Starting November 29, 2026, car dealerships and vehicle registration authorities in Slovakia will begin issuing a new document—the vehicle environmental passport. This digital certificate is part of the new Euro 7 standard and will contain detailed information about the vehicle’s environmental impact.
If you already have a registered car, there’s no need to worry: nothing will change for you. This new requirement applies only to new cars.
What is an environmental vehicle passport, and why is it needed?
An Environmental Vehicle Passport (EVP) is a digital “birth certificate” for a vehicle that records its environmental characteristics. Unlike a paper vehicle registration certificate, this document will exist only in electronic form, without a physical copy.
Its main purpose is to provide you and regulatory authorities with transparent and standardized information about the car throughout its entire “lifetime.”
Here’s what the passport will include:
- Emissions levels of CO₂ and other pollutants.
- Official fuel or electricity consumption.
- Electric range (for electric vehicles and hybrids).
- Battery condition and lifespan (SOCE—State of Certified Energy).
- Level of particulate matter emissions from the brakes.
- Other parameters related to the vehicle’s environmental performance and efficiency.
This information will come in handy, for example, if you plan to buy a used car in the future. The vehicle registration certificate will allow you to objectively assess the condition of its battery or its actual emissions figures.
Who is affected: Do you need to replace the vehicle registration certificate?
The bottom line: if you’re already driving your car on Slovak roads, you don’t need to do anything. This requirement is not retroactive, so you won’t have to visit the inspection office or replace your existing documents. The environmental certificate does not replace the standard registration certificate (vehicle registration certificate), which drivers must still carry with them.
The new regulation will be implemented in two phases and will apply exclusively to new vehicles:
- Starting November 29, 2026: The requirement applies to new types of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles that manufacturers submit for approval (type approval) for the EU market.
- Starting November 29, 2027: The requirement will become mandatory for all new vehicles in these categories sold and registered in Slovakia, even if they are models already on the market.
Therefore, the change will affect only those who purchase a new vehicle after the specified dates.
How will this work, and how much will it cost?
Access to the environmental passport data will be as simple as possible. The information can be obtained in two ways:
- By scanning a QR code that will be permanently affixed to the vehicle’s body (for example, on a door pillar).
- Through the car’s onboard system (infotainment), where the data must be accessible in no more than five clicks.
The vehicle manufacturer will be responsible for creating, verifying, and storing this data for at least 20 years.
EU legislation does not provide for any separate fees or charges to drivers for issuing this passport. However, as noted by Slovak automotive publications, it is possible that manufacturers may include the associated costs in the final price of new vehicles.
What other changes will the Euro 7 standard bring?
The environmental passport is just one part of a large package of Euro 7 updates. In addition to data transparency, the new standard introduces, for the first time, stricter requirements for indirect emissions and component durability.
Key changes include:
- Limits on brake emissions: For the first time, the amount of particulate matter generated during braking will be regulated.
- Battery durability requirements: Minimum battery capacity retention standards are being established for electric vehicles and hybrids. For example, after 5 years of operation or 100,000 km of mileage, capacity must not fall below 80% of the original capacity, and after 8 years or 160,000 km, it must not fall below 72%.
