applicable air quality limits were met at every German monitoring station for the first time, and over 90 per cent of vehicles already meet the requirements for the green badge. Many cities have therefore already scrapped their low emission zone.

Germany currently still has 35 low emission zones. The Federal Environment Agency publishes an up to date list on its website. The cities themselves also provide information on their zone, such as its size, exemptions and practical tips. As zones continue to be lifted, it is worth checking your destination city’s website shortly before you travel.

On the ground, you can recognise a low emission zone by a traffic sign with a supplementary plate. The plate shows which badge is permitted for entry. Since 2012, only vehicles with a green badge have been allowed in the existing low emission zones.

From 2030, considerably stricter limits will apply under EU Air Quality Directive 2024/2881. The annual limits for PM10 particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide will be halved from 40 µg/m3 to 20 µg/m3. The Federal Environment Agency considers it possible that low emission zones will then become more important again.

Badge colours and emissions groups

The legal basis is the 35. BImSchV, also known as the labelling regulation. It assigns every vehicle to one of emissions groups 1 to 4. Badges come in 3 colours:

• red for emissions group 2,
• yellow for emissions group 3,
• green for emissions group 4.

Vehicles in emissions group 1 receive no badge at all. Since only the green badge now counts in low emission zones, red and yellow badges are practically useless for entry.

Classification is based on the emissions code in the vehicle documents. If the European emissions standard cannot be identified there, the date of first registration applies. Some guidance from the regulation and the Federal Environment Ministry’s overview:

• Petrol and gas vehicles first registered on or after 1 January 1993 generally belong to emissions group 4 and receive the green badge.
• Petrol vehicles first registered before 1 January 1993 that do not fall into group 4 receive no badge.
• Diesels first registered after 31 December 1996 and before 1 January 2001 fall into emissions group 2 by date.
• Diesels first registered after 31 December 2000 and before 1 January 2006 fall into emissions group 3 by date.
• Vehicles without a combustion engine, such as those with an electric motor or fuel cell, always belong to emissions group 4.

The Federal Environment Ministry points out that there may be deviations in individual cases. If a diesel vehicle is retrofitted with a particulate reduction system such as a particulate filter, it generally reaches the next higher emissions group. The retrofit must be proven with a certificate from the garage.

Rules for foreign vehicles

Drivers from Spain, the UK, the Netherlands or Italy are subject to the same rules in low emission zones as Germans: no green badge, no entry. The regulation expressly states that issuing points also label vehicles in international traffic.

For vehicles registered abroad, the regulation assumes a presumed emissions group if there is no proof of compliance with European emissions rules. In practice, the date of first registration is then what mainly counts. So bring your registration documents, ideally showing the Euro emissions standard.

Heavy goods vehicles from abroad that fall under the Federal Motorway Toll Act can also prove their emissions group using the evidence required by the HGV toll regulation.

Where to buy and order the badge

According to the Federal Environment Ministry, issuing points are:

• vehicle registration offices or other bodies responsible under regional law,
• garages authorised to carry out emissions tests,
• petrol stations with a workshop,
• inspection bodies such as Dekra and TÜV, including their offices abroad where applicable.

In person, you simply present your vehicle documents. The issuing point writes your registration number in the badge’s text field with a lightfast pen.

You can also order the badge remotely before your trip. Submit your vehicle documents, generally without certification, by fax, by email as a scanned document or as a copy by post. The badge is then posted to your home. Allow enough time for delivery, especially for shipments abroad.

What the badge costs

According to the Federal Environment Ministry, fees at issuing points range between 5 and 10 euros. Ordering by post may incur higher charges, including postage. The badge is a one off purchase and is valid in every low emission zone in Germany. There is no separate fee per city.

The badge is permanently tied to one vehicle. It cannot be reused and is designed to destroy itself when removed from the windscreen. So after a windscreen replacement or a change of registration number, you will need a new badge.

Fitting it correctly

The regulation requires the badge to be fixed clearly visible on the inside of the windscreen. It is round, 80 mm in diameter and shows the emissions group number in large figures. Make sure it is easy to read from outside and not covered by a vignette, a parking permit or window tint.

Checks and fines

Driving into a low emission zone without a badge or an exemption permit is an administrative offence. The federal authorities contradict each other on the amount of the fine:

• The Federal Environment Agency currently cites 100 euros.
• The Federal Environment Ministry cites 80 euros.

So expect an amount in this range and, to be safe, assume the higher figure of 100 euros. Compared with a badge costing 5 to 10 euros, the risk is not worth it.

Alongside low emission zones, some cities have had additional driving bans for diesels. Stuttgart introduced a zonal ban on Euro 4/IV diesels and, in a so called small low emission zone, a ban on diesels meeting Euro 5/V or worse. Other cities issued bans on specific roads for diesel cars up to and including Euro 5/V. There is no separate badge for these bans. Since amendments to the Road Traffic Act came into force in April 2019, authorities may enforce such bans through random mobile number plate recognition. However, according to the Federal Environment Ministry, new diesel bans of this kind are generally no longer expected to be necessary.

Exemptions from the badge requirement

The low emission zone rules only apply to cars, lorries and buses. Under Annex 3 of the 35. BImSchV, the following vehicles, among others, do not need a badge:

• motorcycles and three wheeled motor vehicles,
• mobile machinery and equipment, working machines and agricultural and forestry tractors,
• vehicles for disabled drivers,
• vehicles entitled to special rights under the Road Traffic Regulations, for example when on duty,
• classic cars with H plates or red classic car plates, as well as vehicles registered in another EU member state, another EEA state or Turkey, if they meet equivalent requirements,
• vehicles with a German E plate for electric vehicles.

The Federal Environment Agency also says the federal government is currently drawing up an exemption for electric vehicles. Until then, foreign electric cars without a German E plate should carry a green badge, to which they are entitled anyway as emissions group 4.

For individual vehicles that cannot get a green badge, exemption permits can be granted on application. According to the Federal Environment Agency, local registration offices are responsible. You can find out which exemptions a particular city grants on its website.

Pre-trip checklist

• Check on the Federal Environment Agency’s website and your destination city’s website whether your route touches one of the 35 low emission zones.
• Use your vehicle documents to work out your car’s emissions group. Only group 4 with a green badge may enter the zones.
• Order the badge in good time from a registration office, garage, Dekra or TÜV, by fax, email or post.
• Budget 5 to 10 euros plus any postage.
• Stick the badge clearly visible on the inside of the windscreen and check the registration number written on it.
• If you drive an older diesel, also find out about local diesel bans.
• Without a badge you risk a fine of 80 or 100 euros, depending on which authority you ask.