Nobody can give you one number of days for selling a car, because the time sits in different places for each route. This post breaks the process into its parts, shows which parts take time on each route, and points out where a deadline such as a flight or the end of a lease can catch you. We do not promise a timeline for our own service. We describe what the timing depends on.
The pros and cons of each route are in the guide private sale or dealer. Here the question is only about time.
The parts of a sale
Every sale has the same parts, whichever route you choose.
- Getting the documents in order.
- Finding a buyer or an offer.
- Agreeing the price and the date.
- The transfer in the RDW register.
- Closing your own affairs: insurance, road tax and the proof of transfer.
Parts one and four are the ones people underestimate. Part two is the one that varies most.
Documents first
You need the registration card (kentekencard) and the complete registration code (tenaamstellingscode) to sell. If both are in a drawer, this part takes no time. If one is missing, it becomes the first item on your timeline.
The RDW, the Dutch vehicle authority, describes how to replace the code on its page you lost the registration code. You can order a new code online with DigiD and receive it as a download by email, order it by post with the meldcode (the last four digits of the VIN, which are on the card), or collect it at an RDW location with your card and ID. Letters from the RDW are sent to your address in the municipal register. A fee applies, and the current amount is on rdw.nl. The old code stops working when you order a new one. The post lost your registration code before selling covers this case in more detail.
If the car is leased or financed, the lender holds the code and only the lender can request a new one. That adds the lender’s own processing time to yours, so contact them early. If the registration card is lost, you can order a new one, and a new code follows automatically, posted about two working days after the card. Paper registrations and the older documents have rules of their own, which the post lost registration card before selling covers.
Private sale
In a private sale you set the pace for finding a buyer. How long that takes depends on the car, how you advertise it, how many people ask and whether they come to view it. We cannot give a figure, and none of the official sources do either. The post photos that help you sell deals with the part you control.
After you agree a price, the transfer itself follows rules the RDW describes on its page about transferring a registration number. The buyer does it, online with the DigiD app and an ID check, or at a counter, where no appointment is needed. The buyer pays the fee. The transfer takes effect in the register, and the buyer may drive immediately. The new card and the second part of the registration code are posted to the buyer a few working days later. For you, the key moment is the proof of transfer (vrijwaringsbewijs): online, the buyer receives three emails and the third links to it; at a counter the buyer receives it together with the transfer report (tenaamstellingsverslag) and gives it to you.
The RDW tells sellers to hand over the car only once they hold the proof of transfer. So the handover and the transfer belong together. If the buyer postpones the transfer, your timeline waits for the buyer.
Dealer or trade-in
If you sell through a business the RDW has recognised for registration work (it shows the RDW sign), its staff take the full registration documents from you and the business gives you the proof of transfer. The business handles the registration side. The time that matters is the time until the business has looked at your car and made an offer, and the time until the paperwork is finished at their desk.
A trade-in is tied to the purchase of your next car. Your sale date follows the delivery date of the replacement, so the dealer’s delivery time is part of your timeline. Trade in or sell separately explains how that offer is built.
Selling to a buyer service
With a buyer service such as ours, you fill in the plate details and photos and we contact you with an offer. The time before the offer depends on the information we need and on the car. After you accept, payment and transfer are agreed with you, and we arrange the collection and the paperwork with you. The documents still have to be in order, so the first part of this post applies here too.
We do not state a number of days, because it depends on the car, on your documents and on the date that suits you. The how it works page lists the steps, and the FAQ covers common questions.
Steps that run alongside
Some steps have their own pace and run next to the sale.
- APK. Give the buyer the latest APK report. A car cannot be driven on public roads without a valid APK, yet a sale remains possible. See what to do when the APK has expired and cars without a valid APK.
- Road tax. The refund follows the transfer in the register, as explained in road tax refund after selling.
- Insurance. Wait until the register lists the new owner before you stop or change the policy.
- Leaving the country. If you deregister from your municipality, the date is set by your departure. The moving abroad checklist works back from it.
Planning around a deadline
Work backwards from the date you must be done. Put the handover at least some days before it, so that a delay in the transfer or a missing document does not take you past the deadline. Settle the documents first, because they decide whether any route can start. If the deadline is firm and the car is hard to sell privately, ask for offers from more than one route at the same time.
To see how long it takes in your case, start with the sell form. We reply with an offer, and you are free to turn it down.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the RDW transfer take?
The RDW does not state a duration for the transfer itself. The buyer carries it out online or at a counter, and the new registration card and second part of the code are posted a few working days later.
What slows a sale down?
We cannot rank causes, but missing documents, a lender who holds the code and a buyer who delays the transfer all push the date back.
Can I sell before I have the registration code?
No. You need the registration card and the complete registration code to sell. Order a replacement first.
Does a dealer take less time than a private sale?
It depends on the dealer and on the car. With a dealer the wait for a private buyer drops away, and the dealer’s valuation and paperwork take its place.
How far ahead should I start if I am moving abroad?
As early as you know the date. The checklist post shows the order of tasks counted back from your departure.
