Car
Export insurance for a passenger car, including 2 white Dutch export plates and the green card.
from €100 More information: Car
Trailer export insurance: a white export plate, also under 750 kg
from €100 Including 1 white export plate
Our trailer export insurance covers car transporters, horse trailers, boat trailers, tipping trailers and plant trailers bought in the Netherlands. For trailers up to 3,500 kg, also light trailers under 750 kg, we arrange it with one white Dutch export plate and the green card from €100, so that you can tow the trailer home within the 14 days of cover. Heavier trailers start at €180.
How Dutch trailers are registered
In the Netherlands, a registered trailer has its own registration number, its own registration certificate and its own yellow plate, independent of the car that tows it. When you buy such a trailer and take it abroad, it is reported for export at the RDW, its Dutch registration is ended and you receive the RDW export document for the trailer, exactly as with a car. A light trailer under 750 kg has no Dutch registration number of its own. For such a trailer we make a white plate that shows the registration number of the towing vehicle, with the country code of that registration in front of it, for example NL, D, PL or RO. This also works when the towing vehicle is registered outside the Netherlands: its foreign number then goes on the white plate, preceded by its own country code. We issue the export insurance on that registration number together with the trailer's chassis number (VIN). For a light trailer we therefore need the chassis number, the make and the model/type, plus the registration number of the towing vehicle and the country where it is registered. A certificate of conformity (CoC) helps if you have one, but we do not require it.
From the export deregistration onwards, a registered trailer needs a white export plate and temporary export insurance for the journey; a light trailer receives the same package from us. The page about Dutch export plates with insurance describes each step, from the export deregistration to the green card.
Trailer export plate and insurance: from €100, also under 750 kg
For a trailer up to 3,500 kg the price starts at €100, including one white Dutch export plate for the rear of the trailer, the 14-day third-party liability insurance and the green card as a PDF by e-mail. With DHL Express delivery anywhere in Europe you pay from €150 in total, as €50 per shipment is added. The €100 starting price applies from a small single-axle trailer to a large double-axle car transporter, and also to light trailers under 750 kg; the exact price depends on the trailer, its empty weight and its year of manufacture. Heavy trailers and semi-trailers above 3,500 kg start at €180, also with one white export plate (from €230 by post).
To request, send the Dutch registration number of the trailer, or for a light trailer under 750 kg its chassis number (VIN), make and model/type plus the towing vehicle's registration number and country of registration, together with your name, the destination country and the start date via WhatsApp or the online request form. If you come to the Netherlands with your own car to tow the trailer, you can have the plate posted to your home address before the trip, or collect it at our office in Hengelo on the way to the seller.
Light and heavy trailers: what differs
For our prices, the line is drawn at 3,500 kg: trailers up to that weight start at €100 including one plate, from a light trailer under 750 kg to a heavy car transporter, while a trailer or semi-trailer above 3,500 kg starts at €180, also with one plate. On the road, the difference between light and heavy matters more. A light trailer under 750 kg can be towed by most cars on a standard licence, while heavier trailers need a car with enough towing capacity, often a licence extension for the combination, and brakes of their own. In the Netherlands only trailers above 3,500 kg have an APK obligation; lighter trailers have no periodic inspection, so a quick check of tyres, brakes, lights and the coupling before a long tow is sensible.
In your own country the rules for registering an imported trailer depend on its weight: some countries register every trailer, others only above a certain weight. Check that with your national vehicle authority before you travel, together with the registration deadline. The official Your Europe page linked under this page is the starting point for EU countries.
Towing a Dutch trailer abroad
Your own car keeps its registration and insurance; our package only concerns the trailer, although for a light trailer under 750 kg we do need your car's registration number and the country it is registered in. That number, with the country code in front of it, goes on the white plate we make for the trailer, even if your car is registered outside the Netherlands, and the trailer's policy is issued on it. Before you hitch up, check with your insurer that towing abroad is covered under your car policy, and check the towing capacity of your car and your licence category against the maximum permitted mass of the trailer. Dutch trailers often use a 13-pin lighting connector; bring an adapter if your car has a 7-pin socket, because working lights are essential on the road.
On the road you carry the green card and the RDW export document of the trailer together with the purchase invoice. On a registered trailer, the export plate shows the trailer's own Dutch number, which differs from your car's plate; that is normal. On a light trailer under 750 kg, the plate shows the towing vehicle's registration number instead, preceded by the country code of that registration. The cover applies for 14 days from the start date in the EU and in the other countries on the green card, such as Switzerland and the United Kingdom. All of them are listed on the page about the green card for export.
Horse trailers, boat trailers, car transporters and plant trailers
All of these are trailers for our price. A horse trailer bought in the Netherlands, a boat trailer with or without the boat on it, a car transporter that you use to bring a second vehicle home, a tipping trailer or a plant trailer for a mini digger: each gets one white export plate with the 14-day insurance, from €100 up to 3,500 kg or from €180 above that weight. If a boat, a car or a machine travels on the trailer, that load is cargo and does not need its own plates for the journey; a Dutch car on a transporter does need its own RDW export document for the registration at home.
Buying a car and a trailer together, or a motorhome with a trailer? Then each vehicle needs its own package; see the price page for the amounts and tell us the registration numbers of both, so that we can issue the policies with the same start date and on one invoice. Sent by post to the same address, all the plates travel in one shipment with a single €50 surcharge.
Get in touch
from €100 Including 1 white export plate
By post (DHL Express): from €150
- Arranged online, green card by e-mail
- Valid for 14 days in 43 countries, including the whole EU
- Request Monday to Thursday: delivery in 1 working day throughout Europe
- Or ready on the spot at our office in Hengelo
Opening hours
- Office visits by appointment only, Mon to Sat 09:00 to 17:00
Appointments only outside this period too; WhatsApp available 24/7 - Oude Boekeloseweg 33, 7553 DS Hengelo
- WhatsApp: available 24/7
Export insurance prices, including white export plates
Starting prices per vehicle type, always including the white export plates.
| Vehicle | Online or at the office | By post (DHL Express) | Apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car | from €100 Including 2 white export plates | from €150 Request Monday to Thursday: delivery in 1 working day throughout Europe | Apply |
| Van / light commercial up to 3,500 kg | from €100 Including 2 white export plates | from €150 Request Monday to Thursday: delivery in 1 working day throughout Europe | Apply |
| Truck / lorry also any vehicle above 3,500 kg | from €180 Including 2 white export plates | from €230 Request Monday to Thursday: delivery in 1 working day throughout Europe | Apply |
| Motorcycle / scooter / moped | from €100 Including 1 white export plate | from €150 Request Monday to Thursday: delivery in 1 working day throughout Europe | Apply |
| Caravan | from €150 Including 1 white export plate | from €200 Request Monday to Thursday: delivery in 1 working day throughout Europe | Apply |
| Motorhome / camper also above 3,500 kg | from €180 Including 2 white export plates | from €230 Request Monday to Thursday: delivery in 1 working day throughout Europe | Apply |
| Trailer up to 3,500 kg, also under 750 kg | from €100 Including 1 white export plate | from €150 Request Monday to Thursday: delivery in 1 working day throughout Europe | Apply |
- All prices are starting prices. The category follows the vehicle type, as on the green card, and within it the empty weight and the year of manufacture set the exact price, which we always confirm before you pay.
- All prices include the white export plates and exclude the RDW export deregistration, which we can handle for you at our office in Hengelo for €50 per vehicle during opening hours.
- By post: €50 surcharge per shipment (handling, DHL Express, tracking), charged only once when the plates for several vehicles go to the same address. Requested on a working day (Monday to Thursday): delivered within 1 working day anywhere in Europe.
- Cover: 14 days from the start date.
- Outside opening hours, a higher rate may apply. Ask for the price in advance.
How it works: on the road in 4 steps
-
Send your details
Send the registration number, your name, the destination country and the start date you want via WhatsApp, e-mail or the form.
-
Confirmation and payment
You receive the exact price and the payment details. Buying as a business? We send an invoice, also to companies abroad.
-
Green card by e-mail
After payment we take out the export insurance for you. The green card arrives in your inbox as a PDF and is valid for 14 days from the start date.
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Collect the white export plates or have them sent by DHL Express
Collect the plates in Hengelo or have them delivered: DHL Express with track & trace, within 1 working day anywhere in Europe if requested from Monday to Thursday.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need export plates for a small trailer under 750 kg?
We supply the export package for light trailers under 750 kg as well, from €100 including one white export plate, the 14-day insurance and the green card. As such a trailer has no Dutch registration number of its own, we make a white plate with the towing vehicle's registration number and, in front of it, the country code of that registration, also when the towing vehicle is not Dutch. The policy is issued on that number together with the trailer's chassis number (VIN). So we need the trailer's chassis number, make and model/type plus the towing vehicle's registration number and country; a certificate of conformity (CoC) is useful if you have it, but not required. Send these details with your name, the destination and the start date, and we prepare everything for the drive home.
Can I tow the trailer home with my own car from abroad?
Yes. Your car keeps its own registration and insurance; the trailer gets the white Dutch export plate and the export insurance from us. Check that your car's towing capacity and your licence category match the maximum permitted mass of the trailer, that your insurer covers towing abroad, and that your lighting connector fits the Dutch trailer, often a 13-pin plug.
Does the towing vehicle also need export insurance?
Only if the towing vehicle is itself a Dutch vehicle that you are exporting. A car on foreign plates that you bring from home keeps its own insurance; for a light trailer under 750 kg we only need its registration number and country, because that foreign number, with its country code, goes on the white plate we make for the trailer and on the trailer's policy. If you buy a Dutch car and a Dutch trailer together, both are exported and both need their own export plates, insurance and green card; we issue two policies with the same start date and can put them on one invoice.
Do Dutch trailers have a periodic inspection (APK)?
Only trailers above 3,500 kg have an APK obligation in the Netherlands. A normal car trailer, horse trailer or boat trailer has no periodic inspection, so there is no inspection date to check. Your own country may require a technical inspection when you register the trailer at home. Before the trip, check the tyres, brakes, lights and coupling yourself; used trailers often stand still for long periods.
Can I carry a load on the trailer during the drive home?
Yes. A boat, a car or a machine on the trailer is cargo and needs no plates or insurance of its own for the journey. Keep in mind that the export insurance covers only the trailer's liability towards others, not the load. If your route leaves the EU, customs rules apply to the load as well as to the trailer; the trailer's purchase invoice and the RDW export document should be at hand.
Export insurance by vehicle type
Starting prices per vehicle type, always including the white export plates.
Van / light commercial
Van or light commercial vehicle up to 3,500 kg, including 2 white export plates. Heavier than 3,500 kg: truck rate.
from €100 More information: Van / light commercial
Truck / lorry
Export insurance for a truck, lorry, tractor unit or any other vehicle above 3,500 kg, including 2 white export plates (1 for a semi-trailer or heavy trailer).
from €180 More information: Truck / lorry
Motorcycle / scooter / moped
Export insurance for a motorcycle, scooter or moped, including 1 white export plate.
Caravan
Export insurance for a caravan that is towed abroad behind a car, including 1 white export plate.
from €150 More information: Caravan
Motorhome / camper
Export insurance for a motorhome or campervan, also above 3,500 kg or registered as a van, including 2 white export plates.
from €180 More information: Motorhome / camper
Trailer bought? Request the plate
Send the registration number of the trailer, your name, the destination and the start date via WhatsApp and we will arrange the plate and the green card.
Sources and updates
Last updated on . The information on this page is based on our own rates and working method and on these official sources:
- RDW: Exporting a vehicle (RDW, accessed on )
- RDW: APK (periodic technical inspection) obligations (Dutch) (RDW, accessed on )
- Your Europe: Validity of car insurance in the EU (Your Europe (Europese Unie), accessed on )
Government rules and fees can change. If in doubt, check the source and ask us for advice on your situation.