Motorhome export insurance: Dutch export plates, also above 3,500 kg

Buying a motorhome in the Netherlands

The Netherlands has a popular motorhome market, with specialised dealers as well as private sellers, and you can choose from compact campervans to large integrated motorhomes on a heavy chassis.

Buying works like buying a car: the seller or an RDW-recognised company reports the motorhome for export at the RDW, the Dutch registration ends and you receive the RDW export document. If the seller does not arrange it, we can do the export deregistration at our office in Hengelo for €50 during opening hours. The motorhome can stay parked where it is: what we need are its Dutch number plates, its registration card with the tenaamstellingscode and a driving licence, identity card or passport. For the drive home the motorhome needs white export plates and temporary export insurance with a green card, which we supply as one package. The full explanation is on the page about Dutch export plates with insurance.

Motorhome export plates: from €180 including 2 plates

For a motorhome or campervan the price starts at €180, including two white Dutch export plates, the 14-day third-party liability insurance and the green card as a PDF by e-mail. The camper rate applies below and above 3,500 kg, and also to a campervan that is registered as a van. Within that rate, the exact price depends on the motorhome's empty weight and year of manufacture, so a heavy motorhome on a truck chassis and a compact campervan are priced individually; we always tell you the amount before you pay. For delivery by DHL Express to any address in Europe, add €50 per shipment, so the total starts at €230. Online and at our office in Hengelo the price is the same during opening hours; see the price page.

Send us the Dutch registration number, your name, the destination country and the start date, and we will confirm the price. If you travel to the Netherlands by plane or train, you can have the plates sent to your home address first, so that you only need to fit them at the seller.

The long drive home: planning your 14 days

A motorhome invites a slow journey, and the 14 days from the start date give you room for overnight stops on most routes within Europe. The cover ends after 14 days wherever you are, so plan your arrival and the registration appointment at home with a few days to spare. If you do need more time, get in touch before the end date, as the insurance can be extended in some cases.

The insurance covers your liability towards others, not the motorhome itself or its contents. The green card is valid throughout the EU and EEA and also in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Turkey and the Western Balkans, among other countries, so a tour home over the Alps or through the Balkans is covered. It does not apply in Kosovo, Northern Cyprus, Russia, Belarus or Iran. More on the page about the green card for export.

After arrival: registering the motorhome

In your own country the motorhome is registered at the national vehicle authority, where a registration deadline applies and where taxes or duties may be due, depending on the country and on whether the vehicle counts as new or used. Many countries ask for a technical inspection and for proof of the vehicle's type approval or technical data, which for a converted van or an older motorhome can take some searching. Ask the seller for every document available: the certificate of conformity, the conversion papers, the weighing certificate and the service history.

We do not arrange the foreign registration, but we can tell you which Dutch documents to take with you, and we answer questions via WhatsApp while you are on the road. The official Your Europe page linked under this page explains the rules for EU countries.

What to check before you pay the seller

• The registration certificate: registration number and chassis number, matching the motorhome in front of you.
• The APK expiry date: a motorhome needs a valid APK, the Dutch periodic inspection, to be driven on Dutch roads, so make sure it is still valid on your departure date.
• Your driving licence: if the maximum permitted mass on the registration certificate is above 3,500 kg, you need a licence category that covers it.
• Who will report the motorhome for export at the RDW, and when you receive the RDW export document.
• Gas, water and the leisure battery: not our field, but worth checking before your first night on the road.
• Whether a trailer is part of the deal; it then needs its own plate and cover, see trailer export insurance.