Back in 2010, I commented on needing "Umweltzonen" car stickers to get into some German cities.
http://2cv67blog.blogspot.fr/2010/08/umweltzonen.html
Back then, I got stickers for €6 each.
Having now acquired a new car, it seemed like time to get a new sticker, so I Googled a bit, struggled a bit with several sites in German, then found some sites with French or English options.
Since 2010, European solidarity seems to have receded somewhat & charges are now higher for cars registered outside Germany.
This site looked promising:
http://www.eco-pastille.fr/en/shop.html
But the stickers work out at €29.90 (handwritten) or €39.90 (printed)!!
Various TuV sites appeared high on the Google results, so I tried this one:
http://www.tuev-sued.de/auto_fahrzeuge/feinstaub-plakette/feinstaubplakette_ausland/frankreich
Here, stickers are €5 if you collect, or €15 by post, according to the French-language version.
I couldn't find anything about stickers on the English-language one...
A different TuV site in English, offers stickers by post for €12.50:
http://www.tuev-nord.de/en/emissions-sticker/Order_2897.htm
so I settled for that one.
The procedure is a bit odd, in that you have to download a non-saveable PDF order form, print it, fill it in, scan it & send it back as an e-mail attachment together with a scan of the registration document.
What I expected to happen next was an e-mail telling me which category I was entitled to & telling me how to pay.
What actually happened was I got a nice new (printed) sticker through the post... and an invitation to pay, preferably by bank transfer (with BIC & IBAN codes).
I wonder how many French (or UK) establishments send you the goods first & ask you to pay afterwards?
After paying for my new sticker, I re-read my 2010 post & idly clicked on the link:
https://www.berlin.de/labo/kfz/dienstleistungen/feinstaubplakette.shop.en.php
Surprisingly, Berlin still seems to be offering stickers for €6, at least for German cars!
I didn't get far enough through the ordering process to confirm the price for foreign vehicles, but it might still be the best place to start!
Parting thot: "Taxes grow without rain." - Jewish proverb
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