Importing a car from the Netherlands to Germany, from export to Zulassung

Importing a car to Germany from the Netherlands starts with the Dutch export. At our desk the vehicle is deregistered for export in the Dutch vehicle register. You then receive:

• the export certificate, which the RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority) also calls kentekenbewijs deel II, in the name of the buyer or the person exporting the car;
• the kentekencard (the Dutch registration card) with one corner cut off, or the older paper part 1B;
• the vrijwaringsbewijs for the seller, the proof that the Dutch registration has ended.

According to the RDW, the export certificate and the registration card are needed together to register the car abroad. Do not deregister the car before you know which papers you need: our page on Dutch car export documents lists them.

For the drive itself we supply white export number plates and arrange 14 days of third-party export insurance with a Green Card through our insurance partner. If the German steps take longer, the cover can be extended after approval by the insurer. Read more about export insurance for the drive to Germany and the white Dutch export plates. We also offer a BPM refund service, and CoC assistance on request. An EX-A customs declaration is not needed, because both countries are in the EU.

The German registration is not something we do. The buyer or new owner arranges it, or someone acting with a power of attorney. The Zulassungsstelle (German vehicle registration office) of the place of residence asks for, among other things:

1. an identity document with a Meldebescheinigung, the proof that you are registered at an address in Germany;
2. a CoC (certificate of conformity) or a Datenbestätigung (the manufacturer's data confirmation);
3. a valid HU (Hauptuntersuchung, the German roadworthiness test) or an inspection report the office accepts;
4. an eVB (electronic insurance confirmation) from a German insurer;
5. a SEPA direct debit mandate for the Kfz-Steuer, the annual vehicle tax;
6. the purchase contract or invoice and the original Dutch papers.

With these papers you go to an appointment at the Zulassungsstelle. The car receives a registration number and the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II (the German registration certificates), and you have German number plates made, which the office stamps. Berlin and Munich publish lists like this one, and each Zulassungsstelle may ask for more. Our guide on how to register a car in Germany covers every step in detail.

Our prices start from €50 for the export document, from €100 for export insurance with white plates and from €150 for the complete package. The price is always confirmed in advance; it can be higher outside office hours, for delivery by post or for heavy vehicles. You pay in cash or by bank transfer.

On the German side, the federal basic fee for a Zulassung is €30 (GebOSt no. 221.1). The total at the counter varies by Zulassungsstelle and can be higher. After registration the Kfz-Steuer follows every year, and a private buyer only owes German VAT on a new vehicle. The page on the cost of registering a car in Germany sets out all the costs.

With complete documents, a standard application at our desk is usually ready in about 15 minutes. After deregistration the car may be driven on Dutch roads for 14 days, and never longer than its APK (the Dutch roadworthiness test) is valid. There are no transit countries, as the two countries share a border.

There is no official average processing time on the German side. With complete papers the registration itself is usually one appointment, but waiting times for an appointment vary by city. As an indication, allow a few days to a few weeks. A missing CoC (a Gutachten is then needed) or a missing deel II can make it take longer. If you want a BPM refund, the car must have its German registration within 13 weeks of the RDW giving it export status.

You do not always have to come to Hengelo. We can prepare everything online; you send the yellow Dutch number plates by post or courier, and we start once they arrive. Documents and plates are sent insured and with tracking, to a Dutch or a German address.

Is the car already in Germany, for example because you moved there on Dutch plates? Then we can still arrange the export with the kentekenbewijs deel II, entirely remotely through a separate procedure by post. Everything is sent insured with DHL: standard takes about 5 working days, DHL Express about 1 working day. Contact us first, and we will tell you what we need and what it costs. We cannot promise that the car may then be driven in Germany on white export plates.

Most of our customers fall into one of these groups. We do not sell cars ourselves.

• Buyers who have bought a car in the Netherlands and want to register it at home.
• People moving house who take their own car along: see moving to Germany with a car.
• Owners of a motorhome, caravan or trailer: see importing a motorhome, caravan or trailer.
• Businesses with a van or lorry: see importing a van or truck.
• Dutch sellers with a buyer abroad: see selling a car for export.
• Anyone who wants to reclaim Dutch registration tax: see the BPM refund on export.