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Over the next two years, starting this month, environmental zones are to be designated in 20 German cities. Only vehicles displaying on their windscreens a "Feinstaubplakette", a special emissions-control sticker in red, yellow or green, may enter these zones. Without such a sticker, drivers are liable to a fine.

The first three cities to introduce this requirement as from 1 January 2008 are Berlin, Hanover and Cologne. Other cities will follow suit later in the year.

The new stickers are valid for all German cities with designated environmental zones. Green stickers are valid for an unlimited period, red and yellow stickers are valid only until 2010. The requirement to display such stickers applies also to foreign vehicles as well as buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles.

The stickers are available in Germany from authorised garages, TÜV and DEKRA vehicle inspection stations, all vehicle licensing authorities and also online (not yet for foreign vehicles). Rules on exemptions are issued by every city individually and can be accessed on its website.

For foreign visitors' cars, the table below outlines their restrictions.  For modern petrol cars registered since 1993, the only restriction is that they be fitted with a catyltic converter, any other petrol cars are banned.  Diesel cars come under a little more scrutiny, for the time being, diesel cars registered before 1997 are excluded.

The Euro levels refer to European Directives governing emissions.  Before a new car model can be approved for sale in the European Union it must meet certain standards for exhaust emissions.  These levels broadly align with the dates you see in the table for diesel cars.

Foreign visitors should be able to get their stickers through their hotels.