Taking a car from Germany to Netherlands

[LeoZwalf]

Hi all,

We will move to Netherlands in the next few weeks and will take the car with us. Would I have to get the car on German export plates (the ones with the red band and date) first or can I just keep it on its normal plates and register it directly in NL?

Not sure how much (if at all) the insurance company cares to insure a car when the owner/driver is abgemeldet from the city?

Cheers for any advice,
Leo

[NAS]

I'm Dutch, but live in Germany.

Multiple options:

- Export plates make most sense indeed, it's the 'official way'
- 5 day plates (the yellow ones) are possible to use in the NL too
- Or just drive fully angemeldet to the local RDW (www.rdw.nl) and import the car

I'd do the latter because I'm lazy. I'd check with my insurance broker though. You'd need to talk to him to get insurance for the first 2 options anyway.

BTW : importing a car into the NL has to happen quick. Officially within 48 hours of arriving, if it's not parked off-road/off the public streets.

You don't always need to make an appointment with the local RDW, but it can be usefull.

http://www.rdw.nl/nl/particulier/internationalvisi...

Very important btw : if you don't want to pay registration tax (BPM) which can be a lot, investigate if your car can be imported as part of your 'household' when coming to the NL.

Call the Douane (customs)

http://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldc...

Check this *before* you import the car.

[LeoZwalf]

Hi NAS and thanks very much for the help

The plan will therefore be something like this:
1. Speak to insurance and prepare for red export plates
2. Go to Zulassungstelle and transfer to export plates
3. Put plates on car (favourite step)
4. Go to Burgeramt and unregister myself from Frankfurt
5. Drive to RDW...

Would I require the NL TÜV/MOT equivalent (APK?) before I can get it onto NL plates or can they accept a recent (October) TÜV certificate (doubt it)? Also I guess I will need NL insurance first?

Another question which I wish I'd asked when I bought the car in Germany as I was caught out. As a foreigner, your Anmeldung for the city must be less than 3 months old to be able to register the car in Germany. Does that also apply to transferring to export plates? And will I need such a thing in the Netherlands to register the car?

So many questions, sorry. I have Googled but it's hard to bring all the German and Dutch language info together to answer everything relatively easily.

[NAS]

LeoZwalf said:

Hi NAS and thanks very much for the help

The plan will therefore be something like this:
1. Speak to insurance and prepare for red export plates
2. Go to Zulassungstelle and transfer to export plates
3. Put plates on car (favourite step)
4. Go to Burgeramt and unregister myself from Frankfurt
5. Drive to RDW...

Would I require the NL TÜV/MOT equivalent (APK?) before I can get it onto NL plates or can they accept a recent (October) TÜV certificate (doubt it)? Also I guess I will need NL insurance first?

Another question which I wish I'd asked when I bought the car in Germany as I was caught out. As a foreigner, your Anmeldung for the city must be less than 3 months old to be able to register the car in Germany. Does that also apply to transferring to export plates? And will I need such a thing in the Netherlands to register the car?

So many questions, sorry. I have Googled but it's hard to bring all the German and Dutch language info together to answer everything relatively easily.

Process sounds good.

It helps massively if you can show them a fresh Tuev certificate, but you'd still need to get a APK done officially. You can get this done immediately (only do this if you know if your car's OK -> otherwise the whole process might be delayed because you don't pass the MOT)

You won't need NL insurance first.

Process normally is :
- Drive to RDW to import car
- Pay all fees and taxes
- Get APK
- Wait for a few days and get the V5-like document send to you in the post (car has to have valid export plates still or be parked off-road)
- Get plates made at a local halfords/equivalant with this document
- Get insurance (same day preferably)
- Done

I don't know about any terms (as I was a local when I imported my cars) but you 100% certainly have to be signed in with your local city. Where are you moving? I don't know, but you might be able to do it on-line (NL is a bit more advanced here than Germany....)

[LeoZwalf]

NAS, thanks very much for your tips

Things so far have turned out differently from expected (best laid plans and all that) - I have bought an NL car and need rid of the DE registered Mondeo. It's looking like it will go to the recyclers as it has developed an overheating problem which, added to all the other small faults, make it worth very little.

That brings me to my next question. If I take it to a recyclers here in Amsterdam, what do I do about abmeldung-ing it in DE? Can I send the plates and docs back to the Zulassungstelle in Frankfurt with a letter explaining the car was scrapped in NL?

[NAS]

You're not gonna like this:

http://www.frankfurt.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=2947&...

Benötigte Unterlagen
Alle Unterlagen sind im Original vorzulegen.

It looks like they want you to show up personally.

Fahrzeugschein/Zulassungsbescheinigung I
Kennzeichenschilder
Verbleibserklärung (siehe Formulare)
Bei Verschrottung: Verwertungsnachweis des Verwertungsbetriebes. Bei gleichzeitiger Vorlage eines Verwertungsnachweises zum Zeitpunkt der Außerbetriebsetzung (§ 15 Abs. 1 FZV) ist weiterhin die Vorlage des Fahrzeugbriefes bzw. der Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II notwendig.

The last bit is relevant to scrapping : they want a letter/proof from the scrapyard. And it wouldn't surprise me if they'd want it in German.....

I'd call the zulassungsstelle.

[LeoZwalf]

• head explodes*

Sounds like fun. I should have expected nothing less though.

Due to a bureaucratic cockup here in NL, I have no phone line. So have sent an email enquiry to the Frankfurt Zulassungstelle. Let's see what they come up with, should only take a few weeks for them to reply

Thanks for your help again NAS

[NAS]

No worries, curious as to the outcome. Hope it's not nearly as bureaucratic as I expect it to me.....

[LeoZwalf]

Well stone me, they have replied already (at 6:59am believe it or not!):

Kfz-Zulassung Frankfurt said:

Sehr geehrter Herr PHer,

unter folgendem Link erhalten Sie alle Informationen zur Außerbetriebsetzung

http://www.frankfurt.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=2778&...

Die Außerbetriebsetzung per Post ist nicht möglich. Jedoch kann diese bei jeder Zulassungsbehörde in Deutschland beantragt werden.

Not ideal but looking at the map the closest one is in Kleve so I'll write to them to see if they'll allow me to proceed

[NAS]

Hehe, same link I see. I hope Kleve is able to help you out.....

[LeoZwalf]

Kleve said:

die Abmeldung Ihres Fahrzeuges [kennzeichen] können Sie hier vornehmen lassen. Hierzu ist Ihr persönliches Erscheinen jedoch notwendig.

Bitte bringen Sie für die Abmeldung die deutschen Kennzeichenschilder sowie den deutschen Fahrzeugschein mit. Die Außerbetriebsetzung kostet 5,90 €.

Ich hoffe, Sie hiermit ausreichend informiert zu haben.

So now we know. 140km each way from here, argh! Gotta get rid of the car first though :-/