In short
The registration code (tenaamstellingscodeA nine digit code linked to the registration card. It shows that you are the person entitled to sell or deregister the car.) is a nine digit code that goes with your registration card. The RDW, the Dutch vehicle authority, asks for it whenever the car is sold, traded in, suspended, scrapped or exported. If you have lost it, you can order a new one from the RDW, which makes the old code invalid.
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What the registration code is for
The registration code is the second half of a pair. The registration card (kentekencardThe credit card sized document that lists the car and its owner. It is issued afresh with every change of owner.) says which car this is and who owns it, and the code shows that whoever holds the card is allowed to act on it. Without the code the RDW will not let the car be sold on, suspended, scrapped or exported.
For a sale this means the buyer cannot be registered as the new owner until you give them the card and the full code. Our guide to the RDW transfer shows where that moment sits in the sale. The registration number itself never changes when a new code is issued.
Where the two parts come from
The code has nine digits and reaches the owner in two pieces. Part 1 has four digits and is printed on the registration report (tenaamstellingsverslagThe receipt a buyer gets after the transfer. It carries part 1 of the new code, and the buyer keeps it for the day they sell the car.) that the owner receives when they buy the car. Part 2 has five digits and is posted to the owner together with the new registration card. You put the two together yourself.
A new car follows a different path. The full code arrives in a separate envelope, one day after the registration card. A leased or financed car gets no code in the driver's name at all. The leasing or finance company receives it, and only that company can ask for a new one.
Cars with the old paper registration, which was replaced by the card in 2014, never had a code. The transfer of those cars uses the paper documents, as described in our guide to the documents you need.
Check the card and the code before you advertise
The RDW offers a free online check at documentnummercontroleren.rdw.nl. First you enter the number plate and the document number (documentnummerThe number at the bottom right of the front of the registration card. You need it, with the number plate, to check the card online.), which sits at the bottom right of the front of the card. The result tells you at once whether the card is valid. Then you enter the document number and the code, and the second result tells you whether the two belong together.
The check works only for the card. A paper registration has no document number and cannot be checked online. Two outcomes need action before you sell:
- The card is invalid. The car cannot be transferred or suspended, so order a new registration card first.
- The card is valid but the code does not match. Order a new registration code, as described below.
What to do when you cannot find the code
Look first for the letter that came with the card and for the registration report from the day you bought the car. If neither turns up, the RDW issues a new code. You need the registration card to do so, and the car must be registered to you or your company.
Ordering costs a fee, which is not refunded, and the request cannot be cancelled. That includes the case where you find the old code a day later. The old code stops working the moment a new one is ordered, so do not order twice and then try to use the earlier letter.
- Online with DigiD (companies use eHerkenning). You pay by iDEAL or Wero, receive two emails, and the second one links to the code. Save the file at once, because the link stops working after 40 days.
- By post. The full code is sent to the address registered with your municipality (gemeente), and it arrives a few working days after it is sent. Allow for that if a buyer is waiting.
- In person at the RDW in Veendam or Zoetermeer, or at an RDW inspection station. Bring the registration card and valid identification, and you receive the code on the spot.
Someone ordering a code for a car that is not in their name, or who has no DigiD, needs the reporting code (meldcodeThe last four characters of the vehicle identification number. It is printed on the card and is used by insurers, and by the RDW when a code is ordered for someone else.). It is printed on the card and on the registration report.
Temporary document numbers belong to recognised businesses
You may come across the term temporary document number (tijdelijk documentnummer). The RDW offers this only to recognised businesses such as importers and lease companies, for cars in their stock. It is free for them and is meant for sales between recognised companies and for exports where no valid card exists.
A private seller does not use it. The RDW sends private individuals who need a code to the normal route described above.
Handling the code safely
Treat the code like a key to the car's paperwork. Give it to the buyer when you hand over the card, or to the staff of a recognised business when you sell to one. Do not send a photo of the code to someone who has not agreed to buy the car. The RDW also warns about fake text messages that look like they come from the RDW, so do not follow a link in such a message and do not share your details.
What you need
- Your registration card (kentekencard), and the document number at its bottom right
- Part 1 of the code, from the registration report you received when you bought the car
- Part 2 of the code, from the letter that came with the card
- Your DigiD, if you want to order a new code online
- The reporting code (meldcode) on the card, if someone else has to order the code for you
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.
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