If you have lived in another country in Europe for a while and you decide to return to the Netherlands, there are many things you need to arrange. If you have a car in the country where you lived and you decide to take it with you to the Netherlands, you will have to import the car. Importing a car involves a lot of paperwork. However, good preparation is half the battle. If you know what you need, what you have to do and which instances you will encounter in this process, it is not that difficult to import your car.
Import car and BPM
If you import a car from abroad, you have to pay BPM. The BPM is the tax that must be paid for passenger cars and motor vehicles. In principle, the BPM applies to every car registered in the Netherlands. The BPM must also be paid when you buy a new car in the Netherlands. Before your foreign car can be registered in the Netherlands, you will therefore have to file a BPM declaration. The good news is, you do not always have to pay the BPM if you remigrate to the Netherlands. If your car is intended for private use and it is part of your household effects that you take with you to the Netherlands when you move, you can apply for a permit for exemption from the BPM. If you receive it, you do not have to pay the BPM. If you are moving from abroad and you want to take your foreign car with you, first apply for an exemption from the BPM at the tax authorities. After completing and sending the forms, you will receive the permit within 8 weeks.
Import a car and the RDW
If you are going to import your car to the Netherlands, you must take your car to an RDW inspection station. There are several inspection stations throughout the country. For the location of all inspection stations you can look at the website of the RDW. Your car will be inspected at the RDW. If your foreign car has still been inspected and the RDW approves the car, you can take the foreign MOT with you. After this, you must submit the permit for exemption from the BPM that you have received from the Tax Authorities to the RDW. A condition for registering a car in the Netherlands is that you are registered with a municipality. In addition to submitting the permit, you must also bring a valid identity document and an extract from the population register. If you have submitted these documents, you will receive a stamped confirmation from the RDW. The RDW will now confiscate your foreign vehicle registration certificates and make copies of them. You can keep this in your car during the bridging time in case you are stopped by the police.
Declaration of the BPM
When the car has been inspected and you have received the confirmation letter from the RDW, it is time to file a BPM declaration. Declaring the BPM is a fairly difficult form to fill in. If you feel comfortable filling out tax forms, you can do this yourself. However, there is also a company called AutotelexPRO that specializes in completing these forms. For twenty euros you can fill in all the necessary information using a tool. The system will then automatically complete the declaration for you. You will receive the declaration in PDF format by e-mail. Then you print this document, sign it and send it to the tax authorities, together with the BPM calculation and the stamped confirmation from the RDW. Now it takes a few weeks again until you receive your Dutch license plate. Now you only have to have the number plates made, cancel your foreign car insurance and take out Dutch car insurance.
Take out car insurance
During the entire process, it is important that you do not cancel your foreign car insurance. During the bridging period, your car is insured with your old insurer. If you have received your Dutch license plate and the bridging period is concluded with this, you can request a statement of accrual of claim-free years from your old insurer. This allows you to transfer the accrued claim-free years from your foreign car insurance to your Dutch car insurance.