Obligation to retain investigation reports

The main inspection report, just like the emissions test report, must be kept and shown to authorized persons (police, registration office, buyer, test engineer) on request.

The background to this measure is not only to monitor the rectification of defects, but also to put a stop to forgeries and unauthorized inspection stickers.

In practice, this means that the sticker on the license plate is only valid together with the corresponding inspection report and – additionally in the case of the main inspection – the entry in the vehicle registration document.

Passing on when buying a used car

When buying a “used” vehicle or when registering or re-registering a vehicle, always ensure that all documents are complete. Since December 1, 1999, this also includes the last main inspection report. In addition, the registration offices always request the exhaust emissions test report.