Fake TUV Stickers in Mallorca? Why a Harmless Facebook Post Caused a Stir

An online bargain with a risky twist

Recently, over coffee at the Plaça Major, an acquaintance began: “Did you see that?” A photo of a thousand small, round stickers, supposedly selling for six to eight euros each, was posted in a German-language Facebook group on the island. The seller: a low-cost trading platform many of us already know. Someone said it was meant as a joke — but the discussion quickly turned serious.

Why the topic flares up in Mallorca

In Germany, counterfeit TUV stickers have been causing trouble for months. And because many island residents drive German cars or have visitors who bring them, the topic naturally reaches us. The question heard here more often is: Does a fake sticker actually help when you’re driving on Mallorca?

Short answer: Not really. Officers don’t just look at a sticker during checks. They verify whether the vehicle is registered, insured, and how long it has been on the island. Anyone who drives here permanently risks trouble — and that’s not just a few euros in fines.

The legal situation (to the point)

If you register as a resident, you usually have to re-register your car within a month. Non-resident tourists typically have six months. If a vehicle with foreign plates is seen for longer, there can be consequences: from warnings to fines to further checks by the Guardia Civil or Policía Local.

Authorities have been stepping up controls for months at typical spots: mornings at private schools, at access roads to popular residential areas, or near tourist centers like Palma’s port and Port de Pollença. Some report seeing an increasing number of vehicles with German or Scandinavian plates that stay "longer than usual" — which raises suspicion.

What use is the sticker really?

A glued-on, fake TUV sticker does nothing to change insurance or registration matters. If officers question timestamps, documents, or the import date, a sticker won’t help. And yes: anyone intentionally driving with manipulated or false stickers is committing an offense.

Side note: In Germany such forgeries were already noticed in 2024, and investigators there launched targeted operations. Here on the island there is no way to have the German TUV “entered” — the procedure generally runs through the Spanish registration authorities, if needed at all.

My advice, personally

If you drive regularly in Mallorca: sort out your registration situation. It's annoying, yes — appointments, paperwork, sometimes a visit to a gestor. But that is better than a ticket or worse trouble. And to everyone: stay away from "bargains" that sound too good to be true. A sticker for a few euros can turn out to be an expensive joke.

In any case, the Facebook prank showed one thing: among Germans on the island these topics spark heated debate quickly. No wonder — with rising traffic and stricter checks, every second driver eventually feels watched. I see it often in the mornings on the Paseo Marítimo: the same faces, the same worries, only the coffee keeps getting more expensive.