Blue Environmental Badge in Germany

The blue badge aimed to reduce the concentration of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and improve the air quality in cities by restricting entry to older diesel cars.

The introduction of the blue environmental badge was rejected by the German federal government, meaning it never came into effect.

Don’t Forget the Mandatory Green Badge

However, you are still obliged to have the environmental badge, the so-called Umweltplakette, affixed on the windscreen of your car. The vast majority of cities – including Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne and Munich – only allow vehicles with the green environmental badge to enter. The obligation applies to both German and foreign cars, and in the event of a violation, you may be fined up to 100 euros, i.e. about £ 90.

Who Would Have Received the Blue Badge?

Petrol vehicles that met the green badge requirements would have been entitled to the blue badge. The problem would have arisen with diesel cars, for which stricter rules would have applied. It was assumed that only diesel cars with a minimum level of air pollution that met the Euro 6 emissions standard would have received the sticker. It would therefore have included newer diesel cars with a production date from September 2015. At the end, the blue environmental badge was never introduced.

Blue Low Emission Zones

Although a nationwide “blue badge” system was never established, local “blue” low emission zones were introduced only in Munich, Stuttgart and Darmstadt. In Berlin and Hamburg, similar local measures were later abolished.

It is intended to concern cities and municipalities that regularly exceed nitrogen oxide limits. These low emission zones have either permanent or temporary validity, for example, in cases of extremely high concentrations of pollutants or during selected time periods.

Such strict conditions would complicate transport for many German citizens who own diesel vehicles; the expansion never took place nationwide.

What our customers say

Thank you Martin
The badge arrived safely here today.
Very efficient service.

Malcolm T.

United Kingdom

Hi Martin,
Thank you for the quick reply. Once again thank you for your patience. Will gladly use you again.
Regards

John G.

Hi Martin,
That’s ok, it has arrived safely today. Very quick service!
Thanks so much for your help.

Adam M.

Hello,
Thank you very much Marie. Your help has been fantastic.
Enjoy your weekend also.
Kind regards,

Megan F.

Dear Martin,
The badge has now arrived as ordered, so I just wanted to say thank you very much for all your help and answering all my requests.
Kind regards,

Paul H.

hi, a very big thank-you from mrs h. and i. we received the badge this morning.sorry about the misunderstanding but we have had so much from the tv about scams we get worried.
once again thank you.