In short
Selling a motorbike in the Netherlands follows the same RDW procedure as selling a car: you hand over the registration card and code, the buyer transfers the registration, and you receive the proof of transfer. Motorbikes have no APK, so a buyer relies on what you tell them and on the service history. The road tax stops once the motorbike is out of your name.
On this page
The RDW transfer for a motorbike
Motorbikes are registered at the RDW like cars, and a change of owner follows the same route. The buyer needs the kentekencard plus the complete tenaamstellingscode, and with those puts the motorbike in their own name, online or at a counter. In return you get the vrijwaringsbewijs, your proof of transfer.
The code has nine digits. The first four are printed on the tenaamstellingsverslag, the receipt you got when the motorbike became yours, and the last five are in the envelope your registration card arrived in. If one part is missing, the guide to the registration code explains how to request a new one.
Motorbikes in the Netherlands have no APK
Cars and campervans need a periodic APK, the Dutch roadworthiness test. Motorcycles do not, according to the RDW overview of obligations per vehicle type. That makes a sale a little simpler, because there is no expiry date to keep an eye on.
It also means a buyer has no recent inspection report to go by. The service book (onderhoudsboekjeThe booklet in which a dealer or workshop stamps each service. For a motorbike without an APK history, it is one of the few records a buyer can check.), workshop invoices and a clear description from you take its place. Note the mileage exactly, say when the tyres, the chain and the brakes were last replaced, and mention any fall, however minor, because it often leaves marks on levers, pegs and the exhaust.
Road tax and insurance after the sale
The road tax (motorrijtuigenbelasting) on a motorbike ends when the registration leaves your name. The Belastingdienst hears about the transfer from the RDW and refunds what you paid in advance, so there is nothing to report yourself. The guide to road tax when you sell explains the refund.
Your insurance does not stop by itself. Tell your insurer the date of the sale and show the proof of transfer if they ask for it. Until the transfer has happened, keep the motorbike insured, also when it stands in a garage waiting for a buyer.
Viewings and test rides with a motorbike
A test ride on a motorbike is harder to supervise than a test drive in a car, because you cannot sit next to the rider. Ask to see the driving licence, check that it covers the category of your motorbike, and read your insurance policy to see who may ride it.
Some sellers agree on a deposit before a test ride, or ask the buyer to leave their own vehicle with them while they ride. Whatever you agree, keep the registration card and the registration code with you until the sale is settled, and let the motorbike go only once the payment is in your own account and the transfer has taken place.
A motorbike that is suspended or stored for winter
Some riders suspend (schorsen) their motorbike for the months they do not ride. A suspended motorbike may not be ridden or parked on a public road, and road tax and insurance are not required while the suspension runs.
You can sell it in that state. The suspension is lifted by the RDW as soon as a new owner is registered. A buyer then has to insure the motorbike from the moment of the transfer. Our guide to suspending a vehicle explains the rules, which apply to motorbikes as well as cars.
Asking us for an offer on a motorbike
We buy motorbikes as well as cars, and the form is the same for both. Type in the plate and we find the motorbike in the RDW register. Then add the mileage, the condition and any damage, with photographs of both sides, the dashboard and the tyres. You can ask for an offer here. Asking is free and does not commit you to anything.
Your offer remains valid until you reply, so there is no need to decide before the riding season starts or ends. If you say yes, we pick up the motorbike free of charge wherever it is in the Netherlands. The RDW transfer happens during that visit, and you are paid at the handover itself. Questions before that can go to us by WhatsApp, and a person on our team replies.
What you need
- The registration card (kentekencard) and both parts of the registration code
- Every key, including spare keys and any alarm remote
- The service book and workshop invoices
- Photographs of both sides, the dashboard and the tyres
- A note of the exact mileage and of any falls or repairs
- Your insurance policy, to end it after the sale
- The proof of transfer (vrijwaringsbewijs), received before the motorbike leaves
An offer for your car
If you would like to sell the car to us, enter your number plate and we contact you with an offer. It is free and you are not committing to anything.
Get an offer