Do you have a registered Dutch address?
NO - you cannot register a car in your name (nor a motorcycle or anything with a license plate)
YES – you can register a car in your name (and anything with a license plate)
Do you have a Dutch driver's license?
NO – in this case, you can only transfer the car at one of the RDW branches, at 16 locations across the country (https://www.rdw.nl/over-rdw/contact/keuringsstations) without an appointment (zonder afspraak)
What you will need:
a BRP (Basisregistratie Personen) document no older than three months, which you can request from the municipality (gemeente) of your current address either in person or online. The cost is usually between 15 and 20 euros, depending on the gemeente. For online requests, it typically arrives by mail within 1-2 business days.
ID card or passport
the car's current registration certificate
the 4 + 5 digit code (tenaamstellingscodes). If you don't have this, the current owner (seller) can request a new one online immediately using DigiD (https://www.rdw.nl/.../het.../tenaamstellingscode-kwijt).
If you have all this, the car can be transferred to your name in about 3 minutes.
What you get there:
Vrijwaringsbewijs (this is for the seller, with this document they can cancel the insurance, and it proves that the car is no longer theirs)
Tenaamstellinscodes deel 1 (contains 4 digits, needed when you want to sell the car)
a receipt/invoice for 10.75 €
If you manage to transfer the car by 16:00, the registration certificate (kentekenbewijs) and the second part of the Tenaamstellingscodes with 5 characters will arrive by mail the next business day. I recommend everyone who wants to live here long-term to exchange their driver's license for a Dutch one. Besides car transfers, it is useful for many things. This can be initiated online or in person at the municipality (gemeente) of your residence (Rijbewijs buitenland omwisselen). The cost is about 40 €.
YES – in this case, you can do it in person at any PostNL location in the country (https://www.postnl.nl/locatiewijzer/?f=8&c=0), and even online with DigiD at home (https://voertuigoverschrijven.rdw.nl/particulier/). Everything else is the same as described in the previous point.
It is also very important that you cannot drive without insurance. You can arrange insurance even before transferring the car, but it is mandatory to do so after the transfer.
The simplest way is online, through an insurance broker site, comparing several offers to find the most suitable one (https://www.independer.nl/.../autoverzekering-vergelijken).
For the offer, the car's license plate number and your postal code are enough, but for the contract, the car's MELDCODE is required, which is the last 4 characters of the 17-digit chassis number. This rarely matches the 4 characters of the TENAAMSTELLINGSCODES received during the transfer, so pay attention to this.
EXPORT
Is a trailer taking your car home, or is it already home?
YES – in this case, since you do not need an export license plate or insurance, you can handle it at one of the 16 RDW branches mentioned earlier (the RDW does not issue export license plates or provide insurance there).
-What you will need:
the car's current registration certificate
the 4 + 5 digit code (tenaamstellingscodes). If you don't have this, the current owner (seller) can request a new one online immediately using DigiD (https://www.rdw.nl/.../het.../tenaamstellingscode-kwijt)
the original license plate(s)
buyer's personal documents or copies thereof
NO – if you want to drive the car home, you will need an export license plate and insurance. These and the previously mentioned requirements can be handled all at once in one place. At businesses authorized by the RDW (https://www.rdw.nl/particulier/locatiewijzer).
“Mijn voertuig exporteren”.
The insurance is valid for 2 weeks and can be extended once. The cost varies between 150 and 200 €.
INSURANCE AND EXPORT LICENSE PLATES CAN ONLY BE ISSUED FOR CARS WITH VALID TECHNICAL INSPECTION (APK).