Driving a car from the Netherlands to your home country on its own wheels? After deregistration it needs an export registration. That is not a new number: the car keeps its existing registration, on white plates with black characters. At our RDW-approved export desk in Hengelo you get the Dutch export plates together with temporary export insurance, from €100.
The plates themselves are quick to arrange. The timing needs more attention, because the export registration is valid for 14 days, counted from deregistration.
What are Dutch export plates?
The export plate is white with black letters and numbers and must stay readable in all weather. A car gets two plates. A motorcycle, scooter, moped, caravan or trailer has one, at the rear.
The export registration is valid for 14 days, but never longer than the APK, the Dutch roadworthiness test (source: RDW). During that period you may drive on Dutch public roads.
Count from deregistration day
The 14 days start on the day the car is deregistered for export, not on the day you leave. Only deregister once your departure is fixed, and check the APK: if it expires earlier, that date is your end date.
Example schedule without dates
| When | What you do | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Before day 1 | Check the APK expiry, collect documents, plan route and transit countries | Rules for a Dutch export registration differ per country |
| Day 1 | Deregister in Hengelo, take white plates and Green Card, continue on the A1 | The 14 days start today |
| Day 2 to day 13 | Drive on the export registration | Never past the APK expiry date |
| Day 14 | The 14-day period runs out | Plan to arrive well before |
| After arrival | Register the car in your country | Local rules apply |
If you collect the car in Deventer and leave on deregistration day, you keep the most margin. Days the car stays parked in the Netherlands after deregistration still count.
An APK example: if the APK expires on day 6, driving on the export registration ends on day 6, even though the 14 days are not over yet.
Insurance, APK and plates per vehicle
What you need for the drive in the Netherlands depends on the vehicle. A caravan or trailer needs no insurance of its own, but the towing vehicle does. The APK applies to a caravan or trailer only above 3,500 kg.
| Vehicle | Insurance required | APK (Dutch roadworthiness test) required | White plates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car, van, truck or motorhome | Yes | Yes | 2 |
| Motorcycle, scooter or moped | Yes | No | 1 |
| Caravan or trailer | No, but the towing vehicle must be insured | Only above 3,500 kg | 1 |
Source: RDW. The export registration is valid for 14 days, but not beyond the APK expiry date.
Trucks and other heavy or non-standard vehicles, such as semi-trailers, are priced on request.
Collecting the plates in Hengelo
We supply the white plates together with temporary insurance and the Green Card. The export document is not part of that package. Arrange it through our export documents service, or take the complete export package.
Please bring the start date, the destination and route, and the details of the policyholder and driver. For a business buyer we also need the company name, address and VAT number. From the Brink in Deventer it is about 48 km, roughly 40 to 45 minutes via the A1.
What do export plates cost?
White plates with 14 days of liability cover and a Green Card cost from €100, without the export document. With the export document included, the complete package costs from €150.
| Service | Included | From |
|---|---|---|
| Export document | Export certificate, vrijwaringsbewijs (indemnification certificate) and RDW processing | €50 |
| Export insurance + white plates | 14 days liability cover, Green Card and white export plates | €100 |
| Complete export package | Export document, vrijwaringsbewijs, 14 days liability cover, Green Card and plates | €150 |
When can the price be higher?
- All amounts are starting prices, including VAT where applicable.
- A surcharge may apply outside office hours. Office hours: Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 16:30.
- Postal delivery costs more, especially international shipping.
- The price can differ per vehicle, for example for heavy or non-standard vehicles.
- You always know the price in advance.
What can go wrong?
- The APK expires on the way. The export registration then stops being valid as well.
- Deregistered too early. The days between deregistration and departure count.
- An unreadable plate. The white plate must stay readable in all weather, so keep it clean and firmly fixed.
- Different rules abroad. How a Dutch export registration is treated differs per country. The RDW explains the process on its page about exporting a vehicle.
- A trailer after all. A car on a trailer or car transporter usually needs no driving insurance, but the export document is still required.
Read more about the cover, the start date and the Green Card on the export insurance page.
Exporting today?
Call or message us to book a time, also outside office hours. You will know the price in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Do I get a new registration number?
No. The export registration uses the same number as before, only on white plates with black characters.
Can I drive into Germany on Dutch export plates?
That is up to the country you drive in. The ADAC names the Dutch export registration as one way to bring a car to Germany on its own wheels. Check the rules of your destination and of each transit country before you leave.
Can I use the white plates for longer than 14 days?
Not on Dutch public roads. The export registration is valid for 14 days and never beyond the APK, so plan the drive within that period.
The yellow plates are missing. What now?
Have new yellow plates made by an approved number plate manufacturer first. The yellow plates are handed in on export, so you need them at the desk.
Does a trailer need a white plate too?
Yes, a trailer or caravan gets one white export plate, at the rear. It needs no insurance of its own, but the towing vehicle must be insured.
Sources
- RDW: Exporting a vehicle
- RDW: Soorten kentekenplaten
- RDW: Bijzondere kentekenbewijzen
- ADAC: Gebrauchtes Auto im Ausland kaufen
Checked on 30 October 2026