Chassis number (VIN): how to check it before you buy

To check a car's chassis number (VIN) before buying it, find the number stamped on the vehicle itself and compare it, character by character, with the one on the registration certificate, the certificate of conformity and the inspection certificates. They must match and be legible, with no sign of tampering. With that number you can also ask the manufacturer about recalls and, if the car has been registered in Spain, request a report from the DGT (Spain's traffic authority).

What the chassis number is and how to read it

The chassis number, or VIN, is the vehicle's lifelong identity number. The DGT describes it as a 17-character code that identifies motor vehicles of any type. Unlike the number plate, it does not change when the car is sold or registered in another country.

For EU type-approval, its structure is now governed by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/535, applicable since 6 July 2022, the date on which the previous Regulation (EU) No 19/2011 was repealed. According to the current text, the number consists of three sections and a check digit:

• WMI (the first three characters): the world manufacturer identifier, assigned to the vehicle's manufacturer so that it can be identified.
• VDS (the next five): the vehicle descriptor, which indicates the general characteristics of the vehicle.
• Check digit (the ninth position): required to avoid transcription errors.
• VIS (the last eight): the vehicle indicator, of which the last four must be digits.

Under the earlier rule, Regulation (EU) No 19/2011, the VIN had three parts and the vehicle descriptor (VDS) took up six characters, with no check digit, so in a used car the ninth position may not be one. Both rules agree that the letters “I”, “O” or “Q” may not be used. If you see an O or an I in a VIN, it is probably a zero or a one copied wrongly; if they appear on the car itself, be suspicious.

Where it is: on the car and in the papers

On the car. According to the DGT, the chassis number on a car is usually located on the driver's door, on the dashboard, under the front passenger seat or on the engine. The manual for ITV stations (Spain's roadworthiness inspection) explains that every vehicle must carry an identification number engraved, stamped or marked indelibly on the chassis, self-supporting structure or any similar structure, and that if access requires tools, it can be checked on the manufacturer's plate or through OBD.

In the papers. You will find it in:

• The European registration certificate, in box E, which Directive 1999/37/EC reserves for the vehicle identification number.
• The certificate of conformity (CoC), if the car has one. We explain what it is in the certificate of conformity.
• The technical inspection certificates: Directive 2014/45/EU includes the vehicle identification number (VIN or chassis number) in its minimum content.
• Garage invoices, if they record it, and, in Spain, the ITV card.

What to check, point by point

What you look at	What it must meet
The number marked on the car	Complete, legible and with no marks of sanding, welding, fresh paint or stickers over it
The manufacturer's plate	The same number as the one marked on the bodywork
Registration certificate and CoC	Exact match, character by character
Inspection certificates and invoices	The same number on all of them, with consistent dates and mileage

This is no minor formality: the Spanish ITV checks it at every inspection. Royal Decree 920/2017 lists as a defect an identification number that is incomplete, illegible, clearly falsified or does not match the vehicle's documents, and the ITV stations' manual checks that it exists, its condition (illegible, apparent tampering, incomplete) and that it matches the number in the documentation. A chassis number that does not match the papers can leave you unable to register the car. What they ask for when inspecting an imported car is in the ITV inspection of an imported car.

What you can look up with the chassis number

• Recalls. The DGT explains that with the chassis number or VIN you can find out whether a vehicle that is not yours has any recall pending. For a car that is not yet in Spain, also ask the brand's official service: the DGT points out that they have all the information on recalls.
• DGT short report. For the short report, you only need to know the vehicle's registration number or chassis number, and it is free. It provides information on the date of the vehicle's first registration in Spain and whether there is any issue that would prevent its transfer or use on the road.
• DGT full report. It includes the ITV history, the mileage, the number of owners and any encumbrances, and costs €8.67 (DGT fee 4.1).

Note: the DGT only gives information on vehicles that have been registered in Spain. For the mileage history of a German car, see how to spot tampered mileage.

If the car is in Germany

With a car that has never been registered in Spain, the chassis number is mainly useful for cross-checking data. Ask for clear photos of the number on the car and of the documents, check them before you travel and check them again in person. If the seller does not want to give you the number, or gives it to you and it then does not appear on the car, do not go ahead: it is one of the warning signs we describe in scams when buying a car abroad.

A motorbike's chassis number

On motorbikes, according to the DGT, the chassis number is usually on the chassis itself. The ITV makes the same checks on them: that it exists, its condition (illegible, apparent tampering, etc.) and that it matches the number in the documentation. The papers where you look for it are the same as for a car.

Sources consulted

Checked on 11 October 2026. We link to the original source so that you can consult the current text.

• Llamadas a revisión de un vehículo. DGT (sede electrónica).
• Reglamento (UE) n.º 19/2011 de la Comisión, de 11 de enero de 2011, sobre la placa reglamentaria del fabricante y el número de bastidor. BOE (DOUE).
• Manual de procedimiento de inspección de las estaciones ITV, versión 7.9. Ministerio de Industria y Turismo.
• Directiva 1999/37/CE del Consejo, de 29 de abril de 1999, relativa a los documentos de matriculación de los vehículos. BOE (DOUE).
• Directiva 2014/45/UE, relativa a las inspecciones técnicas periódicas de los vehículos de motor y de sus remolques. BOE (DOUE).
• Real Decreto 920/2017, de 23 de octubre, por el que se regula la inspección técnica de vehículos (texto consolidado). BOE.
• Informe de un vehículo. DGT (sede electrónica).
• Reglamento de Ejecución (UE) 2021/535 de la Comisión, de 31 de marzo de 2021 (homologación de tipo de vehículos; anexo II, placa reglamentaria y número de identificación del vehículo). BOE (DOUE).