COC Export

COC Export

This COC-Pedia post will discuss what a Certificate of Conformity (COC) is, whether you need a COC when exporting your vehicle, and how you can obtain a COC for your vehicle in an easy, hassle-free way.

To grab your COC, use EUROCOC’s online service. Get your application started through our website. 

What is COC?

A COC, or a Certificate of Conformity, is a certificate that is needed to register a car from one country in the European Union to another country within the EU. For example, maybe you have been living in Germany and have purchased a vehicle there. Now you are taking an extended trip, or moving permanently to another EU member country and are wanting to take your vehicle with you. It is very likely that you would need to obtain a COC for your vehicle in order to be able to do this.

In EU Law, a Certificate of Conformity is required as a declaration of conformity with the type approval of the European Commission. In brief, the COC guarantees the homogeneity of goods in the EU that are subject to registration, including passenger vehicles (M1), light goods vehicles (N1), and motorcycles (L). In simpler terms, the COC guarantees that the vehicle you are wishing to import  is a European model and can be driven without the need for any modifications to comply with the road safety regulations of the new European country you are importing the vehicle into. 

A Certificate of Conformity is a declaration from the manufacturers that their vehicle complies with the stated approval type the vehicle should fit into. 

Do I need COC when exporting my vehicle?

Whether you need a Certificate of Conformity for your vehicle or not depends on where you are exporting your vehicle from, and what country you are wanting to import your vehicle into. As noted above, COC certificates are a declaration of conformity for goods being transported within the European Union and EU Member States. Since a COC is a European certificate, we can guarantee its validity only in EU member states. Sometimes COCs are also accepted by non-European authorities, but it is necessary to check this information in the country which the vehicle will be exported to.

Similarly, Certificates of Conformity only apply to vehicles manufactured in EU Member States. For example, if you have a car originating from the USA and you are wanting to export the vehicle from the USA to a European country, a COC could not be issued as easily. It is possible to register this car, but first it is necessary to contact the manufacturer in the country of next registration to get a certificate of non-conformity and subsequently request single vehicle approval for the given vehicle, within which the vehicle will be modified according to the country-of-next registration standards.

In addition to this, COCs are not able to be issued to vehicles of European origin that have been previously registered for use within a country outside of the EU. For example, you purchased a car when living in France, you then decided to move to Dubai. While your vehicle would have originally qualified for a COC, as the vehicle had to be subjected to national homologation in Dubai (valid only in the country where it has been done,) the vehicle will not necessarily now be in compliance with EU standards. It is recommended to contact the manufacturer for more information in this case. 

If you are exporting your vehicle from an EU or EFTA country to another EU or EFTA country it is very likely that you will need a COC. 

Exporting a vehicle from the UK

Although the UK is no longer a part of the European Union, EU certificates of conformity remain valid for vehicles sold in the UK for the time being. More information on the legislation can be found here.

When wanting to export a car from the UK to an EU member state, it is important to note the stipulations of the Certificate of Conformity. When COC states the vehicle can be registered without any further modifications in countries using right-hand traffic (most of EU countries), the COC should be sufficient. However, if the COC states the vehicle can be registered only in countries using left-hand traffic (UK, Japan), it is possible the single vehicle approval will be needed. In case no major deficiencies of the vehicle are proven after a technical inspection of the vehicle, the single vehicle approval is not necessary. The most important elements that need to conform to standards of the country of next registration are front and rear lights, speedometer and rear-view mirrors.

Exporting a vehicle from one country into France

When importing a vehicle into France, you will need a COC to obtain a Carte Grise or a ‘certificate d’immatriculation. To do this, in most cases, you will need a European Certificate of Conformity issued by the manufacturer or its official brand representative.

For more information on Carte Grise and how to export a vehicle from one country into France click here.

Germany, Spain, The Netherlands and more.

When exporting your vehicle from an EU member country to another it is likely that you will always need to obtain a COC. You can do that easily with our online service here.

In addition to a COC, you will likely have to register your vehicle with the local authorities within that country either before or on arrival. 

The registration process of an imported vehicle differs in individual EU countries. More information on registration in a specific country can be found at the following websites: