German Vignette.

[Hutch]

I have recently been asked by another Forum friend if I knew of any new restrictions or rules for travelling in Germany. I did find that now larger cities need a Vignette to enter,
Any other information would be nice please.

 

[otherclive]

Think you are referring to the emissions sticker which rates your car for entry to restricted zones. Here’s the RAC advice. We bought one when we went to Germany in 2016 and it lasts the lifetime of the car. Actually didn’t use it as we either took park and ride or took the local buses from our accommodations. Otherwise driving in Germany didn’t present any problems. Caravans have a lower speed limit than here unless you have them inspected by TUV with whatever the requirements are. But not really worth the hassle for occasional visits.

German emissions sticker - all you need to know | RAC Drive

In Germany, it’s a legal requirement for cars to feature emissions stickers for entering major cities which detail their emissions standard.

www.rac.co.uk

 

[Woodentop]

The disc can be bought from the Berlin local authorities for €6 including postage and it arrives within the week (other places charge more.)
Per caravans you are limited to 80kph on autobahns unless your van has been tested by Tüv and given the Tempo100 badge. Problem is we don't register our vans separately from the tug, but from what I have heard the testing stations seem to be happy to use the CRiS code.
Anyway it isn't a problem. You will be limited to 80, lorries are limited to 90 so if you do 80 you will get blasted by horns all day long. What most people seem to do is to get into a string of lorries all doing 90 and so will you. Legally you cannot overtake them, but if you go slower they get nasty, so the Police will leave you alone.
You will also need a disc for France - in fact moreso for France as many more cities and towns now require them, You go to this web site
certificat-air.gouv.fr
fill in the form and add your credit card (CB) number and attach a copy of your V5c and it arrives in a week. It costs €4.51 including postage and like Germany it is permanent for the car with the registration shown on the disc.
Finally, don't even bother getting the sticker if your (diesel) vehicle is not Euro6.

Oh, and another final thought. The instructions that come with the French disc are confusing about where you place the sticker on the windscreen. In practice you just need to attach it so that a officer of the law can see it when standing in front of the vehicle. To be compliant with UK law it must NOT be within the swept area of the wipers, so top nearside is the best bet.

 

[Lutz]

Actually, the German emissions sticker can be obtained at virtually every major car dealer upon production of a copy of your V5c so there is no real need to get one before you enter the country and it's cheaper that way, too. It's only €5.

As stated above, the Tempo 100 sticker is not really worth the hassle because not only do you have to go to a vehicle testing station first where they will have a close look at your caravan to see if it meets all the necessary technical requirements, but then you will have to take the approval document issued by the testing station to a vehicle licensing office where they will give you the required official seal for the sticker itself. The sticker is invalid without it.