Car registration: what’s involved in selling a car?
What conditions must I meet to sell my car?
Let’s start with some basic rules that apply when you want to sell a car. You may only sell a car to someone who is at least eighteen years old. In addition, a car may only be transferred into the name of a person living in the Netherlands and registered with a Dutch municipality. You may of course sell a car to someone from abroad, but then you and the buyer of the car must go to an RDW office to officially export the car.
License Plate Counter
Transferring a car is done at a license plate counter. This is a place where citizens and businesses can transfer vehicles, suspend and terminate suspensions. You can do this at almost all PostNL branches. Here you can see which PostNL branches are affiliated as license plate counters. Some (auto) companies also allow you to transfer vehicles.
What papers do I need?
There is quite a bit of paperwork involved in selling a car. Fortunately, a lot goes digital these days. Physical items that must be transferred at a license plate counter are the paper license plate or the credit card-like plastic license plate. A tokenization code is also required. Provided that the registration certificate is not up-to-date (the latest version), a new registration certificate must first be requested from the RDW.
Step by step explanation
The following is a step-by-step explanation for selling a car.
- The seller gives the following documents to the buyer:
- Registration certificate/registration card with the vehicle registration code
- The certificate of registration and registration certificate
- The buyer arranges the transfer of the vehicle at a registration desk
- The buyer receives a certificate of indemnification from an employee at the license plate office. This is proof, that the vehicle is no longer in the seller’s name. Safeguard certificate in? Then the seller may give the vehicle away!
- The seller gives the buyer the vehicle certificate. The registration documents previously given may be kept by the seller. Also, the seller gives the buyer the MOT inspection report.
Also read: What should you do if the MOT has expired?