Educational sheet on the national type approval of new vehicles.

This sheet completes the instruction of May 5, 2022 concerning the implementation of a new "PRO RNAT" profile dedicated to the remote transmission in the vehicle registration system (SIV) of new vehicle registrations for national type approval.

I. Vehicle acceptance

Type-approval is the act by which the administrative authority (the Minister of Transport or his delegated services) certifies the conformity of a vehicle or a type of vehicle to the technical requirements applicable to it.

The approval covers the following areas:

Safety: lighting and signalling, active and passive vehicle safety (braking, seat belts, seat anchorages, airbags, speed limiters, etc.);

The environment: control of emissions, energy consumption, noise level of the vehicle.

The approval of a vehicle is a prerequisite for obtaining a registration certificate. Also, a vehicle that is not approved can neither be registered nor circulate on the public highway.

To summarize :

Type-approval process in France

 

The approval can take several forms.

When it is granted to a large volume of vehicles, the approval is called "by type" (RPT):

the manufacturer has submitted one or more prototypes representative of a mass-produced vehicle, and the administrative authority has confirmed that the vehicle complies with the approval requirements.

This applies only to new vehicles: for the record, a new vehicle is one that has neither been driven on public roads nor permanently registered (mileage is not taken into account).

When it is granted to a single vehicle, the approval is called "individual" (IR) or "single-title" (IT): this type of approval is used for a new or used vehicle, transformed, imported or without a CIV.

The approvals can have a different scope and validity:

1. European scope (EC)

It certifies the conformity of the vehicle with the European directives and regulations.

The technical harmonization of the European Union allows the majority of vehicles to benefit from EC type-approval allowing registration in the 27 Member States. 

In practice, this concerns the majority of vehicles currently registered and put on the road in the EU. The categories of vehicles and the applicable texts are specified below: 

Vehicle categories European texts

M (passenger transport) 

N (transport of goods) 

O (trailers)

EU regulation 2018/858 (since 01/09/2020)

Before: directive 2007/46

L (two and three-wheelers, quadricycles) EU Regulation 168/2013

T, C, R, S (agricultural and forestry vehicles) EU Regulation 167/2013

The European type approval can be of different natures:

1 Type approval (EU type approval): the approval number is then in this format:

e2*2018/858*00373*11

2 EU type approval for vehicles produced in small series (KS): the type approval number contains the letters KS (for "kleine serie"), in this format: e2*KS18/858*type approval number*n® extension

3 Individual EU approval (EUIR): the approval number is in this format: e2*|V18/858*n® national approval number

2. National scope

Schematically, national type-approval covers vehicles that are not or no longer covered by a European type-approval. This concerns the following vehicles:

- Vehicle types produced in small series and intended for the national market (NKS).

- Types of vehicles that are not subject to mandatory European type-approval: this mainly concerns certain agricultural vehicles, such as self-propelled agricultural machinery (MAGA -- e.g. combine harvester) or towed agricultural machinery and implements (MIAR -- e.g. seed drill, sprayer).

- Special vehicles outside the scope of the European directives, such as vehicles with special bodywork (e.g. vehicles equipped for the evacuation of broken down or damaged vehicles (breakdown service)).

- New vehicles produced individually or transformed.

- Used vehicles that have undergone a significant transformation (change of energy source, bodywork, etc.) or that are imported without being covered by a European type-approval (e.g.: registration in France of a vehicle imported from the United States).

This national type approval is delivered :

- Either by the department in charge of approvals: national vehicle approval center (CNRV) or deconcentrated network of the ministry in charge of transport (DREAL, DRIEAT, DEAL);

See Article 3 of the Order of 11 January 2021 on the type-approval of motor vehicles, their trailers and systems and equipment intended for these vehicles in application of Regulation EU/2018/858 and Article 2 of the Order of 19 July 1954 on the type-approval of motor vehicles.

- Or by a bodybuilder or bodybuilder-constructor qualified by the Union Technique de l'Automobile, du Motocycle et du Cycle (UTAC): for vehicles with bodies.

See the order of November 18, 2005 on the initial conformity check provided for in Article KR.321-5 of the Highway Code and the order of May 14, 2014 on the initial conformity check of vehicles with a GVW of 3.5 tons or less.

Like the European type approval, the national type approval can be of different natures :

- Type approval: for example, A type approval number like P-2540.06.01

- National type approval for vehicles produced in small series: the type approval number

contains the letters NKS (for "nationale kleine serie"), in a format 2*NKS18/858*approval

of approval*extension no.

- For individual cases: National individual receipt (NIR) or Single receipt (SR)

The texts which frame the national reception are the following ones:

- Articles R. 32715 to R. 321-265 of the Highway Code;

- Order of July 19, 1954 on the approval of motor vehicles;

- Order of November 18, 2005 relating to the initial conformity check provided for in Article R. 321-5 of the Highway Code;

- Order of May 4, 2009 on the type-approval of motor vehicles, their trailers and systems and equipment intended for these vehicles in application of Directive 2007/46/EC;

- Order of May 14, 2014 on the initial conformity check of vehicles with a gross vehicle weight less than or equal to 3.5 tons;

- Order of August 17, 2016 on the type-approval of vehicles of category Let of systems and equipment intended for these vehicles (2, 3 wheels and motor quadricycles);

- Order of December 19, 2016 on the approval of agricultural and forestry vehicles and their systems, components and technical entities;

- Order of January 11, 2021 on the type-approval of motor vehicles, their trailers and systems and equipment intended for these vehicles pursuant to Regulation EU/2018/858.

II. Technical documents allowing the registration of a new vehicle for national type approval by a professional

The national type-approval allows free entry of the technical data fields in the vehicle registration system (SIV).

As this type approval is used in very specific cases, any new vehicle registration file for national type approval must contain one of the documents listed below.

The following documents are not included among those accepted in the registration of new vehicles by professionals

- Single Vehicle Inspection Report: RTIs (articles 8, 9, 12.2, 13, 13 bis and 14 bis of the 1954 decree), whether for a new or used vehicle, are registered only by the services of the Ministry of the Interior (centers of expertise and title resources), via the ANTS website. A dedicated form is nevertheless provided below.

- Prototype approval report: this only concerns used vehicles that have been transformed into a series (article 12 ter of the 1954 decree). This document must not be present in a new vehicle registration file.

In order to facilitate the use of this educational sheet, the various documents that can justify the use of national type-approval in the SIV are defined in 10 dedicated sheets, each specifying the models set by the regulations:

Sheet n° 1: "3 in 1" document

Sheet n° 2: Certificate of conformity to a national type

Sheet n° 3: Certificate of conformity - National type approval for vehicles produced in small series (NKS)

Sheet 4: Type approval report

Sheet 5: Report of the initial conformity check (GVW < 3.5 tons)

Form n° 6: Report of the initial conformity check (PTAC > 3,5 tons)

Sheet n° 7: Individual national type-approval form for a vehicle

Sheet n° 8: Bodywork certificate / bodywork assembly certificate in accordance with annex IX of the decree of 19 July 1954

Form 9: Certificate of assembly of a coupling device on a road tractor

Sheet n° 10: Single vehicle type approval report (for information only) 

Important clarification: These documents can be combined in order for a new vehicle registration file to comply with the regulations.

Authorized professionals are reminded that they must keep their registration files complete with all technical documents: if the regulations require several technical documents to be presented together, they must be archived and presented to the prefecture in the event of an inspection.