Export plates by post: DHL Express delivery anywhere in Europe

How delivery of your Dutch export plates works

You request the export insurance as usual, via WhatsApp, e-mail or the online request form, and choose delivery by post. We confirm the price including the surcharge of €50 per shipment, which covers the administration, the DHL Express service and the track & trace. After payment we issue the policy, e-mail the green card and hand the plates to DHL. You receive the tracking number, so you can follow the parcel until it is signed for.

Shipping export plates within Europe costs the same €50 for every destination and every vehicle type, so by post a car starts at €150, a caravan at €200 and a truck or motorhome at €230. Ordering for several vehicles? If their plates go to the same address, they travel in one shipment, for one €50 surcharge in total.

The RDW export deregistration can be arranged at a distance as well. The standard way is at our office in Hengelo, for €50 per vehicle during opening hours, the same amount for a car, a motorcycle or a truck. If you cannot come, the yellow Dutch number plates are the only thing you post to us; feel free to cut or fold them so that they fit in an envelope. Everything else travels digitally, by e-mail or WhatsApp: the tenaamstellingscode plus a copy or photo of the registration card and of your driving licence, identity card or passport. We then report the vehicle for export for you. This remote route costs more, so ask us for the price. If the seller or another RDW-recognised company has already done the deregistration, you only need the insurance and the plates from us.

Request Monday to Thursday: delivery in 1 working day

Working days for DHL Express are Monday to Friday. 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. Need the plates at the weekend? Book an appointment to collect them at our Hengelo office on Saturday from 09:00 to 17:00.

Keep in mind that the 14 days of cover start on the start date you choose, not on the day the parcel arrives. If the plates are delivered on Tuesday and you drive off on Saturday, choose Saturday as the start date.

What is in the parcel, and what comes by e-mail

The parcel contains the white Dutch export plates, a pair for a car, van, truck or motorhome and a single plate for a motorcycle, caravan or trailer. The green card is not in the parcel. It is sent as a PDF to your e-mail address as soon as the policy has been issued, usually before the plates have even left our office. Print it, keep the PDF on your phone as a backup, and take both with you on the drive. The RDW export document is not in the parcel either: it follows from the export deregistration at the RDW, not from the insurance. Check the page about Dutch export plates with insurance for the complete set of papers.

Address checks: what the courier needs

A delayed parcel is often caused by an incomplete address. Before we hand the plates to DHL we check the delivery address with you. Give us:

• The full street name and house number, with an apartment, floor or building name where relevant.
• The postcode and town, spelt as the local postal service writes them.
• The name of the person who will receive the parcel; DHL usually asks for a signature.
• A mobile phone number the driver can call; DHL may also use it for delivery notifications.
• An e-mail address for the tracking number and the green card.

Delivery to an auction, dealer, hotel or transport company

The plates do not have to go to your home. If you buy at a Dutch auction, we can deliver to the auction site in time for collection day. Dealers abroad can have the plates sent to the Dutch seller, so that their driver finds them waiting. If you fly in, the parcel can go to your hotel in the Netherlands, and transport companies can receive the plates at the depot where their driver sets off. In all these cases, tell us the name of the company or hotel and the contact person, and let the receiver know a DHL parcel is coming, so that someone is there to sign for it.

Already abroad? The plates come to you

A common situation: you bought the vehicle during a visit to the Netherlands, flew home and will come back to collect it. We then send the plates to your home address in Ireland, Norway, Lithuania, Croatia or wherever you live in Europe, and you bring them with you when you return. At the seller you fit the plates, with the green card printed and on your phone, and you drive off. The alternative is to collect the plates at our office in Hengelo on your way to the seller.

Practical tips for delivery by post

• Order early. The plates can be sent before the start date of the cover, so it does no harm to have them at home in good time.
• Bring a screwdriver and a few cable ties; plate holders and screws differ from vehicle to vehicle, and the seller does not always have spares.
• Check the tracking page on the day of delivery and keep your phone on; DHL may call if the address is unclear.
• Do not drive on the plates before the start date on your green card, or after the 14 days have ended.
• Check the price page for the total per vehicle type including delivery.