For motor vehicles that do not belong to an approved type, an official approval is required - before they can be admitted to road traffic - confirming that these vehicles comply with the applicable regulations.
For new vehicles of the classes M (passenger cars, motor homes, buses), N (light and heavy trucks) or O (trailers), for which no type approval or EU-wide valid individual approval according to VO(EU) 2018/858 Art. 44 is available, a national EU individual approval according to VO(EU) 2018/858 Art. 45 i. V. m. § 13 EG-FGV has to be applied for. With the application for granting the individual approval, the expert opinion of an officially recognized expert belonging to a technical inspection body for motor vehicle traffic or of a technical service designated for the assessment of complete vehicles shall be submitted to the approval authority at the expense of the applicant.
For all other new or used vehicles requiring type approval, for which no type approval, national type approval (general (ABE) or in individual cases (EBE)) or EU-wide valid or national EU individual approval exists, a national individual type approval according to § 21 Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO) must be applied for.
This also applies in the event that you have received an expert opinion in accordance with § 21 StVZO from an officially recognized expert or a technical service due to modifications to the vehicle that have caused the operating permit to expire (e.g. installation of a gas system, chassis modifications, etc.), as the operating permit must be reissued as an official permit.