The RDW transfer: moving a car out of your name

The buyer transfers, the seller receives the proof

A car sale in the Netherlands is complete once the car has been moved from your name into the buyer's name in the register of the RDW, the Dutch vehicle authority. Until then, the road tax, the insurance obligation and any fines still belong to you.

The RDW puts the job with the buyer. You give them the registration card (kentekencard) and both halves of the registration code (tenaamstellingscode), they carry out the transfer, and they hand you the proof of transfer (vrijwaringsbewijs). The RDW also makes the seller responsible for making sure the transfer happens: if it does not, the obligations stay with you.

Check your documents before the buyer comes

A transfer fails on the day when the card is no longer valid or the code does not belong to it. Both can happen, for example after a replacement card was ordered and the old one turned up again. The RDW has a free online check for this. You enter the number plate and the document number, which is printed at the bottom right of the front of the card, and then the code. The guide to the registration code explains where to find it.

If the check says the card is invalid, order a new registration card first. A valid card with a code that fails the check means you need a new code. Our guide to the documents you need explains each document and what to do when one is missing.

Transferring online

The online route is for buyers who have the DigiD app with an ID check. It does not work for a car that still has the old paper registration. The buyer pays the fee online, and the fee is the same as at a counter. The current amount is on rdw.nl.

1. The buyer logs in on the RDW transfer page with the DigiD app.
2. They enter the details from your registration card and your registration code, and pay.
3. The buyer receives three emails: a confirmation, a message that the car has been transferred, and a link to the proof of transfer and the registration report.
4. The buyer gives you the proof of transfer, for example by printing it or forwarding the file.
5. The new registration card and part 2 of the new code are posted to the buyer's Dutch address a few working days later.

Transferring at a counter

Without DigiD, or with a paper registration, the buyer goes in person. The RDW lists three kinds of place: a registration counter (kentekenloket, what this meanskentekenloketA counter where you can transfer a registration in person, often inside a post office. No appointment is needed.), the RDW desks in Veendam and Zoetermeer, and RDW inspection stations. No appointment is needed, and some counters are also open in the evening or on Sundays.

The buyer brings your registration card and code, or the original paper registration documents, and valid identification. The RDW names a valid Dutch driving licence for registration counters, and also accepts a passport or ID card at its own locations. A buyer without a Dutch driving licence should check what the counter accepts before going.

At the counter the buyer receives two papers: the registration report with part 1 of the new code, which they keep, and the proof of transfer, which is for you. If you go to the counter together with the buyer, the proof is in your hand before the car leaves.

When the car and the keys may leave

The RDW gives one simple rule to sellers: hand over the vehicle once you have received the proof of transfer. Before that moment the car is still yours in the register, whatever has been agreed or paid.

You can confirm the transfer yourself in Mijn RDW, which needs DigiD, or in the RDW Kentekencheck. Keep the proof of transfer somewhere safe, and read the guide to the proof of transfer for what it must contain. It is what you show if a fine or a tax bill for a later date ever reaches you. Hand the buyer the most recent APK report too, when there is one.

What changes for you after the transfer

The RDW passes the transfer on to the Belastingdienst, so you do not have to report the sale for road tax. Road tax paid for the period after the transfer comes back to you automatically, as explained in road tax when you sell. If the car was suspended, the suspension ends with the transfer.

Insurance does not end through the RDW. You stop or change the policy yourself, so tell your insurer the moment of transfer printed on the proof. From that moment the buyer needs their own third party liability insurance (WA) on the car.

Selling to a business that transfers for you

Some garages and dealers are recognised by the RDW and can carry out the transfer themselves. If you sell to one of them, you give the complete registration documents to their staff, and you receive the proof of transfer from the business. You can recognise such a business by the RDW sign on the wall or in the window, and the RDW has a search tool on rdw.nl to find them.

With any other buyer, private or business, the steps above apply: they transfer online or at a counter, and you wait for the proof before handing over the car.

Situations that need a different route

A few situations do not fit the standard transfer. In each of them, sort it out before you agree a sale date.

• The buyer does not live in the Netherlands. Only someone of 18 or over who is listed in the Dutch population register can take over the registration, so the car has to be exported.
• The car has a paper registration. The transfer must happen at a counter, with the original documents.
• The car is leased or financed. The lessor or lender holds its code, so they have to agree to the sale. See our guide to selling a car with finance or a lease.
• You inherited the car. The heirs must transfer it to their own name or to a new owner within 5 weeks.
• You are moving abroad. Plan the sale around your departure, as explained in our guide to selling before you leave.

What you need

• Your registration card (kentekencard), checked with the RDW card check
• Both parts of the registration code (tenaamstellingscode)
• For an older car: the original paper registration documents
• The report of the most recent APK test, if there is one
• Every key that belongs to the car
• Your insurer's details, to end the policy once you have the proof of transfer