The “OXYGEN” Project has been Approved by Bucharest City Hall

THE “OXYGEN” PROJECT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY BUCHAREST CITY HALL.

IT BRINGS MAJOR CHANGES AND RESULTS IN CARS BEING BANNED IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

The Oxygen project was approved on Thursday 24 October by the city councilors.

This project intends to ban old and polluting cars from the Bucharest roads and introduces a new vignette based on pollution norms. 

Starting with January 1st 2022, the access of vehicles within the Municipality of Bucharest based on non-euro, Euro 1 and Euro 2 pollution norms will be forbidden. 

Starting with January 1st, 2024, the access of vehicles with a Euro 3 pollution norm is forbidden. 

A new tax (vignette) will be applied for Euro 4 from 2021. 

Scooters and motorcycles, as well as cars that run on LNG (Liquid Natural Gas), CNG (Combusted Natural Gas) and LPG (only Euro 3) are exempt from the provisions of the vignette. 

Starting with January 1, 2020, the access of vehicles with a maximum authorized total mass of less than 5 tones on the Bucharest roads is restricted daily, from Monday to Friday, except from legal holidays, within 7a.m. and 10 p.m.as it follows: 

a) for Electric Vehicles, hybrid or cars with the Euro 5 and Euro 6 pollution norm, the access is allowed without restrictions on all the roads;

b) for cars with the Euro 3 and Euro 4 pollution norm, access is allowed on all roads in Bucharest only after the purchase of an electronic Oxygen vignette;

c) for cars with the non-Euro, Euro 1 and Euro 2 pollution norm, access is forbidden in the Air Quality Action Area (ZACA)*, being allowed for the rest of the areas in Bucharest only following the purchase of an Oxygen electronic vignette.”

* The Air Quality Action Area (ZACA) refers to: Piata Victoriei – Bd. Iancu de Hunedoara – Sos. Stefan cel Mare – Str. Polona – Str. Mihai Eminescu – Str. Traian – Bd. Nerva Traian – Bd. Gheorghe Sincai – Str. Lanariei – Calea Serban Voda – Bd. Marasesti – Str. Mitropolit Nifon – Bd. Libertatii – Calea 13 SEptrembrie – Sos. Pandurilor – Sos. Cotroceni – Spl. Independentei – Str. Stirbei Voda – Str. Berzei – Piata Victoriei.

Vignette tarifs

Drivers who do not have the appropriate vignette will be fined with penalties from 1,500 to 2,000 lei. Cars of public institutions are exempted from payment of the vignette.

Euro norm

European emission standards (EURO) define the acceptable limits for exhaust emissions of new vehicles sold in the European Union and EEA member states. 

To check if your car is subject to the project above, please check the first registration date of your vehicle and compare it with the table below. 

 An operational leasing contract has a maximum contract term of 57 months, which means that all current active operational leasing cars at Business Lease are at least Euro 5b or Euro 6 and therefore compliant with the amendments of the Oxygen project, no additional costs.

Tier Date (First Registration)

Euro 1 | October 1994

Euro 2 | October 1997

Euro 3 | January 2001

Euro 4 | January 2006

Euro 5a | January 2011

Euro 5b |  January 2013

Euro 6b | September 2015

Euro 6c | September 2018

Euro 6d | Temp September 2019

Euro 6d | January 2021