Bringing or Importing a Vehicle

If you bring a car, motorcycle, campervan, or another motor vehicle to the Netherlands, the rules can depend on how long you will stay, where the vehicle is registered, and whether you are considered a Dutch resident. Depending on your situation, you may also need to pay motor vehicle tax (MRB—motorrijtuigenbelasting) or private motor vehicle and motorcycle tax (BPM—belasting van personenauto’s en motorrijwielen), unless an exemption applies.

You may also need to check several things before driving, including whether your vehicle insurance is valid in the Netherlands, whether your driving licence allows you to drive here, whether you can use foreign licence plates, and whether the vehicle needs to be registered with RDW.

Always check the current rules with the Belastingdienst, RDW, and Dutch Customs before driving or registering a foreign vehicle in the Netherlands.

Which situation applies to you?

Before bringing or importing a vehicle, first check which situation applies to you. This will help you understand whether you may be able to keep foreign licence plates, apply for an exemption, or register the vehicle in the Netherlands. You may need different information if you are:

• visiting or staying in the Netherlands temporarily,
• students or foreign workers,
• importing a vehicle (from within the EU or outside the EU)

Visiting or staying temporarily in the Netherlands

If you are visiting the Netherlands temporarily and your vehicle will not be used by someone registered in the Netherlands, you may be able to drive a vehicle with foreign licence plates. Make sure the vehicle registration, your driving licence, and your insurance are valid in the Netherlands.

If you live in the Netherlands, or if you should be registered as a Dutch resident, Dutch motor vehicle tax rules (MRB) may apply. In some short-term situations (maximum of two consecutive weeks), you may be able to apply for an exemption.

Students and foreign workers

Some students and foreign workers may qualify for specific exemptions or different treatment. For example, international students may not always be considered residents for motor vehicle tax (MRB), and private motor vehicle and motorcycle tax (BPM), if they are in the Netherlands only because of their studies.

People who work for an employer based outside the Netherlands, and driving a vehicle with foreign licence plates (which is made available by the foreign employer), may also be able to apply for an exemption in specific situations.

These rules depend on your personal situation, so always check the Belastingdienst conditions before assuming that an exemption applies.

Importing a vehicle

If you bring a vehicle from another EU country and need to register it in the Netherlands, you usually need to go through RDW and the Belastingdienst.

This may involve an RDW inspection or identification, a BPM declaration or exemption request, an MRB declaration, Dutch licence plates registration, Dutch vehicle insurance, and the vehicle may also need an APK inspection (periodic vehicle inspection)—you can do this at most vehicle service points or garages in the Netherlands. You can follow the roadmap from the NetherlandsWorldwide.

If you bring a vehicle from outside the EU, extra rules may apply. In addition to the process that applies to importing a vehicle from within the EU, you may also need to deal with customs, import duties, VAT, RDW inspection, a BPM and MRB declaration, Dutch licence plates, and Dutch vehicle insurance.

This process can be more complex than importing from within the EU, so check Dutch Customs, RDW, Belastingdienst, and the vehicle import roadmap by the NetherlandsWorldwide before arranging transport or driving the vehicle in the Netherlands.