What a KBA number is
KBA is the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, the Federal Motor Transport Authority of Germany. It gives key numbers to manufacturers and to the vehicle types approved for the road in Germany. What is commonly called a KBA number is a pair of two such key numbers.
- The HSN (Herstellerschlüsselnummer, manufacturer key number) has four digits and names the manufacturer. A manufacturer can have more than one.
- The TSN (Typschlüsselnummer, type key number) has three characters, which can be letters or digits. It names one type of that manufacturer's vehicles as it was approved: typically a model with its body, its engine and its power.
HSN and TSN are read together: a TSN is counted separately for each HSN. The pair names a vehicle type, not a single vehicle. Vehicles of the same type registered in Germany carry the same KBA number, while a single vehicle is identified by its vehicle identification number.
An example from the catalogue
Vehicles of one model series that share a name. Their engine codes and KBA numbers tell them apart.
| Engine code | Power | Production | KBA numbers (HSN/TSN) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CFHF, CLCA | 81 kW | 05/2015 – 09/2020 |
|
| CUUE, DFSE | 90 kW | 05/2015 – 09/2020 |
|
| CFHC | 103 kW | 05/2015 – 09/2020 |
|
| DFSB | 110 kW | 11/2015 – 09/2020 |
|
Where the KBA number is written
In the German registration certificate, the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I, the HSN is in field 2.1. The TSN is the first three characters of field 2.2; the characters after them are not part of the TSN.
The older Fahrzeugschein, which this certificate replaced, shows the key numbers in the fields marked zu 2 and zu 3. There, too, only the first three characters of the second field are the TSN.
The KBA number belongs to the German registration system. The documents of a vehicle registered in another country generally do not show it; other countries have their own ways of naming a vehicle type. A vehicle registered in Germany can also lack a usable type key number, for example if it was approved individually and not as part of a type.
What it is used for
In Germany the pair is a common way to name a vehicle type exactly. Insurers commonly ask for it, and so do many parts sellers and parts catalogues: entering HSN and TSN selects the type without choosing the make, the model and the engine one after another.
It does not settle every question about parts. One type can cover vehicles that differ in equipment, or that were changed during production, and a part can depend on such a difference. Catalogues therefore often state further restrictions with a part, such as a production period, an engine code or a range of chassis numbers, and those still have to be checked against the vehicle.
A parts catalogue can also list several KBA numbers for one of its vehicle entries. That does not make those numbers interchangeable.
KBA numbers on this site
The vehicle data we take from the catalogues of aftermarket suppliers includes KBA numbers. On the page of an OE number, the table of model series shows the HSN of the vehicles in each series.
This site has no search by KBA number. Choose a make and a model series, then compare the vehicles listed for the series by engine code, power and production period.
The German registration certificate can help to narrow that choice. It usually states the make, the model and the engine power. Its date of first registration does not establish the production period, because a vehicle can be registered after it was built. Compare the engine code and the production period as well as the power.