How the transfer works, step by step
The seller keeps the car until the transfer is done and the vrijwaringsbewijs is in hand. Step by step, for both sides:
Seller: check your papers
You need a valid registration card (kentekencard) and the complete 9-digit registration code (tenaamstellingscode) that belongs to it. With an old paper registration certificate, you need the original tenaamstellingsbewijs and overschrijvingsbewijs instead.
Seller: hand over card and code
Give the buyer the registration card and the complete code, but keep the car for now. With the card and the code, the buyer can put the car in their name, so hand them over once you have been paid.
Buyer: transfer the car
Online with the DigiD app, or in person at a kentekenloket, an RDW desk or an RDW inspection station. You do not need an appointment. Which ID works where is in the table below.
Buyer: pay the fee
€13.10, the same online and at every counter. Online, you pay with iDEAL.
Buyer: give the seller the vrijwaringsbewijs
At a counter you get it there and then. Online it arrives in the third email from the RDW, together with the registration report. The report is for the buyer; the vrijwaringsbewijs goes to the seller.
Seller: check, then hand over the car
Check in My RDW, or in the RDW's own licence plate check, that the car is no longer in your name. Then hand over the car and the report of the last APK inspection.
Online, at a kentekenloket or at an RDW desk?
The result is the same everywhere: the car is in the buyer's name straight away. What differs is where you go and which ID the buyer needs:
| Online | Kentekenloket | RDW desk or inspection station | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | On rdw.nl, with the buyer's own DigiD app | PostNL locations that act as a kentekenloket, and companies connected to Kentekenloket BV | RDW desks in Veendam and Zoetermeer, and the RDW inspection stations |
| ID for the buyer | DigiD app with ID check, which needs a Dutch passport, ID card or driving licence | Only a valid Dutch driving licence | A Dutch driving licence, a Dutch or foreign passport, a Dutch ID card, or an ID card or driving licence from an EU or EFTA country |
| Paper registration certificate | |||
| Fee in 2026 | €13.10 | €13.10 | €13.10 |
| Vrijwaringsbewijs | By email, via the buyer | At the counter | At the counter |
Sources: RDW, DigiD and the RDW fees for 2026. A residence permit or other residence document cannot be used to put a vehicle in your name.
What do buyer and seller need?
Check the papers before anyone pays. Buying? Look up the car's APK date and odometer verdict with our licence plate check first.
- Seller: the registration card and the complete registration code. With a paper registration certificate: the original tenaamstellingsbewijs and overschrijvingsbewijs.
- Seller: the report of the last APK inspection, for the buyer.
- Buyer: 18 or older, and buying as a private person, sole proprietorship or partnership.
- Buyer: registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP) with a residential or correspondence address in the Netherlands. Does the buyer live abroad? Then the car has to be exported instead; see selling a car in the Netherlands.
- Buyer: a valid ID that is accepted where you transfer, as shown in the table above.
- Buyer, online: the DigiD app with ID check, and iDEAL to pay.
- Buyer, for the insurance: the reporting code (meldcode). That is the last 4 digits of the VIN, also shown on the registration card.
What is a vrijwaringsbewijs?
A vrijwaringsbewijs proves that a vehicle is no longer in your name. The RDW's English pages call it a certificate of indemnification. You get one when you sell, scrap or export a vehicle.
There is no fixed format. It can be a till receipt, an A4 sheet or an email, but it always shows the licence plate, a transaction code and the date and time the vehicle left your name. From then on, you are no longer responsible for the car.
Lost it? Download a free overview of the vehicles that were in your name, up to 9 years back. You log in with DigiD. Many insurers accept this overview instead. Never received one after a sale? Report it to the RDW within 3 months and you get a replacement. More detail is in our guide to the vrijwaringsbewijs (in Dutch).
After the transfer: who arranges what?
The moment the car is in the buyer's name, the obligations move with it:
| Buyer | Seller | |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance | Third-party (WA) insurance is required from the moment the car is in your name. | Stop or change your policy yourself. |
| Road tax | The tax office sends the bill automatically. The transfer counts as your tax declaration. | Stops by itself. Tax paid for the period after the sale is refunded automatically, except amounts of €5 or less. |
| Registration card | Comes by post with part 2 of the code, and only to an address in the Netherlands. You may drive straight away, but must carry the card after 14 days, and always abroad. | Nothing to arrange. |
How to stop your policy is explained in our Dutch guide to insurance after the sale.
What does it cost in 2026?
The transfer fee is the same everywhere. These are the RDW fees you may come across:
| What | Fee |
|---|---|
| Transfer to a person, online or at any counter | €13.10 |
| New registration code, if lost | €1.25 |
| New registration card with a new code, if lost | €39.80 |
| Express registration card after a purchase, by courier (extra) | €241.55 |
| Express registration card after a purchase, collected in Veendam (extra) | €61.50 |
RDW fees for 2026, set in the Regeling tarieven Dienst Wegverkeer 2026. Checked on 7 October 2026.
Lost the registration code or card?
Code lost. The owner requests a new 9-digit code for €1.25. With DigiD you download it straight away; the file stays available for 40 days. Without DigiD, it is sent by post to the address registered with your municipality. At an RDW desk or inspection station you get it on the spot. The old code then stops working.
Card lost. A new card with a new code costs €39.80. It is posted to the owner's address as registered with the municipality. Is the car leased? Then only the leasing or finance company can request a new code.
Leaving the country soon? Sort this out before you go, while the post still reaches you. See also our guide to the registration code (in Dutch), or the full Dutch guide to transferring a car.
Dutch terms you will come across
RDW letters, forms and counters use Dutch terms. This is what they mean:
| Dutch | In English | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Kentekencard | Registration card | The credit card-sized registration certificate, issued since 1 January 2014. |
| Tenaamstellingscode | Registration code | 9 digits, in two parts. You need it to sell, suspend, scrap or export the car. |
| Meldcode | Reporting code | The last 4 digits of the VIN. You need it to insure the car. |
| Overschrijven | Transferring | Putting a vehicle in the new owner's name, also called tenaamstellen. |
| Tenaamstellingsverslag | Registration report | The buyer's document, with part 1 of the new code. |
| Vrijwaringsbewijs | Certificate of indemnification | The seller's proof that the car is no longer in their name. |
| Kentekenloket | Vehicle registration counter | A PostNL location or connected company where you can transfer a car. |
| RDW-balie, keuringsstation | RDW desk, inspection station | RDW locations. A foreign passport is accepted here. |
| BRP | Personal Records Database | The municipal register the buyer must be in. |
| APK | Periodic technical inspection | The compulsory roadworthiness test. |
| Wegenbelasting (MRB) | Road tax (motor vehicle tax) | Billed to the person the car is registered to. |
| Mijn RDW | My RDW | The RDW's online environment, where you see the vehicles in your name. |
Frequently asked questions
How do I transfer ownership of a car in the Netherlands?
The seller gives the buyer the registration card and the complete registration code. The buyer puts the car in their name online or at a counter, pays €13.10 and gives the seller the vrijwaringsbewijs.
Do the buyer and seller both need to be there?
No. Only the buyer has to be there, with the registration card, the complete code and a valid ID. The seller waits for the vrijwaringsbewijs before handing over the car.
Can I transfer a car with a residence permit?
No. A residence permit or other residence document cannot be used to put a vehicle in your name. At an RDW desk or inspection station you can use your passport instead.
Can I transfer a car online without a Dutch ID?
No. Online transfer needs the DigiD app with ID check, and that check only works with a Dutch passport, ID card or driving licence.
How much does it cost to transfer a car in 2026?
€13.10. The fee is the same online and at every counter.
Can the buyer drive the car straight after the transfer?
Yes. The car is in the buyer's name straight away. The registration card comes by post and must be carried after 14 days, and always when driving abroad.
Sources (12)
- Transfer registration number to a person's name, RDW, consulted on 7 October 2026
- Regeling tarieven Dienst Wegverkeer 2026 (Staatscourant 2025, 40185), Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat, consulted on 7 October 2026
- Voertuig verkopen, RDW, consulted on 7 October 2026
- Vrijwaringsbewijs kwijt, RDW, consulted on 7 October 2026
- Tenaamstellen of schorsen bij een kentekenloket alleen met rijbewijs vanaf 2026, RDW, consulted on 7 October 2026
- Legitimeren, RDW, consulted on 7 October 2026
- DigiD app, DigiD, consulted on 7 October 2026
- Kentekenloket, RDW, consulted on 7 October 2026
- Registration code lost, RDW, consulted on 7 October 2026
- You lost your registration card, RDW, consulted on 7 October 2026
- Een motorrijtuig verkopen, Belastingdienst, consulted on 7 October 2026
- About the registration certificate, RDW, consulted on 7 October 2026