Leaving the Netherlands? Sell, Export or Deregister Your Car

November 2026 • Expat & Tax Rules • By DealerCenter Team

Moving away from the Netherlands is busy. The car is easy to forget until the last week, and then it becomes a problem. As long as a car is registered in your name, you keep paying road tax and insurance, and you are responsible for any fines. This guide shows your four options, explains each step in simple words and tells you how to finish everything before you go.

The Short Version

You have four choices:

Sell the car here. The easiest choice for most people.
Take it with you (export it). Useful if you move to another EU country and love your car. You may get some Dutch car tax back.
Scrap it. For an old car that is worth very little.
Leave it here, suspended. Only if you will come back, and you have private parking.

Whatever you choose, the golden rule is the same: do not leave until the car is out of your name and you have proof.

Words You Will See in This Guide

Word	What it means
RDW	The Dutch government office for vehicles. It keeps the list of every car and who owns it.
Kentekencard	The credit-card-sized registration card of your car. It shows the car's registration number (kenteken).
Registration code (tenaamstellingscode)	A secret code that came by letter when the car was put in your name. The buyer needs it, together with the card, to put the car in their name.
Transfer (overschrijven)	Changing the owner of a car in the RDW register.
Vrijwaringsbewijs	Your proof that the car is no longer in your name. It protects you from fines and taxes for the car after that moment. This is the most important paper in this guide.
Export	Taking the car out of the Dutch register because it will be registered in another country.
Exportbewijs	The export certificate (officially "registration certificate part II"). You need it to register the car in your new country.
MRB	The Dutch road tax you pay while a car is in your name. Also called wegenbelasting.
BPM	A Dutch tax paid once, when the car was first registered here. When you export a car, you can sometimes get part of it back.
Suspend (schorsen)	Putting a car "on pause" in the RDW register. You pay no road tax, but the car may not be on public roads at all.
WA insurance	The basic car insurance every car on Dutch roads must have.
EU and EEA	The European Union, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. These countries matter for the BPM refund.

Before Anything Else: Check Your Papers

Every option needs the right papers. Find them now, not in your last week:

Your kentekencard.
Your registration code. If you lost it, you can ask the RDW for a new code online. It costs €1.25, and the old code stops working.
Your ID: passport, ID card or driving licence.
Your last APK report (the report from the Dutch safety test). A buyer will want it.
Your service book and repair bills. They help you sell for a better price.

Did you buy the car with a loan or a lease? Then check your contract first. You may need the lender's permission before you sell or export the car.

Option 1: Sell the Car in the Netherlands

For most people, this is the simplest and safest choice. You get money, and the car stays here, where its papers are already in order.

Who can you sell to?

A car dealer or car-buying company. This is the fastest way. If the company is approved by the RDW, you hand over the car's papers and receive your vrijwaringsbewijs right away. You often get a bit less money, but you save time. This is a smart choice when you have little time left.
A private buyer. You usually get more money, but it takes longer: photos, adverts, viewings and test drives. The buyer must be 18 or older and must live in the Netherlands.
A buyer who lives abroad. Then the car must be exported. The RDW advises that the buyer exports it in their own name.

Tip: you can get a free vehicle report (voertuigrapport) from the RDW website. It shows the car's past mileage readings. Buyers like to see it, and it helps you sell faster.

How to sell to a private buyer, step by step

Agree on the price and write a simple sales contract. Write down the date, the time, the price and the mileage. Both of you sign it.
Get paid first. Wait until the money is really in your bank account.
Let the buyer transfer the car. The buyer needs your kentekencard and the full registration code. The transfer can be done online, at an RDW counter or at an RDW inspection station. The RDW website has a location finder. It costs €13.10, usually paid by the buyer.
Get your vrijwaringsbewijs. Then check in Mijn RDW (the RDW website) or the RDW's free Kentekencheck that the car is really not in your name anymore.
Only now hand over the keys. The RDW says it clearly: hand over the car only after you have the vrijwaringsbewijs.
Give the buyer the last APK report.
Stop your insurance yourself. The RDW says you must cancel or change your car insurance on your own.

Never Hand Over the Car Before the Transfer

Some buyers say: "I'll transfer it tomorrow." Do not agree. Until the transfer is done, the car is still in your name. Speeding tickets, parking fines, road tax and even accidents can come back to you, while you already live in another country.

What happens to your road tax?

You do not need to do anything. The RDW tells the Belastingdienst (the Dutch tax office) about the sale. If you already paid road tax for the time after the car left your name, you get that money back automatically. Very small amounts of €5 or less are not paid back. Pay any road tax bill you got before the sale, or you may get an extra bill later.

Make sure the Belastingdienst has a bank account that will still work after you leave, so the refund can reach you.

Option 2: Take the Car With You (Export)

Exporting means taking the car out of the Dutch register so it can be registered in your new country.

First: ask your new country

Every country has its own rules. Before you do anything in the Netherlands, ask the vehicle office of your new country which documents they need. The RDW warns: do not deregister the car before you know this. Also ask about their registration tax, their safety test and how long you can drive on foreign plates after you move.

Moving to the UK or another country that drives on the left? A car made for driving on the right can be harder to use and sell there. Think about this before you decide.

How to export, step by step

Go to an RDW inspection station, an RDW counter, or a company approved by the RDW for exports.
Bring: your ID, your kentekencard (with the registration code if you go to an export company), and your number plates. You hand the plates in.
Pay €12.00 if you go to the RDW. An export company sets its own price.
The car leaves the Dutch register. From that moment, it is no longer in your name here.
You get three things: your vrijwaringsbewijs, your kentekencard with a corner cut off, and the exportbewijs. Keep all of them safe. You need the card and the exportbewijs to register the car abroad.

Important: if your kentekencard is lost, ask for a new one before you export. The RDW says you cannot get one after the export.

Driving the car out of the country

After the export, you may drive the car on Dutch roads for 14 days on export plates. These show your same registration number, in black on white plates. You can have them made by a plate maker. Check that your new country and any country you drive through accept them.
You must still be insured for the drive. Ask your insurer what cover they can give for an exported car, or arrange special export insurance.
Going outside the EU? Then you must also make an export declaration with Dutch Customs (part of the Belastingdienst).
You can also put the car on a truck and have it transported.

Is the car already abroad?

Then you can report the export online on the RDW website ("Melden export"). Attach documents that show the car is abroad and will stay there. The RDW checks your request within 10 working days and sends you a letter. Keep your insurance until that letter arrives. Note that this way does not give you an exportbewijs.

Can you get BPM back?

Maybe. When the car was first registered in the Netherlands, someone paid BPM. Part of that tax is still "inside" the car's value. This part is called rest-BPM. If you export the car, you can ask the Belastingdienst for it, but all of these must be true:

The car had a Dutch registration and was first registered on or after 16 October 2006.
The car is not damaged.
The car has the status "Export" at the RDW.
The car is permanently registered in another EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway. A temporary registration does not count.
That registration happens within 13 weeks after the RDW gave the car its "Export" status.

So moving to the UK, Switzerland or the United States? Then you do not get BPM back.

How much? It depends on how much BPM was paid and how old the car is. The older the car, the less you get back. A young car can give a real refund. For a 10-year-old car, it is often small.

How to ask: first export the car at the RDW. Then fill in the form "Verzoek teruggaaf bpm voor een motorrijtuig met status 'export' bij de RDW" on the Belastingdienst website. You cannot send it online: print it, sign it and post it to the address on the form. The money goes to the bank account the Belastingdienst knows, so keep a working account.

Is exporting worth it?

Add it up: transport or fuel for the trip, export plates and insurance, the registration tax and fees in your new country, and possible changes the car needs there. Then subtract any BPM refund. Compare the total with what you would get by selling here and buying a car in your new country. Often, selling here is simpler.

Option 3: Scrap the Car

If the car is old, damaged or worth very little, scrapping it can be the quickest choice.

You may not scrap a car yourself. It must go to a dismantling company approved by the RDW (demontagebedrijf). You can find one with the location finder on the RDW website.
Bring your kentekencard and registration code. The company takes the car out of the register and gives you your vrijwaringsbewijs.
Then stop your insurance. The road tax stops automatically.
Lost the card or code? Ask the RDW online for a free dismantling code (demontagecode) first. You need the last 4 characters of the car's VIN (its unique ID number) to ask for it. The code works for 4 weeks.

Option 4: Leave the Car Here, Suspended

Coming back in a year or two? You can suspend the registration instead of selling.

You choose 1, 2 or 3 years.
While suspended, you pay no road tax, and you do not need WA insurance or a valid APK.
But the car may not drive or even be parked on a public road. You need a private garage, a driveway or a storage place.
Suspending costs money. The price depends on the car and how long you choose. Check the RDW website.
If you stop the suspension early, you get no money back. If you stop it within one month, you must pay road tax for that time after all.

Think about this too: a car that stands still for a long time can get a flat battery, flat-spotted tyres and rusty brakes. Ask someone to check on it, or think about cover against theft and damage while it stands still.

Which Option Fits You?

Option	Best when	Effort
Sell to a dealer	You have little time and want it done today	Low
Sell privately	You have a few weeks and want the best price	Medium
Export	You move to an EU country, love the car, and the numbers add up	High
Scrap	The car is old, broken or worth very little	Low
Suspend	You will come back and have private parking	Low

Do Not Forget Your Insurance History

In the Netherlands, every year without a claim gives you a bigger discount on car insurance. This is called your no-claims history. You can take it with you:

Under EU rules, you can ask your insurer for a claims history statement at any time. It must cover at least the last 5 years, and the insurer must give it to you within 15 days.
Since July 2025, this statement has the same format across the EU. Insurers in other EU countries must treat it the same as a statement from their own country.
Ask for it before you cancel your insurance, and keep a copy. It can save you a lot of money on your next insurance.

Your Timeline

6 to 8 weeks before you leave

Choose your option.
Find your kentekencard, registration code, APK report and service book.
Check your loan or lease contract.
Exporting? Ask your new country which documents it needs.

3 to 6 weeks before

Selling privately? Put the car up for sale now.
Ask your insurer for your claims history statement.

Last 2 weeks

Finish the sale, export, scrapping or suspension.
Get your vrijwaringsbewijs and check Mijn RDW.
Stop your insurance once the car is out of your name.
Cancel your parking permit with your town (gemeente), if you have one.
Make sure the Belastingdienst can still reach you and pay you.

After you leave

Exported to an EU or EEA country? Register the car there within 13 weeks, and send the BPM refund form.
Keep all papers for at least a few years, in case a fine or tax letter arrives by mistake.

Learn more about Dutch car taxes in BPM, MRB and Wegenbelasting, and about the safety test in our practical guide to the APK.

Not Sure What to Do With Your Car?

Every move is different. If you are unsure whether to sell, export or suspend, send us a message with your car and your new country, and we will help you think it through.