How to bring your car to the Netherlands

16 Nov 2009

It is quite common for expats to consider
bringing their cars to the Netherlands. Either for
day trips (visiting other cities or even neighbor
countries) or for work (some Dutch companies
compensate you for driving your own car since
they do not have to lease you one), having your
own car in the Netherlands can be a real life-
saver or sorry to say, a living hell.

Here is what I have learned when I tried to bring
my car to the Netherlands:

First off, expatriates can drive their cars under
any EU country registration only for 6 months!
After that period all expats have to register and
get Dutch license plates. In order to do that, two
different taxes have to get paid:

› Road tax (Motorrijtuigenbelasting)
The amount of road tax depends on (vehicle)
weight and fuel type (diesel is more expensive).
As an indication, an average sized non-diesel
fueled car will cost about 500 euros per year. To
calculate the exact amount you have to pay
check the road tax calculator
(Motorrijtuigenbelasting Calculator) that can be
found here (in Dutch).

› Private motor vehicle & motorcycle tax (BMP)
As opposed to the Road tax, the private motor
vehicle & motorcycle tax (BMP) depends on
many factors and - hold your breath - for an
average vehicle BMP can rise up to 5000 euros.

I bet this is the part why you are considering not
to bring your car; at least, this is what I thought
when they told me the tax price. Relax though,
there is a solution:

Almost every EU expat can claim that the
vehicle is part of his/her "Removal Goods". Why
to do that? Because this exempts you from
BMP! Just fill out the “Aanvraag vergunning
vrijstelling BPM bij verhuizing” form and send it
to the RDW (Department of Road Transport).

Apparently, you have to prove that you have
lived in another EU country for more than 12
months and more importantly, that the car has
been in your possession for more that 6 months.
This may be time-consuming but believe me, it
is definitely worth it.

If your application is approved, you will receive
confirmation that you are exempt from paying
BMP. Thus, you have to make an appointment
with any RDW inspection centres to provide:
› your passport or ID
› any vehicle-related documents such as proof
that you own the car
› your driving licence
› the BMP exemption letter you received after
your application
› your vehicle.

If everything goes well, an employee from
Customs will give you a notice of completion
and a "document of vehicle details for the BMP
declaration", which you do not really need - or
at least, I haven’t used it yet - but anyways…

What you need to get is a vehicle registration
certificate, which has to be presented in any
authorized garage to get the new license plates.
When you get the Dutch plates, you're done.
Almost..

After you get your plates, you are obligated to
take out a third party private insurance, which is
generally a bit expensive, but not as expensive
as you might think. All in all, having your own
car in the Netherlands will cost you around 150
euros per month depending on how much you
drive.

Congratulations! You are finally allowed to drive
on Dutch roads.

Hope this helps and more importantly, I am not
forgetting anything.

Good luck,

Alex P.
MSc TU Delft