SERMI: workshop access to manufacturers' security-related information – status by country as of November 2026

Key findings

• SERMI governs workshop access to information, software and functions that protect the vehicle against theft, for example when programming keys or working on the immobiliser.
• The workshop needs approval as a business and each technician needs their own authorisation. It is not the workshop that is accredited, but the conformity assessment body that approves it.
• As of 6 November 2026, SERMI applications are possible in 14 countries: 13 EU member states and Norway. The other 14 EU member states, such as Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Greece, are missing from the scheme administrator's list.
• Both the business approval and the technicians' authorisations are valid for 60 months. During this period there is at least one unannounced inspection, and an inspection before renewal takes place in the last six months.
• According to three German price lists (2025–2026), assessment of a business with one technician comes to roughly €1,100–1,500 for the five-year period. Manufacturers' fees for registration and access to information are paid separately.

SERMI (Security-Related Repair and Maintenance Information) is a European scheme that determines how workshops gain access to repair and maintenance information related to a vehicle's anti-theft security. Workshop managers deal with it when a technician needs to programme a new key, repair an immobiliser or adapt a replaced control unit to the anti-theft protection. The manufacturer has to distinguish a legitimate repair from an attempt to gain access to someone else's car. That is why, in addition to technical equipment, there is now business approval, a technician's personal authorisation and precisely kept job documentation.

What SERMI is and what work it covers

General access by independent operators to repair and maintenance information is based on Regulation (EU) 2018/858 on type approval. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1244 supplemented it with specific rules for information related to vehicle security. SERMI does not replace competition rules or the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation; it builds on them.

The scheme covers features that protect the car against theft and unauthorised driving away, and functions for tracing and recovering it. The word "security" here therefore refers to the vehicle's protection against theft, not to all the systems that matter for safe driving.

Authorisation is linked to the function the technician accesses, not to the name of the part or the repair as a whole. A single job can therefore combine routine mechanical work with one security-protected electronic operation.

SERMI certification and accreditation: who obtains what

The terms "SERMI certification" and "SERMI accreditation of a workshop" are often confused. The scheme has three levels:

So a workshop does not apply to the national accreditation body but to an accredited conformity assessment body in its own country.

SERMI is needed mainly by independent workshops and multi-brand workshops. However, it also concerns authorised workshops: access to their own brand does not cover the security systems of other brands the workshop repairs.

For workshop management, a security-related operation is part of a normal job. The Workshop module in Omnetic manages the job from quotation through vehicle check-in, parts and planning to invoicing. SERMI authorisation, however, is obtained separately by the business and the technician from the conformity assessment body.

How to obtain SERMI authorisation

1. Choosing an accredited body

The first step is to choose a conformity assessment body for the country where the workshop operates. Before applying, check that it is accredited for SERMI. A company that only offers training or help with documents cannot approve a workshop.

2. Documents for the workshop business

The assessment of the business covers:

• ownership and management of the company;
• activity in the automotive sector and legitimate business;
• a list of employees;
• liability insurance with minimum cover of €1 million for bodily injury and €0.5 million for property damage.

The documents must match the actual business and the premises that the assessor inspects on site. It is therefore a good idea to go through the insurance policy with the insurer before the workshop applies.

3. Assessment of each technician

For an employee, the assessment covers a clean criminal record, a valid identity document and an employment contract with the approved operator. It also checks whether an authorisation has previously been withdrawn from them because of misuse.

Approval of the business does not replace personal authorisation. If several technicians are to carry out protected operations, each needs their own authorisation and their own access credentials.

4. Personal digital certificate and manufacturers' portals

The authorised technician registers in the manufacturer's system and accesses it with a personal digital certificate. The manufacturer may charge for registration and access to information. SERMI therefore verifies the business and the individual, but registration and paid services on individual manufacturers' portals remain a separate item.

5. Maintaining and renewing authorisation

Both the business approval and employee authorisations are valid for 60 months. During this period there is at least one unannounced inspection. The pre-renewal inspection takes place in the last six months of validity, so renewal is best planned around six months before expiry, not when the first job cannot be completed.

In which countries you can apply for SERMI

As of 6 November 2026, the scheme administrator lists all 14 countries in the table in its list of available applications. For France, Italy and Poland, the administrator published the date in advance as an announced date; applications are available there today.

Countries where applications are not yet possible

According to the administrator's list, a workshop cannot apply in the following countries as of 6 November 2026. The situation changes as national accreditation bodies accredit inspection bodies. Czechia is an example of a country in preparation: the accreditation body is already accepting applications from inspection bodies, but workshops cannot yet apply.

A dealer group with branches in several countries therefore needs to track SERMI status by individual site and technician. The fact that the group holds authorisation in one country says nothing about branches in a country where the scheme is not yet running.

How much SERMI certification costs

The budget has two parts: the assessment of the business and technicians under SERMI, and access to manufacturers' systems. The scheme has no single European price. Three public price lists from conformity assessment bodies in Germany give an idea, each as an example of one offer for a business with one authorised technician:

Budget roughly €1,100–1,500 for the assessment of a business with one technician over a five-year period. You will pay less if the assessor's office is nearby and the price list already includes both inspections. You will pay more if the workshop registers several technicians (at SERMA, for example, €49 a year for each additional one), if travel is charged separately or if the price list includes only one inspection, because the scheme requires more than one during the validity period.

The second part consists of manufacturers' fees for registration and access to information. For a multi-brand workshop, these are usually more significant in total than the assessment itself, so it pays to build the budget around the brands the workshop actually repairs.

What the workshop must change in day-to-day operations

Security-related operations go only to authorised technicians

When planning the job, the routine part of the repair is separated from operations requiring protected access. These are assigned only to a technician with their own valid authorisation. A colleague without authorisation must not use their login, even when they are working on the same job. In the Planner module, the workshop foreman assigns work according to technicians' skills and availability, so a security-related operation can be scheduled for a specific authorised person.

Vehicle check-in includes verifying the customer

A security-related job requires verifying the customer's identity, their right to order the work and that the VIN matches. Typical cases are a lost key or a car brought to the workshop by someone other than the owner. The signed job card is kept for at least five years, and it must be possible to trace from it who ordered what and on which car.

Access credentials remain personal

A technician does not share their digital certificate or PIN. Personal access links every use of a protected function to a specific person; a shared workshop account breaks this link. The technician must report the loss or misuse of a security token to the employer and the trust centre within 24 hours, so the workshop needs a clear procedure for weekends and holidays too.

Checklist for the service manager

• The business has a valid approval and an up-to-date list of authorised technicians.
• Each technician uses their own certificate and PIN.
• The job includes verification of the customer, the VIN and the right to order the work.
• The signed job card is kept for at least five years.
• Someone is responsible for tracking expiry and the renewal date.
• The workshop has a procedure for reporting the loss or misuse of a token within 24 hours.

Watch out

A single authorised technician is a bottleneck. If they are ill, on holiday or leave, the workshop cannot carry out security-related operations. Authorisation is also tied to the employment contract with the approved operator, so when the technician leaves, the workshop loses its authorised person. For a business with regular key and immobiliser jobs, it pays to have at least two authorised people.

The price lists with the lowest total do not cover the same scope. They differ in the number of inspections included, travel and the period being paid for. Comparing them only makes sense over the full 60-month validity period.

Documentation cannot be completed retrospectively. Verifying the customer and their right to order the work is part of taking in the car. A job card filled in just before an inspection does not replace the correct procedure at check-in.

Omnetic links the security-related job with the rest of the workshop

SERMI adds accountability for who carried out the work, for whom and on which car. Omnetic runs workshop operations on a single cloud platform instead of separate records for jobs, parts and invoicing.

• Workshop manages the job from quotation through vehicle check-in, parts and planning to invoicing. All modules work on a single shared record of the vehicle, customer, job and money in DMS Core, so vehicle and customer data is not re-keyed between systems.
• Planner proposes a date based on how demanding the work is and the workshop's capacity, and assigns tasks to technicians according to their skills and availability. The plan is decided by the workshop foreman, who can thus assign a security-related operation to a technician with valid authorisation.
• Existing systems, such as the manufacturer's portal, can be connected via the open platform (APIs, webhooks, manufacturer integrations). The availability of an integration is confirmed separately for each brand and market.

Omnetic does not replace SERMI approval or a technician's personal certificate; it ensures that the job, the workshop plan and invoicing are based on the same data.

Book an Omnetic demo focused on managing workshop jobs and planning technicians' work.

Related articles

• Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation: the rules for dealers and workshops until 2028 and the status of the review as of November 2026
• Qualifications for working on electric vehicles: what regulations require in EU countries
• Warranty repair at the workshop: from checking entitlement to getting the warranty claim approved by the manufacturer

FAQ

Does a workshop need SERMI for every diagnosis?

No. The scheme covers only information, software and functions related to anti-theft protection, tracking and vehicle recovery. Reading fault codes or service operations unrelated to security do not fall under SERMI.

Does SERMI authorisation replace technical training or diagnostic equipment?

No. SERMI determines whether a business and an individual may access protected functions. Knowledge of the repair procedure, suitable equipment and the manufacturer's technical requirements are separate requirements.

Does the country overview also apply to the United Kingdom?

No. The overview covers EU and EEA countries. The United Kingdom is not one of them, so the dates and application status in the tables do not apply to UK workshops.

Sources

1. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2021/1244/oj
2. https://www.vehiclesermi.eu/faq.html
3. https://www.vehiclesermi.eu/assets/SERMI%20Scheme%202023-02-03.pdf
4. https://www.vehiclesermi.eu/assets/Guidance%20for%20onsite%20inspection.pdf
5. https://www.accredia.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Circolare_tecnica_DC_33-2023_ITA-Accreditamento-schema-ISP-schema-SERMI.pdf
6. https://www.vehiclesermi.eu/
7. https://www.vehiclesermi.eu/req.html
8. https://www.cai.cz/?p=24224
9. https://www.kiwa.com/de/de/branchen/automobil-und-luftfahrtindustrie/sermi-zertifizierung/haufig-gestellte-fragen/
10. https://motofocus.cz/jine-info-zajimavosti/85551,nezavisle-autoservisy-by-mely-ziskat-tuto-certifikaci-co-je-sermi-a-jake-zmeny-prinese
11. https://www.serma.eu/preise
12. https://www.certival.de/preise
13. https://sermiregister.freshdesk.com/de/support/solutions/articles/44002512674-was-kostet-es-
14. https://www.omnetic.com/dms-core
15. https://www.omnetic.com/workshop
16. https://www.omnetic.com/planner
17. https://www.omnetic.com/faq