What is the difference between type approval and the vehicle registration document?
Last verified: 2026-06-20
| Feature | Type approval (TG) | Vehicle registration document |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | the vehicle type (class) | the individual vehicle |
| Issuing authority | ASTRA (Confederation) | cantonal road traffic office |
| Recipient | importer / manufacturer | vehicle keeper |
| Attests… | the technical conformity of the type | the lawful registration of the vehicle |
Type approval confirms that a particular vehicle type meets Swiss requirements. It is the precondition for individual vehicles of that type to be registered at all. ASTRA stores the type data in the Vehicle Admission Information System (IVZ).
The vehicle registration document is the individual admission document. The cantonal road traffic office retrieves the type data from the IVZ, links them to the keeper’s data and the vehicle identification number (VIN), and issues the registration document. It is delivered to the keeper together with the licence plates.
Field 24 of the registration document normally contains the Swiss type approval or data sheet number. For vehicles registered on the basis of an (electronic) certificate of conformity, field 24 instead shows “IVI” or “IVIX” (Initial Vehicle Information).
Introduction of the IVI/eCoC admission regime in Switzerland: New admission regime (NZR) (As of: 2021-12-01)
Under the new admission regime (NZR, since December 2021), the “Initial Vehicle Information” (IVI) replaces the previous type or data sheet approval for eCoC vehicles. The electronic data sheet portal (edatenblatt.astra.admin.ch) provides the vehicle-specific IVI data.
Sources
- Electronic data sheet portal (eDatenblatt) — ASTRA – Federal Roads Office
- Directive WPB 13.20 (field 24: IVI/IVIX in the registration document) — ASTRA – Federal Roads Office
- Vehicle type approval — ASTRA – Federal Roads Office