Export insurance for the drive home: 14 days of cover from Deventer

A car that leaves the Netherlands on its own wheels after deregistration must be insured for the drive. For that trip we arrange temporary export insurance: 14 days of third-party liability cover with a Green Card and white export plates, from €100. We are not an insurer ourselves; the policy runs through our insurance partner.

For a drive that starts in Deventer, timing matters most. Our desk in Hengelo is about 1 km from the A1, so your cover can start on the day you leave from there towards Germany.

What the export insurance covers

It is temporary third-party liability insurance, known in Dutch as WA: it is about damage to others. The obligation to insure a motor vehicle on the road against liability is set out in the Dutch Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Act (WAM).

The cover runs for 14 days. You also receive the Green Card, the international certificate of insurance, and the white export plates: two for a car, one for a motorcycle, scooter, moped, caravan or trailer.

Set the start date to your departure

Ideally, the 14 days of insurance and the 14 days of the export registration run in parallel. Choose the day you deregister and leave Hengelo as the start date. If the insurance starts later than deregistration, the car may not be driven in between. If it starts earlier, you lose days of cover before the trip begins.

For the application we need:

• the start date, ideally your departure day;
• the destination and route, including transit countries;
• the details of the policyholder and the driver;
• for a business buyer: company name, address and VAT number.

Want to leave early in the morning or in the evening? That is possible 24/7 by appointment, although a higher rate may apply outside office hours.

The Green Card

The Green Card proves that the vehicle has at least the compulsory third-party liability cover of the country you visit. The Green Card system comprises 47 countries, according to the Council of Bureaux. That does not mean you are insured in all of them. Your policy and Green Card state the countries and the driver you are insured for.

Check them before you leave, especially if you drive on through Germany to Poland or further. Also check the rules for a Dutch export registration in your destination and transit countries, because they differ per country.

Extension only with the insurer's approval

Taking longer than planned? An extension of the insurance is sometimes possible, but only if the insurer agrees. Contact us well before the 14 days end and do not count on it in advance. Note that the export registration itself is valid for 14 days and never beyond the APK.

When no driving insurance is needed

If the car travels on a trailer or car transporter, it usually needs no driving insurance. The export document is still required, so the export documents package from €50 is often enough. A caravan or trailer needs no insurance of its own, but the towing vehicle does.

What does export insurance cost?

Export insurance with white plates costs from €100, without the export document. With deregistration included, the complete package costs from €150. Read how the 14 days are counted on the Dutch export plates page.

What can go wrong?

• Start date and deregistration day do not match. If cover starts later, the car may not be driven in between. If it starts earlier, you lose days of cover.
• A different driver. The policy determines which driver is insured, so report any change in advance.
• A country missing from the Green Card. Check the card before departure, including transit countries.
• The APK expires on the way. Without a valid APK the car may not be driven on public roads.