"Environmental" Stickers for certain German Cities

[Lutz]

Just a reminder, as starting 1st January, more German cities are joining an already existing scheme to only allow entry of vehicles displaying 'Environmental Sticker', that foreign vehicles are not exempt from this requirement. Further details of which cities are involved, including how to obtain the badge prior to coming to Germany, can be found in the following website:

http://www.umwelt-plakette.de/int_england.php?SID=v92t1ng8ut63fu64mi2djmgen2

 

[WiltshirePete]

Thanks for this reminder, I came across the scheme last year when entering a town that was already in the scheme, but was lucky and got away with it!

The link you have posted is to a commercial company who will do the paperwork for you for a fee, as far as I can see they look at your make and model and then advise which class of sticker you are entitled to.

Is there any way of going through the official channels to get the sticker for the same price as a German car would pay?

Pete

 

[DavidKlyne]

I obtained my Umwelt-plakette from the people mentioned in Lutz's link a couple of years ago and before the scheme was fully implemented. Its a very easy way of doing it but very expensive. I have heard stories of others contacting a local office, Koln seems popular as they have info on their website, but only in German. However it does involve slipping a euro note in the post with a copy of your V5. Not tried it myself although I will need another one as I have just changed cars. I suppose you could always visit one of the local offices in person when in Germany. I suppose its would only be really necessary if the campsite you are using was inside one of the zones otherwise its usually very easy to get into German towns and cities centres by public transport.

David

 

[Lutz]

I'm sorry that my post may have caused some irritation, especially regarding the cost for the sticker. Yes, the website is a commercial one and the company is out to make money, but the information regarding the cities involved and the respective implementation contained therein is comprehensive and quite useful.

If you take your V5c certificate to any T

 

[DavidKlyne]

Lutz

Thank you for those links. The second link, Sticker by Post seems to suggest that you can pay by credit card although I have not investigated further than the first page of the form. A possible problem with the first link is that it might cost as much as your original link by the time you pay bank charges.

David

PS I don't think your original post caused any irritation, always good to have first hand knowledge.

 

[DavidKlyne]

Just an update on my previous post. I have just ordered one from the link provided by Lutz for _15. Will update you when it arrives. If it all works out it will have cost half the price of the one I got from the original link that was posted. Process quite straight forward, just a little German to navigate through in the latter stages but nothing to daunting. I just hope the JPEG of the V5 gets there OK as it takes it from a link on your computer!

David

 

[ShadySadie]

Just don't go to those cities.

Abandon them, if people don't go there the financial penalty will cripple them.

There are plenty of interesting cities in Europe. Black list these bad ones and black list them and Germany if they want to penalise motorists.

 

[DavidKlyne]

Shady Sadie said:-

"

Just don't go to those cities.

Abandon them, if people don't go there the financial penalty will cripple them.

There are plenty of interesting cities in Europe. Black list these bad ones and black list them and Germany if they want to penalise motorists."

Slightly over the top surely as you can get get the sticker for as little as _5 and it lasts for the lifetime of the vehicle. The good thing about Germany is that there is always plenty of good public transport to get you into city centres if you don't want to take the car.

David

 

[ShadySadie]

Why would anyone want to go on public transport when you have a car that funds the economy.

 

[DavidKlyne]

"Why would anyone want to go on public transport when you have a car that funds the economy."

Not quite sure I understand your point. Does not using local transport also support the local economy? You have the choice. I quite like leaving the car at the campsite and going into city centres on the bus,tram,train. Saves all the hassle of parking and I see a lot more.

David

 

[DianneT]

Agree with David, very over the top I would say Shady Sadie. Germany is one of the cleanest countries in Europe they look after it. What is 5 to 15 euro's to help in this quest. We always leave the van and take public transport into the Cities. We have been to Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Krakov, Rome, Florence, Koln, Frankfurt and Munchen this way. Who wants to be bothered parking the car and dealing with all the city traffic Public transport in Hungary, Czech Republic and Poland for over 60's is all Free whether it be public bus, train, tram or underground you just have to show your passport if asked. Not sure about Slovakia as we did not visit any cities there we kept to the Tetra Mountains. We have never been asked for our passports at all.

David how did you pay for the plakette by Bank transfer, which can cost an arm and a leg or Credit/Debit Card?. We will be getting ours soon ready for April 7th.

 

[DavidKlyne]

Dianne said:-

"David how did you pay for the plakette by Bank transfer, which can cost an arm and a leg or Credit/Debit Card?. We will be getting ours soon ready for April 7th."

Dianne

If you follow the link in my post above, originally kindly provided by Lutz and scroll down the page there is a link to credit card ordering. I followed that link and just filled in the details. When you get to the bit where you fill in the credit card details its in German but self explanitory. There seemed to be no further surcharge, just the _15. It helps if you have a scanner so that you can send a copy of your V5 electronically. The transaction seems to have gone through OK and I have had a confirmation of my order. Just have to wait and see now! If this works OK its half the price of where I got my last one. I will make another post when I have more info for receive the sticker.

David

 

[Gafferbill]

....I would be interested to know what would happen if a foreign registered vehicle just ignored the requirement if only on a short visit?

I ignored the requirement to pay a daily congestion charge over a 3-day visit to Oslo with my British registered car back in June.

Their system reads your numberplate as you enter and the locals pay monthly by a direct debit from their bank a/c.

The system for tourists was to pay a fixed amount in local garages.

When I tried to pay in this way I was met with a blank look and told they do not chase up small amounts anyway.

I know there is a London based agent that collects this charge from UK residents if it is worth the effort

....but I have yet to hear anything.

Presumably with the lack of a German sticker, it would be down to the zealousness of the German police!

 

[ShadySadie]

Five pounds or euro here and the same somewhere else as some wet liberal thinks they can get away with it soon adds up.

We drive German cars so they have had more than their share of our money.

I just have no idea what clean towns have to with taxing motorists. I've found Germany to have many clean towns and cities for over forty years, how did they manage it before?

We no longer go to London unless forced in to it, Red Ken killed it with his congestion charges. London's loss.

 

[DavidKlyne]

In a sense this thread is being hi-jacked by people with other agendas. Those of us that enjoy visiting Germany and are happy to comply with their laws and regulations I suspect see no problem with paying a few euros for a sticker that enables us, should we wish, to drive into certain cities in that country. If you don't agree the simple answer is don't go or if you do stay away from cities that area part of the scheme. Paying _5 for an Umwelt-Plakette that covers the whole country can hardly be seen as a stealth tax on the motorist. If the Germans have decided that they would like better quality air in their cities, with proven health benefits, thats fine with me.

David

 

[Woody3]

What I don't understand is why it is necessary to send then your V5? Is this just typical German bureaucracy?

If this were to happen in the UK it would just be a case of looking up your make and model of car and filling in the necessary form. Why can't the Germans provide such a chart?

 

[Lutz]

The answer is easy, Woody. Just knowing the make and model doesn't tell you what emissions class the engine is. The manufacturer may have changed the engine spec sometime during the course of a model run, even halfway during a model year or an engine modification carried out at a later date.

The measure has been introduced by some cities as a compromise emergency solution as they found themselves exceeding EU smog limits and were themselves in danger of being faced with substantial fines if they didn't do anything to keep within the set limits.

 

[Guest]

Well there's yet another reason to scrap the EU.

Meddling idiots in Brussels sticking their snouts into other countries business.

 

[Lutz]

Well there's yet another reason to scrap the EU.

Meddling idiots in Brussels sticking their snouts into other countries business.

Some people just don't want to learn. Might as well carry on like an ostrich and bury one's head in the sand.

Like David has said, this thread is being hi-jacked by arguments that are going off at a tangent from the original post.

 

[ShadySadie]

This thread just highlights yet another tax on motorists.

We all need to be warned of such outrageous costs.

It also highlights that as toursists we're not quite as free to travel as the EU would have us believe.

As soon as one city gets away with such taxes the creeping tide has started to flow.

 

[Lutz]

The sum involved is so small that it probably only covers the administrative costs, so it can hardly be called a tax. Besides, it is only levied once.

 

[Lutz]

This thread just highlights yet another tax on motorists.

We all need to be warned of such outrageous costs.

It also highlights that as toursists we're not quite as free to travel as the EU would have us believe.

As soon as one city gets away with such taxes the creeping tide has started to flow.

The comment "we're not quite as free to travel as the EU would have us believe doesn't make sense or else no-one would travel to any country where the fuel tax is higher than in one's one. Conversely, everyone should be emigrating to countries where the taxes are lower.

 

[Lutz]

The comment "we're not quite as free to travel as the EU would have us believe doesn't make sense or else no-one would travel to any country where the fuel tax is higher than in one's one. Conversely, everyone should be emigrating to countries where the taxes are lower.

Sorry, that was meant to read "..... where the fuel tax is higher than in one's own".

 

[DavidKlyne]

Shady Sadie said, again!

"This thread just highlights yet another tax on motorists.

We all need to be warned of such outrageous costs.

It also highlights that as toursists we're not quite as free to travel as the EU would have us believe.

As soon as one city gets away with such taxes the creeping tide has started to flow."

It is not a tax. You are paying _5 for s sticker which identifies the emissions of your vehicle, as Lutz says it is a very minor admin fee. In order to protect pollution and air quality in certain towns and cities they will restrict access to those vehicles that don't meet modern emission standards. What is wrong with that? It would be a tax if you were charged a sum everytime you entered a city centre like the London Congestion Charge but the Umwelt-Plackette is nothing of the sort.

David

 

[SteveW77]

Shady Sadie said,

We no longer go to London unless forced in to it, Red Ken killed it with his congestion charges. London's loss.

I am sure that "Red Ken" and the residents of inner London, loose sleep every night.

If you don't want to pay, stay away. It's easy, the choice is yours. It is somewhat different for the locals that did not vote for it, but that's a democracy for you.

Steve W