Dutch number plates: what the colours and codes mean

How to read a Dutch plate

Since 1951 a Dutch registration number has consisted of three groups of letters and digits. The RDW calls the pattern of a plate a series, for example XX-999-X, where X stands for a letter and 9 for a digit. Each series has a start date, and the RDW issues numbers within a series in order until it is full. That means the pattern tells you roughly when a car was first registered, and it does not tell you anything about the owner.

The first letter depends on the type of vehicle. Cars use the consonants G, H, J, K, L, N, P, R, S, T, X and Z. From series 11, the letters L and T are no longer used as the first letter on cars. Motorcycles start with M, light commercial vehicles up to 3,500 kg with V, and heavy commercial vehicles with B. No vowels are used on plates since series 4, apart from semi-trailers, and C and Q are not used.

Some websites call the series a sidecode. The RDW itself uses the word kentekenserie.

The series used on passenger cars

This is the RDW overview for passenger cars. The dates are the start dates of each series. For series 1 to 3 the RDW only gives the year. A series can still be in use for a short while after a newer one has started for other kinds of vehicle, and the RDW does not announce in advance when it switches.

• Series 1, XX-99-99: from 1951. Series 2, 99-99-XX: from 1965. Series 3, 99-XX-99: from 1973.
• Series 4, XX-99-XX: from 3 October 1978. Series 5, XX-XX-99: from 2 September 1991.
• Series 6, 99-XX-XX: from 10 June 1999. Series 7, 99-XXX-9: from 19 May 2008.
• Series 8, 9-XXX-99: from 5 March 2013. Series 9, XX-999-X: from 30 March 2015.
• Series 10, X-999-XX: from 19 August 2019. Series 11, XXX-99-X: from 4 June 2024.

To find the exact date of first registration of a particular car, do not guess from the pattern and look it up in the RDW Kentekencheck.

What the plate colours mean

The RDW lists the plate types that exist in the Netherlands. These are the ones a person selling or buying a car is most likely to meet.

• Yellow: the standard plate for passenger cars, business vehicles, campers and trailers over 750 kg. The RDW says this is the plate that occurs most often. It carries a black border and, on the left, a blue panel with the EU symbol and NL.
• Dark blue: for historic cars, business vehicles and motorcycles first registered before 1 January 1978, with a pattern of two groups of two digits and one group of two letters.
• Light blue: for vehicles used for taxi transport.
• Blue (on mopeds): the plate for a snorfiets, a moped with a top speed of up to 25 km/h. Mopeds with a top speed up to 45 km/h carry a yellow plate.
• Light green: the dealer plate, issued to garage businesses with an RDW approval and often used on test drives.
• White: used for several things. An export plate (uitvoerkenteken), a transit plate, a one day plate for driving to an RDW inspection, and the trailer plate for trailers under 751 kg and attachments such as bike racks.

People who search for a green licence plate in the Netherlands are usually looking at a dealer plate. The RDW does not describe any other green plate in its list of plate types.

White export plates when a car leaves the country

When a car is exported, the RDW can issue an export plate (uitvoerkentekenplaat). The existing registration number may be used. The RDW states that it is valid for 14 days, but not longer than the APK is valid. Without a valid APK the car may not be driven on public roads.

The full export route, including the documents and the tax refund that may apply, is in our guide to selling your car before you leave. It explains why the sale or the export has to be settled before you deregister from your municipality.

What a buyer can see from your plate

The RDW Kentekencheck is public, so it shows only general information. That includes the number of owners, an assessment of the mileage, technical and tax data, information about the engine and the environment, and the date on which the plate was last transferred to a new owner. The APK expiry date and inspection history are on the same check.

The name and address of the owner are not shown. The RDW states that this is not allowed because of privacy law. A buyer who wants to confirm that a car really belongs to you will therefore ask to see the registration card and your ID, which is one reason to have the documents you need ready.

The plate lookup in our own form also uses data from the RDW.

What happens to the plate when you sell

In a private sale the buyer has the registration number transferred into their name with the RDW, and the car keeps the number it already has. We found nothing on the RDW pages we read that allows a seller to keep a number or move it to another car.

Replacement plates carry the same number. If a plate is lost or stolen, a new plate gets a duplicate code, a 1 for the first replacement and a 2 for the next, above the first dash. You may not remove the code or paint over it, and a fine is possible. The buyer receives a car with the plates it has, so check that the plates on the car match the number on the registration card before the handover.

Some plates are tied to a person and not to a vehicle. The RDW says this for BN, GN, CD and CDJ plates, which are issued to staff of international organisations and embassies. A seller of such a car should contact the Belastingdienst office in The Hague (team IFB) before the sale.

What you need

• The number plate (kenteken) of the car
• The registration card (kentekencard) to compare with the plates
• The plate type: yellow for a standard car, another colour only for a special use
• The date of first registration from the RDW Kentekencheck
• The duplicate code on the plate, if a plate has been replaced