The Netherlands is one of the closest countries to the UK, but the Dutch system has its own paperwork, and people worry about doing things in the wrong order and getting stuck between the two. The order is simple once you see it, and the one step that matters on the Dutch side is easy to get right.
- Transit time
- Usually 1 to 4 weeks
- Usual method
- Road transport, ferry or container
- Import tax
- 20% VAT, no duty if EU or UK-built
- Price
- Priced per job
Getting the car over
If the car has not already been driven to the UK, we arrange the transport. It can come by road, crossing the Channel to Dover, or by RoRo or container. Timing depends on the method, where the car is and customs clearance, and it usually falls within 1 to 4 weeks.
Shipping it with your belongings
Many people bring a car back from the Netherlands as part of a move home. If your car is travelling in the same container as your household goods, we can collect it from there and take it on from that point. Tell us on the quote form and we will plan around the container's arrival.
Deregistering with the RDW
This is the Dutch step people ask about most. A car leaving the Netherlands for good is deregistered for export with the RDW, the Dutch vehicle authority, at an RDW inspection station, an RDW desk or an authorised export company.
The RDW's own advice is clear: find out which documents the new country needs before you deregister, and do not deregister until you know. When you do deregister, the RDW gives you back three things.
- A certificate confirming the Dutch registration has ended
- The registration card with a corner cut off, or Part 1B of the registration certificate
- The export certificate, Part II of the registration certificate, which you need to register the car abroad
Your Dutch insurance, APK and road tax obligations only end once the car is deregistered for export. After that, the RDW allows 14 days of driving on Dutch roads with an export number plate. If you are unsure what to keep, ask us before you go.
Keep everything the RDW hands back. The RDW says the export certificate is what you need to register the car abroad, so keep it with the cut registration card until the car is on UK plates.
Import tax from the Netherlands
A car from the Netherlands pays 20% import VAT on the purchase price plus transport. There is no duty if it was built in the EU or UK, and 10% duty on top if it was built elsewhere. Duty follows where the car was made, not where it was registered.
A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty. For VAT, a recent valuation is used in place of the invoice when the invoice is more than 3 months old.
If you have lived outside the UK for over 12 months and owned the car for over 6, you may import it tax and duty free under Transfer of Residence, through an HMRC application. A car that was UK-registered before may come back tax free with its UK purchase invoice and a copy of its old V5C, as our guide to bringing a UK car back home explains.
The whole job, in order
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Before you leave
Check the paperwork
Confirm what the UK needs, then deregister for export with the RDW and keep what it returns.
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Transit
Road, RoRo or container
We arrange the transport, or collect the car from your household container.
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Arrival
Customs and NOVA
As HMRC CDS authorised agents we make the customs entry, then tell HMRC the car has arrived through NOVA.
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Preparation
Changes and testing
Headlights, mph speedometer and rear fog light, then the approval route that fits the car’s age.
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Within 10 working days
DVLA registration
Our dealer-level DVLA account lets us register imported cars within 10 working days, and the plates are posted to you.
Changes for UK roads
Dutch cars are left-hand drive and set up for driving on the right. Before registration, the headlight beam pattern needs correcting, the speedometer has to read in mph and a rear fog light may need adding on the offside. On cars over 10 years old the changes usually come down to the fog light.
We do this work on our own site. Our guide to speedometer and headlight conversions covers the detail, and left-hand drive cars in the UK covers driving one here.
Approval and registration
For an EU-built car under 10 years old, the usual route is a Certificate of Conformity, which we can source if it is missing. Without one, the car takes an IVA test, and Shipping a Car, as part of My Car Import, runs one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain. Cars over 10 years old take an MOT, and cars over 40 years old need no MOT and can be delivered to your UK address before they are registered.
Most EU cars can be registered remotely, with our help on the paperwork, so a car you have already driven over may never need to visit us. Cars that need work or testing come to our site in Castle Donington, and a car that may need an IVA test is not usually registered remotely. Once the registration number is issued, we post the plates to you, unless the car is still with us.
Your Netherlands paperwork
0 of 7 done
What it costs
The Netherlands is priced per job, because the method, where the car is and what it needs here all vary. Send us the details and we will come back with the full price.
For what every EU route shares, see importing a car from Europe, or the Netherlands country page.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to bring a car from the Netherlands to the UK?
Usually 1 to 4 weeks, depending on the method, where the car is and customs clearance.
Do I need to deregister my car with the RDW?
Yes, a car leaving for good is deregistered for export with the RDW. Check what the UK needs first, then keep the cut registration card and the export certificate the RDW gives you.
Can my car travel with my household goods?
Yes. If it is in the same container as your belongings, we can collect it from there and handle customs, testing and registration.
Do I pay import tax on a car from the Netherlands?
Usually 20% import VAT on the price plus transport, with no duty if it was built in the EU or UK. Transfer of Residence can make it tax and duty free if you are moving here.
Can the car be registered without visiting you?
Often, yes. Most EU cars can be registered remotely. Cars that need work or an IVA test come to our site in Castle Donington.
Moving a car over from the Netherlands? Send us the details on the quote form.
