Where to find your VIN number
Updated 2026-08-17 · 5 min read
The Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, is a unique 17-character code assigned to every vehicle built since 1981, and it is the only reliable way to identify a specific car. Every COC request starts with it, because the manufacturer looks up your exact build by VIN and nothing else.
Where is the VIN on the car?
Manufacturers stamp or print the VIN in several places so it survives damage and cannot easily be altered. The windscreen plate and the door pillar sticker are the two easiest to check without tools.
If the locations below turn up nothing, the vehicle's own paperwork always carries it, and that is usually the fastest route.
- Lower corner of the windscreen on the driver's side, visible from outside
- Driver's door pillar or door frame sticker, visible with the door open
- Stamped into the floor next to the driver's or passenger's seat, under the carpet or a flap
- In the engine bay on the bulkhead or a strut tower
- Under the boot floor, next to the spare wheel well
Where is the VIN in your documents?
On an EU registration certificate the VIN appears in field E, and the harmonised field codes mean it sits in the same place on a German Zulassungsbescheinigung, a French carte grise, a Spanish permiso de circulación and an Italian libretto di circolazione.
It is also printed on the insurance policy, the purchase invoice and service records. When these disagree with the plate on the car, the number physically stamped on the vehicle is the correct one.
What does the VIN tell you?
The first three characters are the World Manufacturer Identifier, which encodes the manufacturer and the country of production. Characters four to nine describe the vehicle's attributes, and the tenth commonly encodes the model year on vehicles built to the North American scheme.
The final six characters are the serial number that makes the VIN unique. The letters I, O and Q never appear, precisely because they are easily confused with the digits 1 and 0, which is also the most common source of errors when a VIN is typed in by hand.
Coceu checks the VIN against the manufacturer's records before you pay, so a mistyped character is caught immediately rather than after the request has been filed.
Key takeaways
- A VIN is 17 characters and uniquely identifies one vehicle; it never contains the letters I, O or Q.
- On the car, check the windscreen corner, the driver's door pillar and the floor beside the seat.
- In EU documents the VIN is field E of the registration certificate, in the same position in every member state.
- A COC is ordered by VIN alone, so an accurate reading matters more than any other detail.
Frequently asked questions
Is the VIN the same as the chassis number?
In everyday use yes. Chassis number is the older term, and on modern vehicles the two refer to the same 17-character code.
My VIN is shorter than 17 characters. Why?
Vehicles built before the standard was harmonised in 1981 can have shorter chassis numbers. Those cars usually predate EU type approval, so no COC exists for them.
Can I order a COC without the VIN?
No. The manufacturer identifies your exact variant and version by VIN, and no other identifier is precise enough to issue a certificate.
Is it safe to share my VIN?
A VIN reveals technical build data, not personal information, and it must be shared with any authority or intermediary handling registration paperwork.