Considering importing a car from Holland to Denmark?
Considering importing a car from Holland to Denmark? As a private buyer living in Denmark, you need to assess the car in the Netherlands and plan its Danish registration. Before paying, clarify its identity, history, export documents and transport home. Keep the pre-purchase checks separate from the Danish inspection and tax procedures that follow.
What CarAudit does – and does not do
CarAudit can perform a physical pre-purchase inspection in the Netherlands. CarAudit does not perform Danish registration inspection (registreringssyn) or Danish customs inspection (toldsyn), nor handle vehicle valuation (værdifastsættelse) for tax assessment or Danish vehicle registration tax (registreringsafgift). Transport and insurance are not part of the service either. The inspection is not a guarantee of title, mileage or a defect-free car. See CarAudit's FAQ for information about the inspection.
A recent statutory inspection is not a guarantee against significant faults either. Forbrug.dk describes it as a spot check and recommends a technical pre-purchase examination alongside checks of the original registration certificate, inspection report and service history.
Compare RDW information with the car you are buying
Start with the registration number in the public RDW kentekencheck, a search of the Dutch vehicle register. It shows recorded history, whether ownership can be transferred, known theft and export status, and recalls. However, a cloned car can display another car's correct details. Compare the result with the physical vehicle identification number (VIN), registration papers and the car itself, as RDW recommends.
Also ask the seller for a detailed RDW vehicle report. The registered owner or keeper requests it and can share it with you. It contains the recorded number of owners, status changes such as scrapping or export, APK inspection history with repair and advisory points, recalls and mileage history. APK is the Dutch vehicle inspection. The report shows only RDW-recorded information and does not replace a physical examination.
The mileage result may be 'no opinion'. Reasons include insufficient information, importation, modification or a repaired, replaced or limited-range odometer. Read the context behind the result too. Neither a report nor an apparently clean search guarantees title to the car or its mechanical condition.
Your decision before payment
| Signal | What you find | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Stop | The VIN, documents and car do not match. | Do not pay until the discrepancy is resolved. |
| Clarify | The mileage result has no opinion or the history is unclear. | Request the report and compare it with the service history. |
| Continue assessing | The documents and information are consistent. | Still assess the physical condition; consistency is not a guarantee. |
Agree the export arrangements before deregistration
The ordinary Dutch ownership-transfer procedure requires a buyer who lives and is registered in the Netherlands. It is therefore not your route when you live in Denmark; use the export procedure. Documents may be a kentekencard, the registration card, with the complete tenaamstellingscode, the transfer code, or the older paper documents Tenaamstellingsbewijs (registration certificate) and Overschrijvingsbewijs (transfer certificate). Also request the latest APK report if the car has undergone APK.
RDW recommends that the buyer registers the export in their own name. The buyer then appears on export certificate Part 2 and becomes responsible from that point. If the seller arranges export, RDW states that the seller remains responsible until the car is registered abroad. Agree clearly who will arrange export and in whose name.
Take identification, the kentekencard with tenaamstellingscode or the older Tenaamstellingsbewijs Part 1B and Overschrijvingsbewijs, plus the car's existing number plates, to RDW or an RDW-approved export business. Check the document pack beforehand rather than assuming that missing papers can be sorted out after export.
At export deregistration, the applicant receives a vrijwaringsbewijs confirming that the car is no longer registered in the applicant's name. The clipped kentekencard or Part 1B and export certificate Part 2 are also issued. Check that you take the relevant documents with you for subsequent Danish registration.
Confirm Danish document requirements before deregistering the car. RDW warns that a replacement registration certificate cannot be requested after export. The owner's remote deregistration procedure for a car already abroad does not provide export certificate Part 2 either. It is therefore not the same documentation process.
Review the documents with the seller before arranging export: do you have the originals, is the relevant APK report included, and which registration certificate will be handed over after deregistration? Also establish beforehand which certificate parts Danish inspections and plate purchase require. Use the answers to check the document pack, not as a reason to skip the physical examination.
Plan transport home without assuming export plates are accepted everywhere
After export deregistration, the car can use its existing registration number on white plates with black characters for up to 14 days on Dutch public roads. During that period, the passenger car must be insured and have valid APK. That is the geographical limit in RDW's export guidance – not permission for the whole journey home.
Driving home or using a carrier?
| Option | What to confirm | Important limit |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier | Obtain a quote and agree collection and delivery. | Choose this option if plates and insurance cannot be confirmed for driving home. |
| Driving in the Netherlands | Export plates, insurance and valid APK. | No more than 14 days on Dutch public roads. |
| Cross-border drive home | Confirm both plate recognition and insurance cover for the exact route. | Dutch permission does not establish the position in other countries. |
Separately confirm that the plates are accepted and that the insurance's territorial cover includes the whole journey, both in Denmark and in transit countries such as Germany. Unless both can be confirmed for the exact trip, use a carrier rather than relying on RDW's permission alone.
From entry into Denmark to Danish number plates
As a Danish resident bringing the car into Denmark on foreign plates, you must notify Motorstyrelsen before entry and carry the receipt. The car must be registered in Denmark within 30 days. If no answer has arrived by then, you may not continue driving on foreign plates. Notification does not itself confirm export-plate validity or insurance cover along the route.
Do not treat the Danish 30 days as an extension of the Dutch driving period of 14 days. These are different rules: Danish registration on one side and driving on Dutch public roads on the other. Keep track of the registration deadline without treating it as proof that driving the car home is lawful.
The used imported car requires a Danish extended registration inspection (udvidet registreringssyn), comprising registration and customs inspections. Bring the original foreign registration certificate, normally both parts of an EU certificate. Færdselsstyrelsen describes the registration inspection's safety and environmental checks. A pre-purchase CarAudit inspection does not replace these Danish inspections.
The inspection must be no more than 4 weeks old when you request valuation. Plan the inspection and request together. The sequence is inspection, valuation, payment of registration tax, then registration and number-plate purchase. Registration tax is therefore a separate part of the process after buying the car.
The number-plate operator needs the applicable foreign certificate parts, foreign plates if you hold them, photo identification, insurance information and the registration-tax payment receipt. Motorstyrelsen does not deregister the car with the foreign authority. Plan Dutch export and Danish registration as separate steps.
A used car can still be new for VAT purposes
For Danish VAT on a purchase from another EU country, the car is treated as new if delivery takes place no later than 6 months after first use, OR it has travelled no more than 6,000 km. Either condition is sufficient. Previous registration alone therefore does not make it used for VAT purposes. Check both the date and mileage; see Motorstyrelsen's import guidance.
The thresholds are inclusive: delivery exactly 6 months after first use or mileage of exactly 6,000 km satisfies the respective condition. Greater age does not prevent the car being treated as new for VAT purposes if its mileage still satisfies the mileage condition.
If the car is new for VAT purposes, you must declare the purchase as a private buyer within 14 days after arrival. VAT must then be paid within 14 days after the payment letter from Skattestyrelsen. The deadlines have different starting points and must be kept separate from the Danish registration deadline.
Prepare your budget before committing. The amounts below are unknown and must be established for the car and your chosen arrangements. The table is a reminder of budget categories, not a quote or a calculation of the total import cost.
Budget without guessed prices
| Item | What to establish | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle purchase price | Agree the price and document handover with the seller. | Unknown |
| Physical pre-purchase inspection | Obtain a price for the requested inspection. | Unknown |
| Export and any drive home | Clarify export, plates and insurance for the whole route. | Unknown |
| Carrier | Obtain a specific quote if the car is to be transported. | Unknown |
| Danish inspections | Establish the cost of the extended registration inspection. | Unknown |
| Registration tax | Established through the Danish valuation and tax process. | Unknown |
| Any Danish VAT | Establish whether the car is new for VAT purposes. | Unknown |
| Danish plates and insurance | Clarify plate purchase and insurance for Danish registration. | Unknown |
Checklist by stage
| Stage | Task | What should be settled | Your check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before payment | Compare the VIN, original papers, RDW report and service history. | Vehicle identity, the history's limitations and the need for physical inspection. | To check |
| Before export | Agree the applicant, name on the export certificate and document handover. | Danish document requirements and all necessary export papers. | To check |
| Before entry | Confirm transport arrangements; notify entry on foreign plates. | Plates and insurance for the route and the Motorstyrelsen receipt to carry with you. | To check |
| After arrival | Follow applicable VAT deadlines, inspections, valuation, tax payment and plate purchase. | Registration deadline, inspection age and documents for the number-plate operator. | To check |
Documents or conditions still need checking. Do not treat the file as complete.
Frequently asked questions
Is a good RDW result enough to buy the car?
No. A cloned car can point to another car's correct registration record. Compare the search with the physical VIN, papers and car. Also use the seller's detailed report and a technical examination to assess different aspects of the purchase.
Does 'no opinion' mean the mileage is wrong?
The result does not establish that the mileage is wrong. RDW may give no opinion because of missing information, importation or changes to the odometer, among other reasons. It does not confirm the mileage either; examine the available history.
Can I use an ordinary Dutch ownership transfer?
Not in this scenario. The ordinary procedure requires a buyer who lives and is registered in the Netherlands. When you live in Denmark, the sale must follow the export procedure. Also agree in whose name export will be registered.
Do export plates allow 14 days of driving home through every country?
No. RDW's permission applies to Dutch public roads. It does not establish plate recognition or insurance cover in Germany or Denmark. Confirm both for the entire trip or use a carrier.
May I keep using foreign plates after 30 days while waiting?
No. If no answer has arrived before the deadline expires, you may not continue driving on foreign plates. Danish notification is not evidence that Dutch export plates are accepted along the entire route either.
Can a previously registered car attract Danish VAT as a new vehicle?
Yes. Delivery no later than 6 months after first use or mileage of no more than 6,000 km is sufficient. The conditions do not both need to be met. Assess VAT status using both timing and mileage, not just the advert or previous registration.
Can CarAudit handle Danish registration after the inspection?
No. CarAudit performs the physical pre-purchase inspection in the Netherlands, not Danish registration inspection, customs inspection, valuation or tax work. Transport and insurance are not part of the service either. The inspection gives no guarantee of title, mileage or a defect-free car.
Have the car examined in the Netherlands before buying
Contact CarAudit about a physical inspection of the car you are considering in the Netherlands. Use the inspection as part of your pre-purchase assessment. Danish registration, statutory inspections, valuation, registration tax, transport and insurance must be handled separately; the inspection is not a guarantee of the car, its title or its mileage.
