Caravan export insurance: a white export plate to tow your caravan home

Dutch caravans have their own registration

Unlike in some countries, a caravan in the Netherlands normally has its own registration number and its own registration certificate, separate from the car that tows it. When the caravan is sold abroad, that registration is ended at the RDW through the export deregistration, exactly as with a car, and the buyer receives the RDW export document for the caravan. From that moment the yellow plate on the caravan belongs to a registration that no longer exists, and the caravan needs a white export plate with the same number for the journey.

The export insurance that comes with the plate covers the caravan's third-party liability for 14 days. How the whole procedure works, from the export deregistration to the green card, is explained on the page about Dutch export plates with insurance.

Not every caravan has its own registration, though. A light caravan up to 750 kg without a Dutch registration number of its own legally counts as a light trailer. We then make a white plate showing the registration number of the car you tow it with, preceded by the country code of that registration, whether the car is Dutch or registered abroad, and the policy combines that number with the caravan's chassis number (VIN). For such a caravan we need the chassis number, the make and the model/type plus the towing car's registration number and the country it is registered in; a certificate of conformity (CoC) is welcome, but not required.

Caravan export plate and insurance: from €150 including 1 plate

For a caravan the price starts at €150, including one white Dutch export plate for the rear of the caravan, the 14-day export insurance and the green card as a PDF by e-mail. If DHL Express delivers the plate, the €50 shipping surcharge is added and the total starts at €200. For a small two-berth caravan and a large double-axle family model alike, the exact price depends on the caravan's empty weight and year of manufacture; we confirm it before you pay.

To request, send the Dutch registration number of the caravan (or, for a light caravan without its own registration, the chassis number, make and model/type plus the towing car's registration number and country), your name, the destination country and the start date via WhatsApp or the online request form. As you will usually travel to the Netherlands in your own car to collect the caravan, it can be practical to have the plate sent to your home address first and bring it with you.

The towing car needs its own cover

Our policy insures the caravan, not the car in front of it. If you tow with your own car from home, that car keeps its own registration and insurance, and you only need our package for the caravan. Check with your insurer that towing a caravan abroad is covered under your policy, and check the towing capacity of your car and your licence category against the maximum permitted mass of the caravan, because a Dutch family caravan can be heavier than it looks. Do not be surprised that the number on the export plate differs from your car's plate: in the Netherlands a caravan normally carries its own number. Only a light caravan without its own registration gets a plate with the towing car's number, preceded by its country code.

Car and caravan both bought in the Netherlands: two policies

Some buyers take the opportunity to bring both a car and a caravan from Holland in one trip. Then you need two export packages: the car gets two white export plates with its own 14-day insurance and green card from €100, and the caravan gets one plate with its own insurance and green card from €150. Each policy is tied to its own registration number, so one green card cannot cover both. We issue the two policies with the same start date and put them on one invoice if you wish; if all three plates go to the same address by post, they travel in one shipment with a single €50 surcharge. See the car export insurance page for the car and the price page for all amounts.

At the border and at police checks you then show two green cards, two RDW export documents and two purchase invoices. Keep them in one folder in the car.

Practical: hitching up and driving home

• Fit the white export plate on the rear of the caravan before you leave the seller, and take the yellow plate off.
• Check that the caravan's lights work with your car's socket; Dutch caravans normally use the 13-pin connector, so bring an adapter if your car has a 7-pin socket.
• Dutch caravans have no APK obligation unless they are above 3,500 kg, but a tyre check and a look at the brakes before a long trip are always worth it.
• Start the 14 days on the day you actually hitch up and leave, so that no days are lost while the caravan is still at the seller.
• After arrival, register the caravan in your country if that is required there, with its own deadline and possible taxes; the official Your Europe page linked under this page gives an overview for EU countries.