Driving to Germany on white Dutch export number plates

The export registration is your existing registration number, but on white plates with black letters and figures, which must stay legible in all weather (RDW). After deregistration for export the car may be driven on Dutch public roads for 14 days, and never longer than its APK (the Dutch roadworthiness test) is valid. Without a valid APK you may not drive on public roads at all.

A car gets two white plates; a motorcycle, scooter, moped, caravan or trailer gets one, at the rear. The table below shows insurance, APK and the number of plates per vehicle type.

There are no transit countries: from our desk the A1 becomes the German A30 at De Lutte. German law temporarily admits a foreign vehicle that has a valid foreign registration certificate and no regular base in Germany (§ 46 FZV), provided its third-party liability is covered; for a vehicle insured in its home country, the Green Card serves as proof. According to the ADAC, the usual route for driving a car in from another country is an export or transfer plate of that country, and for the Netherlands it names the export kenteken. That is the view of a motoring club, not an official recognition.

The RDW points out that the rules for Dutch export plates abroad vary by country. Also check before you set off whether your destination lies in an Umweltzone (low-emission zone).

After 14 days there is no valid Dutch export registration any more, and extending the export insurance does not extend the plates. The rules for Dutch export plates vary by country, so we cannot promise that you may drive on in Germany after that; ask the Zulassungsstelle (German vehicle registration office) in advance. If the car is still in the Netherlands when the 14 days are over, it can only be moved on a trailer or car transporter.

The same caution applies if the car was already in Germany when the white plates were issued: we cannot promise that it may be driven there on them. Plan the HU (roadworthiness test) and the appointment at the Zulassungsstelle within the 14 days, or choose transport.

A German Kurzzeitkennzeichen (short-term plate) is issued by a Zulassungsbehörde for test drives and transfer drives of a vehicle that is not registered. It is valid until the end of the fifth day after it is allocated, and requires German third-party insurance and, where needed, valid proof of the HU and safety check (§ 42 FZV).

It is not meant for bringing a car in from another EU country. The Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum Deutschland (EVZ) states that a car bought in another EU country cannot be imported on a German Kurzzeitkennzeichen, and the ADAC says that a German plate may not be fitted to a vehicle based abroad. Once the car is in Germany and meets § 42 FZV, a Kurzzeitkennzeichen may serve for short trips within the country, for example to the HU or the Zulassungsstelle; ask the office in advance.

Transport on a trailer or car transporter is always possible, as the ADAC also notes. The transported vehicle then usually needs no insurance for driving, but the export document is still required. The German number plates only come at the Zulassung (registration): see how to register a car in Germany. If you do drive, our export insurance with a Green Card comes with the white plates.