Germany has put new ‘Green Zones’ into effect around their buzzing and cosmopolitan cities, and Europcar is warning their customers. The ‘Green Zones’ require that every vehicle keep an environmental badge on display, and for any automobile that does not have this badge, the driver will receive a €40 fine. The most important thing to remember is that cars that are driven by travelers across the border have to have this too.

David McNeill, the Corporate Sales Director of Europcar, explains that all of their vehicles are equipped with the environmental badges, so that their customers can freely travel all around Germany. Because the new law requires cross-border vehicles to comply with this too, travelers are being warned by Europcar to make sure that the vehicles they are driving have an environmental badge displayed if they plan to venture across the German border.

These environmental badges can be purchased online from the umwelt-plakette.de website for just €18.90, not including the postal charges, for a version that is printed. Otherwise, the sticker can be purchased within Germany at any emissions testing centre, authorized garage, or vehicle registration office in the city for about €5.

McNeill concluded that it doesn’t matter if you are traveling around Germany for a business related trip or a weekend break. Whatever your circumstances, if you are a traveler, you need to be aware of these new laws. It is wrong for a foreigner to assume that they will not be held accountable for breaking these laws. Even if your vehicle is registered in another country, you will be given a fine if you do not have the environmental badge.