German "Unweltplakette" = rip off

[Belgian]

In Germany an environmental badge (Umweltplakette) is obligatory in certain city zones.
http://www.umwelt-plakette.de/int_england.php?SID=fbeni5uv4rhf9d53oqpg1hp4q6
You can have: red, yellow, green.
Green is only for smaller vehicles.
Yellow and red applies for our diesel engines (most of our MH's have Fiat, Citroën, Peugeot, Talbot)
You can buy a sticker for 39,8€ (In Germany 6€ !!) no rip-off ????
and: I quote:
The yellow and the red badges are valid as long as the respective green zones in Germany will allow this. Usually it will be handled like this: about 1 to 2 years after the start of the green zone will the entrance no longer be allowed with a red or yellow badge.
Buy a sticker this year and it might be worthless next year
My advice:
Don't buy a sticker. It are really those centres of towns where you normally don't drive in with a MH. All 'Stellplätze" are outside these zones.
And, but this is a personal opinion, I prefer wild plain nature to spend the night ,more than a crowdy, unsafe, noisy city-centre.
Bluntly: "Sie können die Plakette in ihren Deutschen Arsch stecken"
(I'm so happy I can swear without ****'s )

 

[Deleted member 3011]

Real pain spending much time in Germany without one though. Huge areas around some cities require them and even finding somewhere to get your vehicle serviced is often hard in some areas.

Others (Don Madge??) have reported getting the sticker by posting the application with 6 Euros in cash sent in the envelope so not necessarily all that expensive.

 

[Belgian]

Real pain spending much time in Germany without one though. Huge areas around some cities require them and even finding somewhere to get your vehicle serviced is often hard in some areas.

Others (Don Madge??) have reported getting the sticker by posting the application with 6 Euros in cash sent in the envelope so not necessarily all that expensive.

Hi Tony,
If you have a carefull look at the maps on their sites; you will see that these are really mostly historical- bussines- or shopping- city centers and that all highways crossing them are exempted from it. The "Ruhrgebiet" is a big area indeed, but parcelled up and really not such an attracting industrial area for motorhoming.
Most of the big garages and service-centers are on the outskirts of the towns.
If you find it neccesary to buy a sticker go to one of the big highway service stations with your pink car registration. They look in a list of the makes and dates and you have your sticker delivered in no time for 6€.

 

[janeandbob]

Hi Belgian, all along you have said you are not buying one.

See this: http://www.wildcamping.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=3325&highlight=umwelt+sticker

Well we have ours and it was only 5 euros, and we are well happy.

I leave it to the people that go to Germany, and if they want one they will buy one. I spend a lot of time there, and we are not that worried about 5 euros, and if it makes my life a little easier, thats good enough for me.


Anyone who wants one :

http://www.stadt-koeln.de/imperia/md/content/pdfdateien/pdf57/umweltzone/21.pdf

It last as long as you have the vehicle, Bob.


PS I should add that I applied for a red sticker, as it said on the list, and they sent me a yellow one.

 

[Deleted member 3011]

Our MH is registered and garaged in Germany so has one anyway. Around Stuttgart, a lot of the commercial areas are covered by the zone and while it is always possible to find supermarkets and fuel outlets outside, things like laundromats and tourist attractions are often inside the zone and I have enough trouble watching out for speed cameras in Germany without having to check whether there is a 'traffic light' sign on a particular road. 6 Euros saves the worry.

 

[Belgian]

It seems German authorities will exempt foreign registered cars to have a sticker.
First there is some hassle about the price: in Germany normally around 5€; abroad some organisations are demanding 39€.
Secondly; on certain Tüv (German MOT) you should have a registration number (filters) only German registered cars have. On the other hand some garages hand out stickers without any registration.
No doubt Germans are puzled with their own 'Grundigkeit".
Wait and see. I keep you informed about it.
(I've been to Cologne a few weeks ago: the zone is really the inner city. You can easyly avoid it. The 'Stellplatz' in Riehl (just north of the city) is out of the zone.)

 

[steveyanne]

These stickers are easy to pick up.
If you stop in a motorway services or autohof look for a silver VW van with blue lights and the word "BAG" on the side. These are ministry of transport inspectors and are checking truck tacho's and that Maut tolls have been paid etc.
They well sell you an "UMWELT" sticker on the spot for 5 Euro's, easy