Importing a car

Importing or having a car imported

You want to buy a (used) car abroad and import it to the Netherlands? That is certainly possible. The car must then be imported. In this article you can read what the import entails and how to do it.

Why import a car from abroad

There are several reasons why you might want to import a new or used car from abroad. There is, of course, a greater supply. Of course, the supply in the Netherlands is relatively limited if you compare it with all other countries. For example, there are many diesel cars offered on the used market in the Netherlands, even though precisely those are not so popular in the Netherlands these days. Also, importing a car can be price-wise attractive. Often cars offered abroad are cheaper. However, you should always first calculate whether the price difference is still advantageous after you have included the costs for importing and transporting the car.

Roadmap for importing a car

If you want to bring to car from abroad to the Netherlands you should always take the following steps.

Step 1: Find a good car

Step 2: Obtaining and verifying documents.

Step 3: Transporting the car to the Netherlands

Step 4: Importing the car into the Netherlands.

Always make sure you have everything well figured out in advance so you don't run into any unforeseen costs or problems later on when importing. So before you start looking for a car, read the complete step-by-step plan carefully. It also varies per country what is involved when you want to import a car.

Step 1: Find a good car

As in the Netherlands, there are numerous foreign websites offering used cars. On these websites both dealers and private individuals often offer their cars. Both simple passenger cars and exclusive vehicles and vintage cars. Often private individuals offer a slightly more attractive price. After all, a dealer often has to make some money as well. However, a dealer does offer more security. It is often not in the interest of a dealer to swindle his customers because this can damage his good name. In addition, a dealer often gives a car a service and moreover, they often provide warranty. If you buy from a dealer, it is advisable to look for reviews of this dealer on the Internet.

Below we list by country some good websites offering used cars.

Germany

• Autoscout24.de (bitches you can look at autoscout.co.uk and then set the search area to Germany as well.
• Mobile.de
• PKW.de

Belgium

• Autoscout24.be
• Gocar.be
• Carguide.com

France

• Autoscout.fr
• Occasion.largus.fr
• Anciennesdefrance.com

United States of America

• Autotrader.com
• Usedcars.com
• Cars.com
• Carprices.com

Step 2: Obtaining and verifying documents.

If you have found a car online then you can purchase the vehicle. Always make sure that you check the car thoroughly before you proceed to purchase it. Take a test drive and thoroughly check the condition of the car. Auto.nl has compiled a few tips, and BOVAG has a concise but good checklist for buying a car.

After you have checked the car and are satisfied, it is time to check the documents. It is important that these documents are complete and correct if you want to import the car into the Netherlands.

To import a car from another EU country, you will need the following documents:

• The foreign registration certificate
• Proof of foreign APK (If the car does not have a valid foreign APK, you can have the car shipped to the Netherlands on a trailer or truck and have an APK performed here upon importation.
• A Certificate of Conformity (CVO) This is called the Certificate of Conformity (COC) in English and übereinstimmingsbescheinigung in German EWG)
• A valid passport of the person purchasing the car.

We additionally strongly recommend checking if also present:

• The service booklet. Is this filled out nicely? Does the mileage in the booklet match what the car indicates.
• The foreign MOT proofs. This is also where the mileage is recorded. Therefore, check these as well.
• Consider getting a purchase inspection. Then you will be sure of your purchase.
• Look for a valid invoice or purchase agreement with the purchase. Make sure this includes the odometer reading.

If this is all correct then you can purchase the car in the EU country. To get the car to the Netherlands you have two options:

1) Having the car transferred to a trailer or truck

2) Driving the car to the Netherlands yourself. In this case, you will need an import license plate.

More is explained below at Step 3.

Step 3: transporting the car to the Netherlands

Suppose you buy a car from Germany or another nearby country you can drive the car to the Netherlands with a temporary license plate or import license plate. There are several parties that can help you get a temporary import license plate. Please note that to export from a country you always need an export license plate such as the German kurzzeitkennzeichen (which is valid for 5 days). With this you can only drive up to the border. Once you have crossed the border, you must continue driving with the one-day registration certificate that you can apply for on the RDW site. So when you buy the car in the other country, you get the export license plate that allows you to drive up to the border, and for the last part in the Netherlands you need theone-day registration certificate . Since this registration certificate is always issued to drive a car to the inspection, this is always in combination with an appointment for an inspection at the RDW.

Note! So you have both an export registration certificate and a one-day registration certificate. In the vast majority of cases, you can simply drive into the Netherlands with the foreign registration certificate. However, there is a chance that you will be stopped and then you will have to pay the fine.

After you drive the car to the Netherlands, we recommend completing the importation as soon as possible. The one-day registration certificate is also always valid only on the day of the inspection. So this is only for driving directly to the RDW for the inspection.

Is the car coming from further away, or do you not want to do the transport yourself? Then you can place an order for the transport via Transportscanner. In that case, the car can be picked up in the country of origin and delivered to your door. Since the car is then transported on a trailer or truck, no license plate is required.

Learn moreabout auto transport.

Step 4: importing the car into the Netherlands

The car should eventually be officially imported into the Netherlands.

If the car comes from within the EU you need to take the following steps:

1. Take your car to the RDW. They will inspect your car and then register it. For more information or to make an appointment, visit the RDW site. Take the following documents with you to the RDW:
   1. The complete original foreign registration certificate (the RDW takes this, so make a copy for your BPM declaration)
   2. Your proof of identity
   3. Certificate of Conformity (CVO). This is not required to be carried.
   4. If the vehicle still has a valid MOT from abroad, bring it with you as well. Does the vehicle not have a valid MOT? Then the RDW will carry it out.
2. The RDW identifies the vehicle and reviews the documents. You immediately pay the costs (see the table below) involved and the vehicle is entered in the Dutch registration register.
3. After this, you must file a tax return for passenger cars and motorcycles (BPM). This declaration can be done online on the website of the tax authorities. Below we explain it in more detail.
4. After approval from RDW and tax authorities, you will receive a new registration certificate within 5 working days. One business day later you will receive a letter with a complete registration code.
5. Then take out third-party insurance for the vehicle.
6. Finally, have license plates made at an approved license plate manufacturer (found through the RDW location guide). For this, you take the registration certificate with you.
7. After you put the license plates on your car, your car is all entered properly! You can hit the road.

RDW costs

Passenger car and motorcycle tax (BPM)

As explained in step 4, you have to pay the BPM if you have imported a car. The amount of BPM you have to pay depends on the amount of CO2 the car emits. More information on BPM can be found on the tax authorities' site. In addition, autoweek has an excellent online tool for calculating the BPM. This allows you to very quickly calculate the amount of BPM you need to calculate. Declaring your BPM is easy to do online with your DigID.

Cost calculation for importing a car

As mentioned earlier, we strongly recommend calculating all costs in advance before you proceed to purchase a car abroad. Below we give an overview of what costs are involved when you import a car:

1. The purchase of the car (logical)
2. Transporting the car to the Netherlands. This may include
   1. If you do it yourself: the fuel costs for the trip to the Netherlands, the export license plate and the one-day registration from the RDW.
   2. If you have it done: the cost charged by the carrier to transport your car.
3. The fees charged by the RDW. For that, see the table above.
4. The BPM you have to pay. Use autoweek's calculation tool for this.
5. In some cases, you pay VAT. See below when you have to do this.
6. If the car comes from outside the EU, you also pay 10% import duty on the purchase value of the car and transportation costs. Is the car older than 30 years? Then you do not have to pay import duties.

Import VAT
EU: If you import a car from the EU you only pay 21% VAT if the car is younger than 6 months and has less than 6000km on the odometer. You then also just pay the Dutch VAT if you have already paid the VAT in Germany. In all other cases you do not have to pay VAT if the car comes from another EU country.

From outside the EU: If you import a car from outside the VAT you pay 21% VAT, unless the car is older than 30 years. In that case, you pay only 6% VAT.