Without prejudice to Articles 51, 52 and 53, vehicles for which whole-vehicle type-approval is mandatory, or for which the manufacturer has obtained that type-approval, shall only be made available on the market, registered or enter into service if they are accompanied by a valid certificate of conformity issued in accordance with Articles 36 and 37.

Registration and entry into service of incomplete vehicles may be refused as long as the vehicles remain incomplete. Registration and entry into service of incomplete vehicles shall not be used to circumvent the application of Article 49.

The number of vehicles produced in small series that are made available on the market, are registered, or enter into service in the course of the same year shall not exceed the quantitative annual limits laid down in Annex V.