Apply for Dutch export plates online from wherever you are

What happens after you request export insurance online

The order of events is always the same, whether you use WhatsApp, e-mail or the form at the bottom of this page. First we check the vehicle using the registration number and confirm the exact price, which depends on its type, empty weight and year of manufacture. Then you receive the payment details. Once the payment is in, we issue the export insurance with one of the insurers we work with and e-mail the green card as a PDF. Finally the plates are prepared for collection in Hengelo or handed to DHL Express.

You can send a request at any hour, including at night and at weekends. WhatsApp is the fastest channel and is answered 24/7; you can also use e-mail or the form. If something is missing from your message, we ask for it straight away rather than letting the request wait.

One point to settle for the online route: the vehicle must be reported for export at the RDW, by the seller, by another RDW-recognised company or by us. We can do it at our office in Hengelo for €50 per vehicle during the standard tariff period, Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 17:00. Every office visit requires an appointment, including during this period; we arrange the insurance and plates in the same visit. Cannot make the trip? Then the deregistration can also be done remotely. Only the yellow Dutch number plates have to travel by post, and you may cut or fold them so that they fit in an envelope. Photos of your ID and the registration card, plus the tenaamstellingscode, can simply be sent by e-mail or WhatsApp. Remote handling costs more, so ask us for the price.

What to send: the details we need

One complete message saves time. This is what we need for almost every request:

• The Dutch registration number of the vehicle; a photo of the registration certificate is welcome.
• No registration number because it is a light trailer under 750 kg? Then send the chassis number (VIN), the make and the model/type, plus the registration number of the vehicle that will tow it and the country where that vehicle is registered.
• The full name of the buyer, whether a private person or a company.
• The destination country and, for a long route, the countries you will pass through, so that we can check them against the green card.
• The start date of the 14 days: the day you plan to drive off.
• Collection in Hengelo, or delivery by post with the full address, contact name and phone number.
• For companies: company name, address and VAT number for the invoice.

When we ask for ID

For some policies the insurer wants a copy of the buyer's identity document. We only ask for it when it is needed, and we use it only for the policy. How we handle your data is described in our privacy statement.

When the green card arrives

The green card is issued after payment and sent as a PDF to the e-mail address you give us. Check your spam folder if you do not see it, then print it and save the file on your phone before you leave, because you may need it at a police check or at a border long after you have left your hotel's wifi. The card shows the registration number, the validity of 14 days from your start date and the countries where the cover applies. Everything about its use is on the page about the green card for export.

Requesting in advance is wise: the start date can be later than the day of your request, so the green card is already in your inbox and the plates are already with you or at the seller when you collect the vehicle.

Collection in Hengelo or delivery by post: choose when you request

Collection involves no shipping costs. Office visits in Hengelo are by appointment only, including Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 17:00; arrange your collection time in advance. Hengelo is close to the German border, so if you enter the Netherlands from Germany it is often on your way.

Delivery by post suits buyers who are already abroad or whose vehicle is far from Hengelo. DHL Express delivers anywhere in Europe with track & trace for €50 per shipment. Complete, paid requests submitted from Monday to Thursday are delivered by DHL Express within 1 working day throughout Europe, with tracking. For requests on Friday, at weekends or on public holidays, contact us to confirm the expected delivery date. Collection in Hengelo is by appointment only. Read the practical details on the page export plates by post and compare both options on the price page.

Business requests: dealers, traders and transport companies

Companies that order export plates online for several vehicles from the Netherlands can send us a list of registration numbers in one go. We confirm the price per vehicle, issue the policies with the same start date if you wish and can put everything on one business invoice, also for companies outside the Netherlands. If your driver collects the vehicles, we can send the plates to the dealer, the auction site or your transport partner, as long as we have a contact name and a phone number for the courier. Plates for several vehicles going to the same address travel in one shipment, so the €50 surcharge is charged only once.

Transport companies that bring a Dutch truck or tractor unit home under its own power will find more specific information on the page about truck export insurance.