National type approval code
CNIT · type mine · vehicle type approval number
The national type approval code — CNIT in France — identifies an approved vehicle version: make, model, engine, body type and approval level. It appears in field D.2.1 of the registration certificate and designates a version, not an individual vehicle.
Director of publication : Florian Précigout
It is the natural bridge between an administrative document and a catalogue. Where the VIN identifies one unit and the K-Type identifies a catalogue entry, the type approval code identifies the version as the authorities approved it — which often makes it the most discriminating criterion readable directly from a registration document.
On recent vehicles, EU-wide type approval has made the field less uniform than it used to be: formats vary, and some documents carry an EU approval number rather than a classic national code. The reflex stays the same — photograph the document rather than dictate the line.
It does not remove fitment criteria. Two vehicles sharing a type code can differ on an option that changes the part number: air conditioning, transmission, uprated braking.
The trap
Confusing it with the type-variant-version field. The two look alike and are not used the same way: a search launched on the wrong field returns a neighbouring vehicle with no visible error.
Frequently asked
Where is the type approval code on a registration document?
Field D.2.1 on the French certificate. On recent European documents the information may appear as an approval number rather than a historic national code.
Is the type code enough to identify a part?
It sharply reduces ambiguity without closing it. Optional equipment and mid-series revisions stay out of its reach: that is where the VIN takes over.