SPECIAL USE · SPECIAL PURPOSE VEHICLES
Special Use and Special Purpose Vehicles
Crane trucks, catering units, ambulances, mobile units, snow ploughs, platforms: vehicles built to do a job. Registering them does not follow a single procedure, and which one applies depends on the specific vehicle. That is the first thing we settle.
What a special purpose vehicle is
A vehicle intended for a function which requires special body arrangements and/or special equipment. This category also includes vehicles in which access for wheelchairs is provided.
The test is the function the vehicle performs, not the carriage of persons or goods. Examples: the ambulance (special layout and medical equipment), the hearse, the motor caravan (accommodation), the refuse collection vehicle (compactor), the concrete mixer, the armoured vehicle, the food truck and the mobile shop, and the vehicle fitted with a wheelchair lift.
Who it is for
- Private owners with a caravan, a wheelchair-accessible vehicle or a vehicle converted for special use.
- Businesses with a catering unit, mobile shop, crane truck or recovery vehicle.
- Superstructure manufacturers and fleet operators.
- Municipalities and public bodies.
Why classification decides everything
The special purpose code written on the registration certificate is not a formality: it determines which provision applies, what technical study is required, which tests are carried out and how the vehicle will be inspected for the rest of its life. The same vehicle may fit two codes with very different cost and time. The choice calls for reading the Regulation alongside the national decisions, and experience in how each Transport Directorate interprets them.
Special purpose vehicle categories
Emergency and health
Ambulances, mobile medical units, mobile blood donation units, X-ray vehicles, hearses, wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
Municipal and infrastructure
Refuse collectors, demountable body carriers (hooklift or skip), road marking and line-painting vehicles, skid-resistance testers, bridge inspection and maintenance units, water jetters, chemical toilet service vehicles, mobile sanitary units.
Mobile shops and services
Food trucks and catering units, mobile retail and demonstration shops, mobile libraries, banks, classrooms, meeting rooms, exhibitions, cinemas, funfair equipment.
Lifting, construction and power
Towed aerial platforms, lifts and ladder units, airport catering and passenger lifts, concrete mixers, crushers, wood chippers, scrap balers, generator sets, air compressors, conveyor belts, air-conditioning units, polyurea spray units.
Special transport
Car transporters, long-distance livestock carriers, glass carriers, animal by-product carriers, exceptional-load trailers and tractors, dollies.
Security, inspection and living
Armoured and cash-in-transit vehicles, mobile roadworthiness test units and vehicle inspection units, meteorological sounding units, simulators, motor caravans and caravans.
Special purpose codes (EU Regulation 2018/858)
Every special purpose vehicle carries a special purpose code, shown on its registration certificate. Which code fits your vehicle depends on its dossier.
- SAMotor caravan
- SBArmoured vehicle
- SCAmbulance
- SDHearse
- SETrailer caravan
- SGSpecial group
- SHWheelchair-accessible vehicle
- SJDolly
- SKExceptional load transport trailer
- SLExceptional load transport motor vehicle
Full list: the 59 sub-categories of special purpose vehicles (Government Gazette B’ 61/21.01.2020, Annex I)
The official list of sub-categories with the special purpose code under Directive 2007/46/EC, as published in Annex I of the ministerial decision in Government Gazette B’ 61/21.01.2020. If your vehicle falls under one of the sub-categories below, we can take on its registration or conversion dossier.
| No. | Code (Directive 2007/46) | Vehicle type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SA | Motor caravan |
| 2 | SB | Armoured vehicle |
| 3 | SB | Cash-in-transit vehicle (armoured) |
| 4 | SC | Ambulance |
| 5 | SD | Hearse |
| 6 | SE | Trailer caravan |
| 7 | SH | Wheelchair-accessible vehicle |
| 8 | SJ | Dolly |
| 9 | SK | Trailer for transport of exceptional loads |
| 10 | SL | Motor vehicle for transport of exceptional loads |
| 11 | SG | Hooklift vehicle for removable bodies |
| 12 | SG | Skip-loader vehicle for removable bodies |
| 13 | SG | Towed basket (cherry-picker) unit |
| 14 | SG | Towed lift platform |
| 15 | SG | Towed ladder unit |
| 16 | SG | Mobile medical unit |
| 17 | SG | Refuse collection vehicle |
| 18 | SG | Tanker for lime slurry |
| 19 | SG | Concrete mixer vehicle |
| 20 | SG | Towed road-marking unit |
| 21 | SG | Crusher vehicle |
| 22 | SG | Wood crusher vehicle |
| 23 | SG | Tyre and plastics crusher vehicle |
| 24 | SG | Branch chipper |
| 25 | SG | Generator set |
| 26 | SG | Air compressor |
| 27 | SG | Towed conveyor belt |
| 28 | SG | Towed air-conditioning unit |
| 29 | SG | Scrap baler |
| 30 | SG | Water jet unit |
| 31 | SG | Catering lift for aircraft |
| 32 | SG | Passenger lift for aircraft (patients and passengers) |
| 33 | SG | Towed meteorological probe |
| 34 | SG | Towed simulator |
| 35 | SG | Chemical toilet washing unit |
| 36 | SG | Mobile library |
| 37 | SG | Mobile bank |
| 38 | SG | Mobile classroom |
| 39 | SG | Mobile exhibition |
| 40 | SG | Mobile blood donation unit |
| 41 | SG | Mobile shop (canteen) |
| 42 | SG | Mobile retail shop |
| 43 | SG | Mobile showroom |
| 44 | SG | Mobile cinema |
| 45 | SG | Car transporter |
| 46 | SG | Long-distance live animal transporter (over 8 hours, no stop) |
| 47 | SG | Glass pane transporter |
| 48 | SG | Towed skid-resistance tester |
| 49 | SG | Animal by-products transporter |
| 50 | SG | Semi-trailer (mobile vehicle inspection unit) |
| 51 | SG | Amusement park equipment |
| 52 | SG | Mobile vehicle inspection unit |
| 53 | SG | X-ray vehicle |
| 54 | SG | Road signing vehicle |
| 55 | SG | Chemical sanitary unit |
| 56 | SG | Mobile conference room vehicle |
| 57 | SG | Explosives manufacturing unit (MEMU) |
| 58 | SG | Polyurea and polyurethane spraying unit |
| 59 | SG | Towed bridge inspection and maintenance unit |
Source: Government Gazette B’ 61/21.01.2020, Annex I. English names are an unofficial translation; the Greek text of the Gazette prevails.
Why ask us first
The same vehicle can take a different route depending on its use and history, and the wrong route means starting the dossier again. Send us the registration certificate and photos before any work begins.
The role of the qualified Mechanical Engineer
The law leaves no room here: for a conversion into a special use vehicle, the supporting documents are drawn up and signed by a qualified (diploma-holding) mechanical engineer (Ministerial Decision 80255/4693/2019, Article 7). The engineer is not just a signatory. The engineer decides whether the conversion is feasible, by which procedure and with which technical solutions, and personally carries the responsibility for the result.
What the engineer prepares and signs
- Technical memorandum: a detailed description of the vehicle and the conversion, maximum measurement tolerances in %, colour photographs of the front and rear views with the equipment installed, and photographs of the chassis number and of the manufacturer's and bodywork plates.
- Technical study: A3 drawings with the general arrangement and dimensions, side view, sections, connections and suspensions; the effect of weights on axles and connections; minimum turning circle; documentation of the equipment (CE declaration and other certificates); and a reference to the manuals the data were taken from, with year and page.
- Chassis strength study: static and dynamic loads of the equipment in its operating configuration, bending moments and shear forces in diagrams, stresses at the critical points (suspension mounts, point of maximum moment, changes of section) and an additional safety factor V = 1.5 against the permissible bending and shear stress.
- Equivalent strength documentation: proof that the converted vehicle has at least the same strength as the original, and a record of any change in geometric characteristics.
- Imprints: of the chassis number and of the special equipment, taken on the vehicle.
- Solemn declaration under Law 1599/1986 with five parts: the engineer recorded the vehicle data, prepared the study within their professional rights, gathered the supporting documents, no provision of the Highway Code is breached, and the vehicle is safe for road use.
Why it matters to you
Responsibility for the correctness of the calculations, permissible stresses, safety factors, suitability of components and braking rests with the engineer. That is why the dossier starts with a check of the registration certificate and the vehicle, before any work: the route, the documents and the timeline depend on the use and history of the vehicle.
The engineer also coordinates the part that belongs to the converting facility: certification of the welding work to EN 15609 and of the welders to EN 287, a table of units and components with manufacturer codes, and an identification number and plate for the equipment. The dossier is filed in paper and electronic form, in the order set by Article 7, and without these it cannot be filed.
The route decides the authority, the documents and the time. A dossier that started on the wrong route is usually rebuilt from scratch.
- 01We review the vehicle and the use you want.
- 02We tell you whether and how it can be done.
- 03We draft the study and the dossier.
- 04We follow it through to approval.
Do you have a vehicle that needs a special use classification, or a conversion you cannot place? Send us the registration certificate and photographs — we will tell you which route applies.
Request a quoteWho issues the registration for a crane vehicle or a food truck?
It is not always the same authority. A self-propelled food truck is registered by the Transport and Communications Directorate of the Regional Unit. A category N crane vehicle that performs purely technical rather than transport work is registered, and receives its registration certificate, from the Directorate of Technical Works of the Regional Unit, after a registration approval from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (Ministerial Decision 42610/2341/2020, Article 3). Which route applies depends on the specific vehicle. Given the technical and legal complexity, a specialised mechanical engineer is required. Moudiotis Technical Office handles the file across Greece. Phone +30 210 756 1836.
Who handles special purpose vehicle registration in Greece?
Moudiotis Technical Office, based in Athens and Thessaloniki, handles registration, conversion and approval of special use and special purpose vehicles, such as food trucks, ambulances, crane vehicles and mobile units, across Greece and within the EU. Phone +30 210 756 1836.
Can my trailer become a catering unit?
In many cases, yes. Send us the registration certificate and photos and we will tell you what is needed.
The vehicle is already registered. What does a change of use need?
A change to special use is a conversion, and its documents are prepared and signed by a qualified (university-degree) mechanical engineer (Ministerial Decision 80255/4693/2019, Article 7): chassis strength study, calculations, drawings and technical report. The special purpose code under Regulation (EU) 2018/858 is entered on the registration certificate. Which route applies depends on the vehicle; send us the registration certificate.
How long does it take?
It depends on the vehicle and on the competent authority. We do not promise dates that are not in our hands; we keep you informed at every step.
How much does it cost?
Every case is different and may require extensive research. We recommend a review of the full file and a separate assessment of your matter.
Do you work outside Athens?
Yes. We are based in Athens and Thessaloniki and serve all of Greece and the EU.
The vehicle is new and was converted before registration. Does the conversion procedure apply?
No. For a new vehicle converted before first registration the route is different and goes through the notification certificate first. Given the technical and legal complexity, this requires a specialised mechanical engineer; the technical study is prepared and signed by a qualified mechanical engineer registered in the relevant register of engineers. We have extensive experience and expertise in special purpose vehicles and conversions; the right route is decided from the vehicle’s documents.
Let’s talk
We’re here for any question or need. Get in touch and we will look at your case personally.
Moudiotis & Associates Technical Office
Mechanical Engineer AUTH, 3× MSc | Based in Athens - Thessaloniki | Serving all of Greece and the EU