Importing a car to the Netherlands: RDW inspection, number plate and APK (MOT)

For a car from an EU or EFTA country, you go through the steps below. The EFTA countries are Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. You bring the car to the inspection station yourself, or you have an RDW-approved company go to the inspection for you. As a private person you must be registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP), the Dutch population register of your municipality.

1. Book an appointment with the RDW. You do this online with DigiD, the Dutch government login, or with eHerkenning for a company. You pay when you make the appointment.
2. Arrange transport. If you drive to the inspection station yourself, you apply for a free one-day registration when you book. You can also have the car transported on a trailer or a car transporter.
3. Bring your documents. The complete original foreign registration certificate, your proof of identity and, if possible, the Certificate of Conformity (CoC, in Dutch: CvO). If you want the foreign APK to be taken over, bring the proof of that too.
4. Inspection at the RDW. The RDW identifies the car and checks the documents. According to the RDW this takes 25 to 55 minutes.
5. File the bpm return. After the RDW has approved the car, you file a return with the Tax Administration. Make a copy of the foreign registration certificate beforehand, because you need it for the return.
6. Receive the registration certificate. Once the RDW and the Tax Administration have given their approval, the RDW sends the registration certificate within 5 days, not counting Saturdays and Sundays. Then have number plates made by a manufacturer approved by the RDW.
7. Insurance and APK. The car must have third-party liability insurance (in Dutch: WA-verzekering) as soon as it is registered in your name. For the motor vehicle tax, the Tax Administration sends you an assessment itself. If the car has no valid foreign APK, you have the APK done at an RDW-approved APK station after you receive the registration certificate.

At the import inspection, the RDW establishes that the car is what it claims to be and that the papers are correct. This is called identification. The RDW does not check whether the car fully meets the APK requirements.

Does the car have damage that has not yet been repaired? Then the car does get a registration number (in Dutch: kenteken), but the RDW records a ban on driving it on the road. After the repair, the car must be inspected again. According to the RDW, there is damage if the vehicle has become weaker or could become weaker. For example, does the bonnet, the boot lid or a door not close properly, or is compulsory lighting missing? Then, according to the RDW, you choose an inspection after damage repair when you book.

Source: RDW, importing from within Europe (in Dutch). 2026 prices, check rdw.nl for current rates. The total was added up by Autobedrijf Willemsbrug from the RDW amounts. The check inspection is not included in it. Bpm and motor vehicle tax come on top.

That depends on the foreign APK. If the car has a valid APK from an EU or EFTA country, the RDW can take over its expiry date. Tell the RDW desk that you want the APK to be taken over and bring proof.

You cannot have the expiry date of an inspection from a country outside the EU and EFTA taken over. According to the Dutch government, such an inspection does not meet the European requirements.

Does the car have no valid APK after the import, and is an APK required? Then, according to the RDW, you book an APK after you receive the registration certificate. You can do this at any RDW-approved APK station. If you do it too late, you will get a fine from the CJIB, the Dutch Central Judicial Collection Agency. The RDW checks the inspection register and the insurance register every day.

The APK interval depends on the age of the car and the fuel. The RDW counts the age from the date of first admission (in Dutch: datum eerste toelating). For an imported car, this is usually the date on which the car was first registered abroad. A five-year-old car is therefore not treated as a new car in the Netherlands.

Source: RDW, When and how often should a PTI inspection be performed (cars up to and including 3,500 kg). On its English pages the RDW calls the APK the Periodic Technical Inspection (PTI). A car of 30 years or older needs an APK once every 2 years. From 50 years, an APK is no longer required.

You can have the APK done up to 2 months before the expiry date without losing any time. The new expiry date then counts on from the old date. All intervals by fuel and age are in our article when your car needs an APK.

For a passenger car, a motorcycle and most light commercial vehicles, you file a bpm return with the Tax Administration. According to the Tax Administration, you can only do this once the RDW has approved the car. The RDW then sends the car’s details online to the Tax Administration. As a private person you file the return online. According to the RDW, the CO2 value on the Certificate of Conformity determines the amount of bpm.

For a used car you get a reduction on the gross bpm amount. This reduction is called depreciation (in Dutch: afschrijving). The Tax Administration has three ways to calculate it. You may choose the way that is most favourable for you.

Source: Belastingdienst, depreciation with a price list, valuation report or flat-rate table (in Dutch).

If you choose a valuation report, you state this in the return and you cannot change that choice later. Are you moving to the Netherlands and do you want to import your own car tax-free? Then, according to the RDW, you apply to the Tax Administration for a bpm exemption before the inspection.

A car from outside Europe often has no European type approval. Then the RDW must inspect the car before you may drive it or sell it. The RDW inspects such a car one by one, not per type. This is called an individual approval. If you are moving to the Netherlands from a country outside the EU or EFTA, the RDW says you first file a declaration with Dutch Customs (Douane) before the inspection.

You cannot have the expiry date of an inspection from such a country taken over. After registration, a Dutch APK therefore follows if the car is old enough. For American cars we have a separate page about the APK for an American car.

The first APK after the import can be done at any RDW-approved APK station. The import inspection itself takes place at an RDW inspection station, not at a garage. Autobedrijf Willemsbrug in Rotterdam-IJsselmonde is an RDW-approved APK station and inspects cars of all makes. We carry out the APK Monday to Friday, by appointment.

Registering the result with the RDW is included. If your car fails at our garage and we carry out the repair, the retest is included.

Do the headlights of your car need to be adapted or adjusted? We replace and adjust bulbs and headlights ourselves. You get a quote in advance and we only carry out repairs after your approval. You can read more about the inspection itself on our page about the APK for your car. Have you recently moved to Rotterdam and are you looking for a regular garage? Then see our page new to Rotterdam. If you have questions, call +31 10 479 00 00.

No. The RDW identifies the car and checks the documents, but does not check whether the car fully meets the APK requirements. If the car has no valid foreign APK from an EU or EFTA country, you have the APK done at an RDW-approved APK station after you receive the registration certificate.

No. According to the RDW, you may no longer drive the car on public roads after your visit to the inspection station. You may do so again once you have received the Dutch registration certificate, the number plates are on the car and the car is insured.

Yes. The RDW can take over the expiry date of a valid inspection from an EU or EFTA country. Bring the original inspection report, the entry on the foreign registration certificate or the sticker on the foreign number plate. Tell the desk that you want the APK to be taken over.

Yes. According to the RDW, you get a fine if you do not have the APK done in time after you receive the registration certificate. The CJIB issues that fine. The RDW checks the inspection register every day.

According to the RDW, the inspection takes 25 to 55 minutes. The bpm return follows after that. Once the RDW and the Tax Administration have given their approval, you receive the registration certificate within 5 days, not counting Saturdays and Sundays.

For a car of 3,500 kg or lighter, the RDW charges € 58.50 for identification, € 50.00 for the registration certificate, € 13.10 for registration in your name and € 22.50 recycling contribution. That is € 144.10 in total (2026 prices, check rdw.nl for current rates). Bpm comes on top of that.

No. According to the RDW, you do not have to bring the Certificate of Conformity (CoC). The CO2 value on the CoC does determine the amount of bpm. So it is sensible to have the CoC to hand.

No. At our garage the APK for an imported car costs the same as for any other car: € 50 for petrol, petrol hybrid or electric and € 60 for a diesel with a factory-fitted DPF. For an LPG car or another diesel, you hear the price in advance.

• RDW: Invoeren binnen Europa (importing from within Europe, with fees, in Dutch)
• RDW: Invoeren van buiten Europa (importing from outside Europe, in Dutch)
• RDW: Moving to the Netherlands and taking your vehicle with you
• Netherlands Worldwide (Dutch government): Can I transfer my car’s foreign inspection certificate if I import my car?
• Belastingdienst: Ik koop een motorrijtuig in het buitenland: hoe zit het met de bpm-aangifte? (bpm return for a vehicle bought abroad, in Dutch)
• Belastingdienst: Afschrijving met koerslijst, taxatierapport of forfaitaire tabel (depreciation methods, in Dutch)