All the Places You Can Find Your VIN On Your Volkswagen: Bonus Video Guide
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Volkswagen Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is stamped in several locations throughout the vehicle. The easiest way to find it is to look at the lower left corner of the windshield.
At a Glance
- Quickest place to look: the plate at the lower left corner of the windshield, readable from outside.
- Door jamb sticker: on the driver’s door pillar, along with the country of manufacture at the top.
- Paperwork: the VIN is also on the registration, title and insurance card.
- Check they all match. If the windshield plate, the door sticker and the paperwork disagree, find out why before you buy the car.
- Order parts by VIN. VW changed parts partway through model years, so model and year alone may not get the right part.
Where is the Vin Number Located on the Volkswagen
VW VINs can also be found in the driver’s door frame, engine bay, strut tower or fender, firewall, and trunk floor.
You can retrieve a VW VIN from the engine control module and instrument cluster using a full-system scanner.
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 | Left lower corner of the windshield |
 | Driver’s door frame |
 | Engine bay frame, passenger side |
| Behind the rear license plate | |
| Trunk floor | |
| Passenger footwell front | |
| Vehicle registration, title, or insurance card |
This guide will help you locate the VIN on several Volkswagen vehicles, such as Jetta, Bora, Polo, Passat, CC, Routan, Tiguan, Golf, and Beetle. You will find the VIN in several locations.
Where can I find where VW was made?
Open the driver’s door and locate the VIN sticker. At the top of the VIN, it will say Vehicle Manufactured in Mexico, Germany, Canada, etc. If you can’t access the vehicle or the missing VIN sticker, you can find out where your Volkswagen was manufactured using our VIN decoder.
Make sure every VIN on the car matches
The VIN appears in several places on a Volkswagen and every one should read the same. If the windshield plate, the door jamb sticker and the registration document disagree, treat that as a serious warning on a used car. Mismatched numbers usually mean panels have been replaced after an accident, or something worse.
What you need it for
Parts ordering is the main reason. Volkswagen changed components partway through model years often enough that the model and year alone will not get you the right part, which is why a parts counter asks for the VIN instead. It is also what you need to check open recalls with the manufacturer, and what an insurer will ask for after a claim.
Most diagnostic tools can read the VIN directly out of the control modules too, which is a quick way to confirm a secondhand module has been coded to your car. A full system scanner pulls the stored VIN alongside the fault codes.
How to Read a Volkswagen VIN
A VW VIN is 17 characters long and never uses the letters I, O or Q. The first three characters tell you where and by whom the car was built:
- WVW: Volkswagen passenger car built in Germany.
- WVG: Volkswagen SUV or van, such as the Tiguan or Touareg.
- 3VW: built in Mexico, common on the Jetta, Golf and Beetle sold in North America.
- 1VW: built in the United States, such as the Passat from the Chattanooga plant.
Character 10 is the model year: for example, F = 2015, J = 2018, L = 2020, N = 2022, R = 2024 and S = 2025. Character 11 is the assembly plant, and the last six characters are the serial number.
To see the engine, transmission and factory options for your car, run the number through our VW VIN decoder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the VIN plate on a VW if the windshield is tinted or covered?
Use the door jamb sticker on the driver’s side pillar, or the stamping in the engine bay. The VIN is also on your registration, title and insurance card.
How do I find my VW paint code?
Volkswagen prints the paint code and option codes on a vehicle data sticker, usually in the spare tire well and in the service booklet. A VW dealer can also look it up from the VIN.
Why does a VW module need the VIN?
Many VW control modules store the VIN for anti theft protection. A used module from another car often has to be adapted to your VIN before it will work, which a dealer or a capable scan tool can do.
Can I check open recalls with my VW VIN?
Yes. Enter the VIN at the NHTSA recall lookup or on Volkswagen’s owner site to see open safety recalls for your exact car.
Related guides: VW VIN Decoder · YOUCANIC VIN Decoder
