Sellers sometimes meet a buyer who lives abroad, or who has just arrived and has no registered address yet. The buyer likes the car, offers to pay and wants to drive it away. This is a normal request, but it does not fit the usual Dutch transfer, and it carries risk for you if the car leaves the country in your name. The guide to exporting a car from the Netherlands explains the export procedure. This article is about the seller’s side of the situation.
Why the standard transfer does not work
The transfer of a registration into a person’s name has conditions for the buyer. The RDW, the Dutch vehicle authority, lists them on its page about transferring a registration number. The buyer must be at least 18 (16 for a moped) and registered in the BRP, the municipal personal records database, with a Dutch residential or correspondence address. The buyer also needs valid ID. The new registration card and part 2 of the registration code are posted to an address in the Netherlands.
A buyer who has no Dutch address does not meet those conditions. The RDW page does not describe a separate procedure for this case, so if you want a definitive answer for an unusual situation, contact the RDW. The BRP address is the part that cannot be worked around, so a promise such as “I will register later” does not help you. The transfer must happen before the car changes hands.
A buyer who is moving to the Netherlands can ask their municipality (gemeente) about registering in the BRP. The sale should wait until the registration is in place.
What the RDW says about a buyer abroad
If the car is going to a buyer who lives abroad, the car has to be exported. The RDW suggests the buyer has the car exported under their own name. If this is not done, the seller remains responsible for the car until it is registered abroad. That is the risk, and it affects you in practical ways: fines, road tax and insurance questions can come back to the person whose name is on the Dutch registration.
Two routes exist.
- You export the car yourself and then sell it. The car is registered for export in your name. The work is done at an RDW inspection station, an RDW desk or an authorised export company. Bring the car, your ID, the registration card and the full code. You return the plates and receive the export papers. The RDW page about exporting a vehicle and the Netherlands Worldwide roadmap give the steps. After export registration the road tax, insurance and APK obligations end.
- The buyer collects the car and exports it in their own name. This is the route the RDW advises for a foreign buyer. Ask the RDW or an export company how the buyer would do it, since requirements differ per destination country.
In both cases, check what the destination country requires before anything is deregistered. The RDW says that too.
Export plates and the days after
A car that has been registered for export may drive on Dutch roads for a limited time with export plates. The RDW gives 14 days, with insurance and a valid APK, the Dutch roadworthiness test. That is why a car with an expired APK needs attention first. Our article on APK expired covers the options.
You get a proof of transfer (vrijwaringsbewijs) when you register the car for export. Keep it, as it shows that the Dutch registration no longer lists you.
Practical warnings for sellers
- Never hand the car to a foreign buyer on a promise that they will register it elsewhere.
- Do not give the registration code to a buyer before payment has arrived in your own account.
- A buyer who insists on cash, a courier or a payment link needs extra care. Read about the scams aimed at sellers.
- Do not rely on a buyer’s own export arrangements without proof that the car has been registered for export.
- Keep a written agreement and the proof from the export process.
Selling to us
If dealing with a foreign buyer sounds like too much, send us the car’s details and we reply with an offer. Asking costs nothing, and you decide afterwards whether to go ahead.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell my car to someone who lives abroad?
Yes, but the car has to be exported. The standard transfer needs a buyer registered in the BRP with a Dutch address. A buyer abroad is advised by the RDW to export the car under their own name.
What happens if I let a foreign buyer drive the car away?
The car stays registered in your name until it is registered elsewhere or exported. You remain responsible for it, including fines, insurance and road tax.
Can the buyer use my address?
No. The RDW requires the buyer to be registered in the BRP with their own Dutch residential or correspondence address. Ask the RDW about unusual cases.
Does export registration cost money?
A fee applies for export registration. Export companies set their own fees, and the current RDW fee is on rdw.nl.
How long can the car stay on Dutch roads after export registration?
The RDW gives 14 days with export plates, with insurance and a valid APK in place.
