TÜV (Technischer Überwachungsverein) is technically the name of one of several organizations allowed to carry out the inspection, but it has become the everyday word Germans use for the whole process. The legal name for the safety inspection is Hauptuntersuchung (HU), governed by Paragraph 29 of Germany's road traffic licensing regulation (StVZO). The emissions check, Abgasuntersuchung (AU), is normally carried out at the same appointment. The inspection can legally be performed by TÜV, DEKRA, GTÜ, KÜS, or any other officially recognized testing organization, not only companies with "TÜV" in the name.
For most privately used passenger cars, the first HU is due 36 months after the vehicle's first registration, and every inspection after that is due every 24 months. The deadline is shown as a month and year on the inspection sticker (Prüfplakette) on the rear license plate. Motorcycles, taxis, rental cars, campervans, trailers, and commercial vehicles can follow different intervals depending on vehicle type, weight, and use.
The HU covers items such as lights, brakes, steering, suspension, tires, the exhaust system, visible corrosion or structural damage, seatbelts, and other safety-related components. The AU checks that exhaust emissions stay within the limits set for the vehicle's engine and registration date. If the inspector finds defects, the vehicle can pass with minor notes, fail with a required re-check within a set window, or in serious cases be judged unsafe to drive until repaired.
Driving with an inspection that is technically overdue does not immediately deregister the vehicle, but it does mean the car no longer meets Germany's inspection requirements. Consequences generally increase in tiers the longer the deadline is missed: minor consequences for a short delay, a more detailed and often more expensive inspection once the delay passes roughly two months, and higher fines plus a possible point in the Flensburg driving register once the delay passes around four months. If the vehicle also has a safety-relevant defect, the risk is higher.
The fastest way to check your deadline is to look at the inspection sticker on your rear license plate, which shows the due month and year, or to check your vehicle registration documents (Zulassungsbescheinigung). Because the sticker date is easy to overlook and inspection appointments can take weeks to book, many drivers set a reminder ahead of the deadline instead of relying on memory.