Berlin low-emission zone
Independent, non-governmental site: not an authority’s service, no sticker sales.
The preset is a Euro 3 diesel with a yellow sticker. Enter your vehicle: the check shows whether it may enter the Berlin zone.
May I drive into Berlin?
No, entry not allowed
Berlin zone: you need a green sticker.
| Zone | Berlin |
| State | Berlin |
| Green only since | 1 January 2010 |
| Status | active |
| Fine if you enter | €100, no points |
Sources: Federal Environment Agency list · berlin.de
Berlin’s low-emission zone covers the city centre inside the S-Bahn ring, the so-called Großer Hundekopf, an area of about 88 square kilometres. It was one of Germany’s first zones: stage one applied from 1 January 2008, and since 1 January 2010 only vehicles with a green sticker or an exemption may enter. Berlin thus skipped the yellow intermediate stage. The S-Bahn line itself forms the boundary; roads crossing the ring carry sign 270.1 at the entry. The legal basis is the state clean-air plan, managed by the Senate Department for the Environment. According to the Senate Department, vehicles with an e-plate are exempt from the sticker; since 1 October 2026 this also follows nationwide from Annex 3 number 11 of the 35th BImSchV. Berlin currently has no diesel ban, so a green sticker is enough for any diesel. Driving or parking in the zone without the right sticker risks the nationwide fine of 100 euros. Outside the ring, for example in Spandau, Köpenick or at BER airport, no sticker is required.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Stages of the Berlin zone
| Stage | from |
|---|---|
| Stage 1: red, yellow, green allowed | 1 January 2008 |
| Stage 2: yellow and green allowed | 1 January 2010 |
| Stage 3: green only | 1 January 2010 |
Area
The Senate Department describes the area as the centre inside the S-Bahn ring. It includes Mitte, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, Prenzlauer Berg and the inner parts of Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf, Schöneberg, Neukölln, Wedding and Moabit. The exact line is shown on the map on the Senate Department’s page.
What is different in Berlin
Berlin has no diesel bans, unlike Stuttgart and Munich. An electric car with an e-plate needs no sticker. Visitors from abroad will find the rules on the foreign vehicles page; if you continue to Leipzig, test the trip with the route check.