- Registration certificate parts I and II
- Part I — formerly the Fahrzeugschein — is carried in the vehicle and holds the technical data. Part II — formerly the Fahrzeugbrief — evidences entitlement to register the vehicle and is not carried. Field labels follow a European scheme and are therefore readable across borders.
The fields that matter in vehicle and parts operations
| Code | Content | Use in the yard |
|---|---|---|
A | Registration number | Assignment, certificate of destruction |
B | Date of first registration | Age, valuation, parts demand |
D.1 | Make | Classification |
D.2 | Type, variant, version | Precise type determination |
D.3 | Commercial description | The name buyers search with |
E | Vehicle identification number | The central key — see VIN: Reading, checking and using the vehicle identification number |
J | Vehicle category | Whether the vehicle falls under end-of-life vehicle rules |
K | Type approval number | Approval reference |
P.1 / P.2 / P.3 | Displacement, rated power, fuel type | Engine and parts assignment |
2.1 / 2.2 | German manufacturer and type key numbers | Entry into parts catalogues — see HSN and TSN: the German type key numbers explained |
15.1 / 15.2 | Tyre sizes | Wheel and tyre sales |
22 | Remarks and exemptions | Conversions, conditions, particularities |
Field 22 is regularly overlooked and is precisely the interesting one for a dismantler: it records conversions, special versions and conditions that explain why a component does not match the series version.
Why the codes are harmonised across Europe
The letter and number codes follow a European specification so that a vehicle document remains readable even when the labels are in a foreign language. Knowing that E is always the VIN means finding it on a French, Italian or Polish document as fast as on a German one.
National additions — in Germany the key numbers in 2.1 and 2.2 — come on top and sit outside the European codes. They are therefore absent from other member states' documents.
The documents at vehicle intake
- Check completeness. Parts I and II and the number plates belong to the handover of an end-of-life vehicle.
- Reconcile the data with the vehicle. The VIN on the document must match the one on the vehicle. Any deviation must be clarified before any further step.
- Take the fields into the vehicle file. VIN, first registration, type data, key numbers and the remarks in field
22. - Handle the papers as prescribed. The documents are to be withdrawn, or their handover recorded — see Certificate of destruction: content, issuing and common mistakes.
Common stumbling blocks
- Documents issued before 2005. Same data, different positions. The key numbers sat at positions 2 and 3.
- Foreign documents. The European codes help; the German key numbers are absent and cannot be derived from them.
- Vehicles without papers. Then the VIN on the vehicle is the only dependable datum. How to deal with missing documents is to be clarified with the competent authority.
- Deviations between paper and vehicle. They can be harmless — a registered conversion — or not. Clarify before dismantling.
Operating case: from photo to a checked vehicle record
User story: As a vehicle trader or dismantler, I do not want to type every registration-certificate field at intake, but I also do not want an OCR error to become master data. Staff photograph a document they are authorised to process, extract it into fields and then confirm the decisive entries against the original and the vehicle.
| Phase | Response or check | Process benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Extract | POST /scanner/document/registration returns data including registration and document details, holder data, VIN, HSN/TSN, make, model, fuel, power, emission class, masses and tyre sizes where legible | The vehicle record is prefilled in one step |
| Check identity | Compare the VIN in response, document and vehicle | Mix-ups surface before purchase, dismantling or listing |
| Check specialist fields | Confirm unclear or blank values on the original or leave them open | OCR assists rather than becoming unchecked truth |
| Hand over | Approved fields feed ERP, DMS, valuation or ELV workflow | Repeated typing and diverging master records disappear |
Measure it: Compare handling time per intake, manual field corrections, incomplete records, VIN mismatches and duplicate entry between systems. The value is not the word “OCR”; it is less typing with controlled data.
Sources and legal references
Frequently asked
What is the difference between parts I and II?
Part I is the former registration document with the technical data and is carried in the vehicle. Part II is the former logbook, evidencing entitlement to register, and stays at home.
Which field holds the VIN?
Field E. That code applies across Europe, whatever the language of the document.
Where are the German key numbers?
In fields 2.1 and 2.2 of part I. Documents from other member states do not carry them.
What is in field 22?
Remarks and exemptions: conversions, conditions and particularities. For part capture it is often the most informative field in the whole document.