Exemptions from the environmental zone

Fine dust sticker, environmental badge - different names that all mean the same thing, namely the pollutant-related badge for your vehicle that you have needed since January 1, 2009 to drive in Bremen's environmental zone.

Exemption permits, because you have to enter the environmental zone without an environmental badge / fine dust sticker, are issued by the Office for Roads and Traffic Herdentorsteinweg 49/50 28195 Bremen.

You can find a lot of information on the homepage: www.umweltzone.bremen.de

Requirements

The federal uniform identification ordinance provides for general exemptions:

• two- and three-wheeled motor vehicles
• Historic motor vehicles (classic cars) with the additional license plate "H".
• ambulances, doctor's cars with the marking "Arzt Notfalleinsatz" (emergency doctor)
• Motor vehicles driven or ridden by persons who are exceptionally disabled, helpless or blind and who have the marks "aG", "H" or "Bl" on their severely disabled person's card.
• Vehicles of the police, fire department, disaster control or refuse collection vehicles, for which special rights may be claimed in accordance with § 35 StVO.
• Vehicles of the Federal Armed Forces and NATO.
• Mobile machines and devices.
• Working machines
• Agricultural and forestry tractors.

Beyond the general exceptions that apply nationwide, the following vehicles are not affected by the driving restriction in Bremen:

• Coaches in occasional and regular long-distance traffic with a yellow sticker until the end of 30.06.2012.
• Vehicles with red license plates
• Vehicles with short-term license plates
• Diplomatic vehicles
• Motor homes traveling on the routes Friedrich-Ebert-Straße, Wilhelm-Kaisen-Brücke, Werderstraße, Kuhhirtenweg or Doventor, Martinistraße, Wilhelm-Kaisen-Brücke, Werderstraße, Kuhhirtenweg to or from the parking lot for motor homes at Kuhhirtenweg.

Informal proof is sufficient for the following cases:

• Passenger cars of guests of lodging establishments located in the Low Emission Zone may enter the Low Emission Zone for the duration of their stay. The prerequisite is that a booking confirmation of the establishment for the period of stay is visibly placed behind the windshield of the passenger car.
• Vehicles on the way to and from a workshop in the Low Emission Zone, if an appointment confirmation from the workshop can be presented.
• Vehicles on journeys in connection with a police or calibration inspection with proof of appointment.

In three cases, general requirements for the granting of an exemption are met:

• Either the vehicle cannot be technically retrofitted with commercially available installation kits in such a way that it complies with the applicable emissions standard and the owner cannot reasonably be expected financially to purchase a suitable replacement vehicle.
• Or there are delays in retrofitting or replacement, for example because of delivery bottlenecks for technical components.
• Or even the retrofitting would mean economic or social hardship for the owner.

In all cases, the vehicle must have been registered to the applicant before 17.06.2008.

Exemptions can also be granted if special requirements are met. Severely disabled persons (with the mark "G" in their disabled person's ID card), commuters and residents of the low emission zone can be granted an exemption for private journeys in the low emission zone under these conditions.

Certain types of company vehicles, for which special conditions are met, can also be exempted from the ban on driving in the low emission zone. This applies to special vehicles, to so-called economic hardship cases and to some market vehicles.