NSAI ATC: Approved Test Centre

Have your vehicle or trailer “Type Appoved” at Automotive Services Centre, one of only two ATC centres in Dublin.

To read the latest RSA pronouncement relating to type approval please read below:

To download the HGV Stakeholder note please click here, or to read the document on our website

To download the Heavy Trailer Stakeholder note please click here, or to read the document on our website

To download the Light Trailer Stakeholder note please click here, or to read the document on our website

Type Approval Heavy Goods Vehicle Document RSA

Source: RSA

September 2012

Heavy Goods Vehicle (N2 and N3)

Type Approval Leaflet

From October 29th 2012

APPROVAL REQUIRED AT REGISTRATION

A new heavy goods vehicle (HGV – Gross Vehicle Design Weight in excess of 3,500kg), presented for

registration must have type approval certification from the following dates:

§ 29th of October 2012 – Complete (single stage built) vehicles

§ 29th of October 2014 – Completed (multistage built) and Special purpose vehicles

From October 29th 2012 onwards, the registration system used by the Revenue Commissioners and

Applus+ will change in order to capture the type approval data for relevant vehicles.

[2]

Background

Due to safety, environmental, and trade reasons, the European Union has set harmonised

construction standards for new road vehicles. Any vehicle that has been approved to these

standards can be registered and used in any country within the European Union. This is known as

European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval or, in short, ECWVTA.

ECWVTA already applies to cars, vans and buses and from October 29th 2012 onwards, the system

will extend to include HGV’s (EU Categories N2 and N3) and Ireland is obliged to ensure that new

vehicles entering the national fleet are ‘type approved’ and have approval certification to ensure

that they meet with minimum safety and environmental standards. Type approval is mandated in all

Member States of the European Union by EC Directive 2007/46/EC and this Directive has been

transposed into Irish law by S.I. No. 157 of 2009 and S.I. No. 158 of 2009. The Directive allows

Member States to introduce national approval schemes and Ireland has introduced the National

Small Series Type Approval (NSSTA) and the Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) schemes for the

approval of vehicles manufactured in small numbers or as individual vehicles. The technical and

administrative requirements associated with NSSTA and IVA are less onerous than those of ECWVTA.

The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) is the Irish appointed approval authority and is

responsible for issuing NSSTA and IVA for vehicles in Ireland. The NSAI has established a network of

Approved Test Centre’s (ATC) who physically examine and issue test reports for some or all of the

technical requirements. These test reports are then used by NSAI to grant the vehicle or trailer

approvals.

Upcoming Approval dates affecting heavy goods vehicles

An application to register a new HGV (EU category N2 or N3) must be accompanied by an EC or Irish

certificate of conformity (CoC) or individual approval certificate from the following dates:

§ 29th of October 2012 – Complete (single stage built) vehicles

§ 29th of October 2014 – Completed (multistage built) and Special purpose vehicles

A complete vehicle means a vehicle which has been manufactured in a single stage (i.e. by a single

manufacturer). It requires no further work prior to registration, and an example of this would be a

mass produced vehicle, in a finished condition. One manufacturer makes the whole vehicle and sells

it as a complete vehicle.

A completed vehicle is one which has been manufactured in more than one stage (i.e. by more than

one manufacturer). An example of this would be a manufacturer who imports an incomplete rigid

truck chassis and assembles a body so that the completed vehicle requires no further work and is in

a finished condition.

A Special Purpose vehicle is defined in Directive 2007/46/EC as a vehicle “having specific technical

features in order to perform a function which requires special arrangements and/or equipment”.

[3]

These are vehicles which, because of their technical features, they cannot meet the technical

requirements of the Directives specified in Annex IV of Directive 2007/46/EC. In order for a

manufacturer to declare that a vehicle is special purpose, the manufacturer should first consult with

the NSAI (or another European approval authority).

What proof of approval will the Revenue Commissioners/ Applus+ need to register my vehicle

An application to first register an N2 or N3 vehicle after the relevant approval dates must be

accompanied by either of the following:

· An EC Certificate of Conformity (EC CoC). This certificate is issued in respect of a vehicle

that meets the European Communities Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA)

requirements. This certificate allows the vehicle to enter into service in any Member State

of the European Union.

· An Irish National Small Series Type Approval Certificate of Conformity (NSSTA CoC). This

certificate is issued in respect of a vehicle that meets Ireland’s National Small Series Type

Approval requirements. Upon purchasing a vehicle, the NSSTA CoC is issued by the

manufacturer to the purchaser and signifies that the vehicle is of a type which has been

approved by the NSAI. The number of N2 or N3 vehicles which can be approved as part of a

small series is limited to 250 per year.

· An Irish Individual Vehicle Approval Certificate (IVA Certificate). This certificate is issued in

respect of a vehicle that meets Ireland’s Individual Vehicle Approval requirements, a scheme

suited for vehicles imported or manufactured in very small numbers or as individual vehicles.

Each vehicle is examined individually and when the technical requirements are met, an IVA

Certificate is issued by the NSAI to the owner or manufacturer.

If you import a new vehicle and it has national approval certification from a Member State of the

European Union other than Ireland, please contact the NSAI in order to have the certification and/or

vehicle examined in order to verify whether Ireland’s national approval requirements are met.

Should the NSAI consider that Ireland’s approval requirements are met, then the NSAI will issue you

with an Irish IVA certificate.

[4]

Contact Details

The NSAI – Irelands Approval Authority

The NSAI (National Standards Authority of Ireland) is Ireland’s appointed Approval Authority and are

responsible for issuing all national approvals (IVA or NSSTA) for vehicles in Ireland. In order to make

enquiries about obtaining approval, please contact the NSAI at the following:

www.nsai.ie

Tel: 01 8073800

Fax: 01 8073838

Email: info@nsai.ie

Address: NSAI, 1 Swift Square, Northwood, Santry, Dublin 9

Revenue Commissioners

The Revenue Commissioners are the registration authority for mechanically propelled vehicles in

Ireland. Please visit Revenue’s website at www.revenue.ie for further information relating to first

registration of vehicles or importing of vehicles.

Road Safety Authority – RSA

The RSA website contains further information on the type approval process including; FAQ’s,

implementation dates and links to the relevant legislation. Please visit the RSA website at

www.rsa.ie and navigate your way through to vehicle type approval. If you need further

information, you can email ecwvta@rsa.ie or phone 096-25040 or 096-25014. Copies of an

interactive CD, issued originally in January 2009, are still available on request.

[5]

FAQ’s for Manufacturers/ Bodybuilders

How manufacturers/ bodybuilders can get approval for their vehicles?

An EC Certificate of Conformity (EC CoC) – proof that the vehicle meets with European Communities

Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA)

ECWVTA consists of a series of tests carried out on a prototype vehicle and on the production

process used to manufacture the vehicle. If the vehicle and production process pass these stringent

safety and environmental tests, then the vehicle receives EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval. Each

subsequent vehicle manufactured in the same way is issued with an EC Certificate of Conformity (EC

CoC) which allows the vehicle to enter the fleet of any Member State of the EU.

In order to achieve ECWVTA, manufacturers need to apply for approval to an Approval Authority, of

which there is one in each of the Member States of the European Union. Applying for ECWVTA can

be costly and onerous and involves strict conformity of production requirements, but its main

advantage is that it allows manufacturers to sell throughout the EU in unlimited quantities. In order

to achieve ECWVTA, a heavy goods vehicle (category N2 or N3) must meet with all of the relevant

separate Directives and Regulations listed in Annex IV of 2007/46/EC.

Irish National Small Series Type Approval Certificate of Conformity (NSSTA CoC)

There are a number of small to medium businesses who manufacture or assemble heavy goods

vehicles in small volumes for the Irish market. These manufacturers may find ECWVTA prohibitively

expensive due to the limited quantities of vehicles they produce. Therefore, Ireland has introduced

a national small series type approval (NSSTA) scheme for the approval of such vehicles. The NSSTA

scheme is administratively less onerous than ECWVTA and where appropriate, alternative technical

requirements apply. There are also reduced Conformity of Production requirements. Once NSSTA

has been granted by the NSAI to the manufacturer, the manufacturer may issue a Certificate of

Conformity (CoC) for each vehicle produced, however the number of heavy goods vehicles of one

type that a manufacture may produce in a year is limited to 250.

NSSTA is applied for in the Member State where vehicles are destined to be sold. The National

Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) is the Irish appointed approval authority and is responsible for

issuing NSSTA for vehicles in Ireland. The NSAI has established a network of Appointed Test Centre’s

(ATC) who physically examine and issue test reports for some or all of the technical requirements.

These test reports are then used by NSAI as part of an application for national small series type

approval. In order to achieve NSSTA, a heavy goods vehicle must demonstrate compliance with all

of the technical requirements relevant to category N2 or N3 vehicles set out in Part 3 of Schedule 3

of S.I. No. 158 of 2009. These requirements are derived from the EC requirements but with certain

exemptions and variations.

[6]

Irish Individual Vehicle Approval Certificate (IVA Certificate)

Ireland has introduced the Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) scheme for the approval of new vehicles

imported or manufactured in very small numbers or as individual vehicles. The technical and

administrative requirements associated with IVA are less onerous than those of NSSTA or ECWVTA.

Once a vehicle passes an IVA inspection, an Individual Vehicle Approval Certificate is issued which

allows the vehicle to be first licensed in Ireland. As with NSSTA, the NSAI administer the IVA scheme

in Ireland and manufacturers should contact them for more details.

If you are involved in importing or manufacturing vehicles in very small numbers or as individual

vehicles, then the IVA scheme may be the best commercial decision for you. There is no limit to the

number of vehicles that can be sold. However, as each vehicle is approved individually, the cost of

approving several vehicles may be greater than the cost for NSSTA. The NSAI can help advise which

option is more suitable for you.

In order to achieve IVA, a heavy goods vehicle must meet with the technical requirements set out in

Part 5 of Schedule 3 of S.I. No. 158 of 2009. These requirements are derived from the NSSTA

requirements but with certain exemptions and variations.

What kind of proof of approval will I get if I am a Manufacturer?

Once approval has been granted by the approval authority in Ireland, (the NSAI), the manufacturer

will get an Approval Certificate. It will either be an ECWVTA, or an Irish NSSTA, or an Irish IVA.

When selling a vehicle you (the manufacturer) are required to give the buyer a Certificate of

Conformity if that type of vehicle has been checked to ECWVTA or Irish NSSTA, or pass on the Irish

Individual Vehicle Certificate if that vehicle has been individually approved. For Irish NSSTA, copies

of the CoC must also be sent to NSAI.

To legally issue a Certificate of Conformity, you will need to ensure that each vehicle sold is the same

type as the vehicle originally approved. This will mean cooperating with the approval authority to

confirm that the production conforms to that type. This is known as Conformity of Production. The

Conformity of Production requirements will be agreed with the approval authority as part of the type

approval procedure. There are no Conformity of Production requirements for IVA.

I am a bodybuilder. Am I a manufacturer and if so, how do I get a proof of approval?

As you are completing part of the vehicle build and you have responsibility for the safety or

environmental acceptability of the construction of the vehicle, you are considered to be a

manufacturer. As a manufacturer you can apply to the NSAI for Irish national approval or to any

Approval Authority in any Member State of the European Union for ECWVTA.

You will only need to take responsibility for those parts of the vehicle that you have added or

modified. If the base vehicle that you have worked upon had been issued with an incomplete

[7]

approval (prior to the work), then these approvals will remain valid as long as the base vehicle

systems and components are unaltered. However, certain modifications will alter the approvals of

the base vehicle. If you add an axle for example, then tests will be required to be carried out on the

braking devices of the vehicle, also the tyres on the new wheels added will have to have had

component approval, etc. The body builder will need to understand whether the work they carry

out affects the validity of the approvals issued at an earlier stage. The exchange of information is

very important during the multi stage build process and body builders will generally require access

to the base vehicle manufacturer’s approval information and ensure that modifications carried out

are in line with the base vehicle manufacturer’s guidelines where applicable.

I manufacture vehicles for Ireland and one other EU Member State (the UK for example). Do I

need different approvals for each market?

If your vehicle has ECWVTA, you will not need separate approvals for each Member State (as these

approvals are acceptable throughout the EU).

If your vehicle has an Irish NSSTA or IVA then you will need to contact the registration authorities in

the Member State where you wish to register the vehicle in order to establish whether or not the

Irish approval is acceptable in their jurisdiction. The approval certificate will be examined for

equivalency with the requirements of the Member State where you wish to sell the vehicle. Unless

the relevant authorities determine that the national approval requirements for their country have

been met, then sale/ registration may not be granted.

The RSA are actively pursuing mutual recognition arrangements between Ireland and the UK.

Although there is currently no formal mutual recognition arrangement currently in place, a great

similarity exists between the NSSTA and IVA technical specifications in both jurisdictions. This

should reduce the barriers to acceptance and reduce the cost of achieving approval in the UK for

vehicles which have successfully achieved approval in Ireland (and vice versa).

As a manufacturer, how much will national approval (NSSTA or IVA) cost?

The fees for approval work are charged based on the amount of time taken to carry out the

administrative work and also based on the amount of testing involved. However, the NSAI will try

to provide an estimate for the costs involved, once the scope of work has been agreed with the

manufacturer.

Type Approval Heavy Trailer Document RSA

Source: RSA

September 2012

Heavy Goods Trailer (O3 and O4)

Type Approval Leaflet

From October 29th 2012

APPROVAL REQUIRED AT FIRST LICENSING

In order to first license a heavy goods trailer (trailer with a Gross Vehicle Design Weight in excess of

3,500kg) at your local authority from October 29th 2012 onwards, you must ensure to have type

approval certification where the trailer is a:

§ Complete (single stage built) trailer manufactured on or after the 29th of October 2012

§ Completed (multistage built) trailer manufactured on or after the 29th of October 2013

§ Special purpose trailer manufactured on or after the 29th of October 2014

Trailers which do not require approval include trailers which were manufactured prior to the dates

outlined above, trailers designed to be towed exclusively by agricultural tractors and trailers which

were previously registered in another Member State of the European Union.

This leaflet explains how the system of trailer licensing at your local authority motor tax office will

change from October 29th 2012 in order to capture type approval data for relevant trailers and the

information required for other trailers. The leaflet also contains contact details for the relevant

national authorities and has a list of FAQ’s in relation to type approval for trailer manufacturers and

bodybuilders.

[2]

Changes to the requirements for first licensing of Heavy Goods Trailers

HGV operators should be aware that from the 29th October onwards certain categories of Heavy

goods trailers (trailers with a Gross Vehicle Design Weight in excess of 3,500kg) must be

accompanied by a type approval certificate in order to be licensed for the first time in Ireland. A

type approval certificate confirms that a trailer meets prescribed safety and environmental

standards. The categories affected are as follows:-

– Trailers manufactured on or after 29th October 2012 in one single stage by a single

manufacturer. (Complete trailers)

– Trailers manufactured on or after 29th October 2013 in more than one stage i.e. by more

than one manufacturer. (Completed trailers)

– Special Purpose trailers manufactured on or after the 29th October 2014.

A type approval certificate will be supplied by the distributor/manufacturer when you purchase your

trailer and either EC or Irish approval certificates are acceptable

Heavy Goods Trailers which are designed to be towed exclusively by agricultural tractors and

trailers which are designed and constructed exclusively for use by the Defence Forces, civil defence,

Garda Siochana or fire services are exempt from the requirement to have a type approval certificate

regardless of their date of manufacture.

In order to license any of the trailers in the above categories the trailer owner must present the

following documentation to their local Authority along with a €60 fee.

1. Form TF100 which contains the name and address of the trailer owner and certain

characteristics of trailer (e.g. chassis number) and

2. Form TF300A (previously form TF 300) which is a weight identification certificate. A copy of

the type approval certificate must be attached to this form.

In order to license a vehicle previously licensed or registered in another EU Member State the same

process as above applies however you will be required to supply evidence of previous registration or

licensing in another Member State with the Form TF300A. Either a registration certificate from the

relevant Member State or alternatively a letter from the national trailer registration/licensing

authority is acceptable.

For trailers that do not fall into the categories mentioned above i.e. the following categories

– Trailers manufactured prior to the 29th October 2012

– Completed (multistage built) trailers manufactured on or after the 29th of October 2013.

A completed trailer means a trailer which has been manufactured in more than one

stage (i.e. by more than one manufacturer). An example of this would be a

manufacturer who imports an incomplete trailer chassis and assembles a body so that

the completed trailer requires no further work and is in a finished condition.

– Special purpose trailers manufactured prior to 29th October 2014. A Special Purpose

vehicle is defined in Directive 2007/46/EC as a vehicle “having specific technical features

in order to perform a function which requires special arrangements and/or equipment”.

[3]

These are trailers which, because of their technical features, cannot meet the technical

requirements of the Directives specified in Annex IV of Directive 2007/46/EC. In order

for a manufacturer to declare that a trailer is special purpose the manufacturer should

first consult with the NSAI (or another European approval authority).

– Trailers designed and constructed to be towed exclusively by agricultural tractors or

trailers designed and constructed exclusively for use by the Defence Forces, Civil

defence, Garda Siochana or Fire services.

a type approval certificate is not required however it remains the legal responsibility of all vehicle

owners to ensure that any vehicle used in a public place complies with the relevant Road Traffic

legislation1

In order to get a trailer in these categories registered/licensed the vehicle owner must present the

following documentation to their local authority along with a €60 fee.

1. Form TF100 which contains the name and address of the trailer owner and certain

characteristics of the trailer and

2. Form TF300B (previously Form TF300). This form must be completed by the manufacturer

or where the manufacturer cannot be contacted the form must be completed by an

Approved Test Centre (ATC) of the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). The

details which shall be verified include the date of manufacture and the total and individual

axle weights for the trailer. For a full list of ATC’s and their scope of work, please visit

www.nsai.ie or click on the following: http://www.nsai.ie/Our-

Services/Certification/Automotive-Certification/Motor-Vehicle-Approval-

Schemes/Approved-Test-Centers.aspx

All of the forms referred to in this information note are available from your local Motor Tax Office

and are available to download from certain local authority websites.

Requirements for Heavy Goods Trailers following first licensing.

Annual Licensing

It is a legal requirement that heavy goods trailers are licensed annually at your local motor tax office.

There is no fee to renew the license and the period of license is 12 months. The owner should

submit a form TF100 together with the license card and a valid certificate of roadworthiness.

Modified Trailers

Where a trailer that has already been licensed is subsequently modified in respect of any details

contained on the original form TF300A/B then a new Form TF300B must be completed and

forwarded to the licensing authority together with the Trailer License Card. The licensing authority

will then make any necessary amendments on the licence card and return it to the owner.

Change of particulars

1 Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations as amended, Road Traffic

(Construction and Use of Vehicles) Regulations as amended, Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations as

amended

[4]

Where the details of the owner have changed e.g. address Form TF100 together with the License

Card must be forwarded to the licensing authority who will make the necessary amendments.

Notification of sale

When a trailer is sold the Form TF200 (notification of trailer ownership) shall be completed by both

the buyer and the seller and submitted along with the Trailer license card to the motor tax office

who will then issue a replacement license card to the new owner

Scrapped/Destroyed/Exported trailers.

The owner is required to notify the local authority motor tax office in writing and surrender the

license card for the trailer

Replacement Trailer Licensing card

Where a replacement licensing card is required the owner should submit form RF134 to the local

authority motor tax office with a fee of €6 who will then issue a new licensing card.

Background to Type Approval

Due to safety, environmental, and trade reasons, the European Union has set harmonised

construction standards for new road vehicles. Any vehicle that has been approved to these

standards can be registered and used in any country within the European Union. This is known as

European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval or, in short, ECWVTA.

ECWVTA already applies to cars, vans and buses and from October 29th 2012 onwards, the system of

type approval will extend to include heavy goods trailers and Ireland is obliged to ensure that new

trailers entering the national fleet are ‘type approved’ and have approval certification to ensure that

they meet with minimum safety and environmental standards. Type approval is mandated in all