Evidence to request from the seller, transport and French formalities for a purchase in the Netherlands.
Before paying in the Netherlands, request the RDW report from the seller, the kentekencard with its code or the old paper file, the APK report and the draft contract. Also establish who will carry out export: the certificate must identify the French buyer.
Two decisions can change the purchase’s effective cost: having the documents before RDW deregistration and knowing who actually benefits from any advertised BPM refund. This route selects a carrier. The fourteen days of Dutch road use are not automatic permission to drive back to France.
This guide concerns a private buyer already resident in metropolitan France and an M1 car registered abroad. A special fiscal territory, previous French registration or unusual specification requires separate assessment.
Contents: documents · return transport · France · budget · checklist · FAQ.
Local evidence to obtain from the seller
RDW-kentekencheck and RDW-Voertuigrapport
Use the plate for the public kentekencheck; ask the holder for the RDW-Voertuigrapport obtained through their appropriate access. Compare mileages, maintenance and APK history. Logisch means an increasing sequence; geen oordeel means insufficient data. Neither result proves freedom from defects or the entire foreign history. RDW report. Local source.
Kentekencard and tenaamstellingscode
The card and tenaamstellingscode, or the required old paper registration documents, are needed for export. Ask the seller to check they are present before payment. RDW warns that a replacement for a missing registration document must be obtained before export: do not start deregistration expecting to resolve the gap afterwards. Local source.
Exportbewijs and vrijwaringsbewijs
At an RDW counter or authorised export business, have export recorded in your name. Collect the corner-cut card or part 1B, exportbewijs part II and vrijwaringsbewijs. Check identity and vehicle details there. The deregistration certificate alone is not the file needed for French registration. Local source.
APK and export plates
RDW describes fourteen days of driving in the Netherlands after export, with a valid APK and insurance for a car, on white plates. This rule confirms neither Belgian transit nor French acceptance. Request the APK report from the seller to prepare French filing; this journey remains delivery by lorry. Local source.
BPM and the export price
A partial BPM refund depends on conditions, including RDW export and permanent registration in an eligible country, evidenced within thirteen weeks. Put the payable price, beneficiary and conditions of any promise in writing. A damaged vehicle falls outside the described branch; no saving should be treated as secured. Local source.
Keep three checks separate. History checking compares the available records and their limits; HistoVec relies on the French SIV and does not reconstruct the entire foreign past. A statutory roadworthiness test examines a defined scope on a particular date. A pre-purchase inspection describes observed condition, unchecked items and repairs to price. None of these layers replaces the other two. HistoVec, inspection scope.
Arrange export and return transport
Before deregistration, confirm the documents needed in France and resolve lost registration papers. At the counter or authorised business, the buyer presents identity, the card with its code or required paper documents, and the plates; fees remain to be confirmed. Check the returned export documents before leaving.
Agree loading, delivery and the carrier’s liability. Protect the originals intended for France; useful delivery copies do not replace them. Treat BPM separately from tax clearance and the amount actually payable. RDW export, BPM.
| Option | Condition and action |
|---|---|
| Foreign or export plates | Driving is not the selected plan: formalities, dates, holder, insurance and transit need confirmation. |
| French CPI WW | Four months under the standard regime; does not authorise driving along this unconfirmed foreign route. |
| Professional vehicle transport | Transport does not replace the tax file or registration documents. Obtain a quote, a jointly recorded loading condition and insurance terms. |
| Validity or safety unconfirmed | A pending application is not permission to drive. Resolve the issue before driving, or arrange suitable transport. |
Prepare French tax clearance and registration
For an ordinary used EU vehicle, check both more than six months and more than 6,000 km at the relevant point of purchase: additional French VAT does not apply automatically in this branch. A two-year-old car with 4,000 km falls outside this definition. At exactly 6,000 km, have the DGFiP classify the case before payment. If the vehicle is new for VAT purposes, examine the French 20% branch separately; an advance payment of foreign tax does not by itself settle this obligation. EU VAT guidance.
Request the quitus after delivery: it confirms the VAT position, including when no additional VAT is payable. Your home address determines the channel. In departments 57, 59, 62 or 67, use the combined France Titres/ANTS tax clearance and registration application; elsewhere, email form 1993-PART-D-SD to the competent tax office. Prepare identity, address, invoice or contract and the foreign registration document. DGFiP instructions.
Have conformity examined before a non-refundable deposit. A complete, acceptable harmonised document may suffice; buying an additional COC is not always necessary. For an unusual specification or missing data, have the competent service establish whether manufacturer documents, a certificate, AVDT or RTI are required. Documentary rules.
For an M1 car over four years old, the acceptable roadworthiness report must be less than six months old when filing; also respect any retest requirement. A test from the EU country of previous registration may be acceptable, but periodic validity alone is insufficient. In France, a critical defect limits validity to the test day: two months to repair does not always mean two months to drive. Registration file, French roadworthiness testing.
Apply within one month of purchase through the official “Immatriculer pour la première fois un véhicule en France” service. Include, in particular, acquisition evidence, foreign registration, recent address evidence, conformity and the required tax and roadworthiness documents. This is an application deadline, with no guaranteed delivery of the certificate or permission to drive. France Titres entry point.
| Situation | Decision before commitment |
|---|---|
| Ordinary used EU vehicle | No automatic additional French VAT; tax clearance required unless an exemption is justified. Check both thresholds and the invoice before paying. |
| New for VAT purposes | The wording of the advert does not decide the tax treatment. Confirm French VAT and treatment of any foreign tax advance. |
| Complete harmonised document and compliant vehicle | Buying an additional COC is not automatically necessary. Have identity, approval and mandatory data examined. |
| Incomplete data or unusual specification | COC, certificate, AVDT and RTI are not interchangeable. Ask the manufacturer and competent service to establish the route before a deposit. |
| Special fiscal territory or earlier French registration | The ordinary outline does not determine the taxes. Identify territory and registration history; obtain a separate assessment. |
Build a budget without adding alternative plans together
An unpriced amount means an input is missing, never that it is free. Include the transport actually selected; export plates and a complete drive home are not mandatory costs of full delivery. Convert currencies only with a rate, date and fees. CarAudit references are not accepted quotations.
The malus depends, among other things, on first registration, the applicable schedule and depreciation, not simply the year of French filing. For weight, use G, not F.2; check the combined cap with CO2. An age-related regional reduction does not mean exemption from the malus. Certificate costs, official simulator, CO2, weight.
| Item | Amount | Required input |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle price | Not priced | Contract price, currency and tax treatment. |
| Currency exchange and payment | Not priced | Rate, date and payment fees. |
| Local history and documents | Not priced | Local access and scope to confirm. |
| CarAudit inspection | Not priced | 289 EUR reference; location and scope to confirm. |
| Optional battery diagnostic | Not priced | 179 EUR reference; suitability and option to confirm. |
| Export formalities | Not priced | Applicable non-resident procedure and fee. |
| Export plates | Not priced | Not selected for full vehicle transport. |
| Journey and subsequent French insurance | Not priced | Vehicle, countries, dates and cover period. |
| Driving the vehicle back | Not priced | Not selected; do not add to complete delivery. |
| Lorry or trailer transport | Not priced | Loading, delivery, insurance and exclusions. |
| French VAT: fiscally new vehicle | Not priced | 20% only if new for VAT purposes. |
| Tax clearance certificate (quitus fiscal) | Not priced | No verified issue fee; separate private fees. |
| COC or certificate if needed | Not priced | Confirm need before ordering. |
| Any AVDT, RTI and testing | Not priced | Price only the necessary procedure and tests. |
| Roadworthiness test and any retest | Not priced | Check foreign report and filing dates first. |
| Certified translation if requested | Not priced | Only documents actually requested. |
| Regional registration tax | Not priced | Region, fiscal horsepower, age and applicable rules. |
| Possible CO2 malus | Not priced | First registration, CO2, depreciation and exemptions. |
| Possible weight malus | Not priced | Mass G, applicable year, reductions and combined cap. |
| Final registration fixed tax | 11 EUR | Ordinary issue; other taxes separate. |
| Delivery of final registration certificate | 2.76 EUR | Ordinary delivery; other items separate. |
| Final number plates | Not priced | Plate supplier’s quotation. |
| Optional authorised professional | Not priced | Separate professional fees from taxes passed on. |
| CPI WW if needed | Not priced | Procedure and plates; no guaranteed foreign transit. |
| Identified repairs | Not priced | Quote actual findings after inspection. |
Check the decisive points
This static checklist remains readable without JavaScript. Every row starts as “to check”. A conflict takes priority over items seen; every open point still needs resolving. Marking all documents as seen does not guarantee freedom from defects or registration.
| Evidence or decision | Action before commitment | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RDW-kentekencheck / report | Compare statuses, history and limits. | To check |
| Kentekencard and code | Resolve missing papers before export. | To check |
| Exportbewijs / vrijwaring | Check returned documents and French buyer’s name. | To check |
| APK / white plates | Do not extend fourteen days beyond NL. | To check |
| BPM | Record price, beneficiary and conditions. | To check |
| Inspection | Read defects and limits before payment. | To check |
| France: VAT, conformity, testing | Establish the branch and required documents. | To check |
| Transport and full cost | Obtain a quote and protect originals. | To check |
Points remain to be checked; documents seen do not replace missing evidence.
Have the car examined before payment
Before committing, have the car examined at the seller’s premises. CarAudit offers pre-purchase inspections in countries listed on its French website. Check availability for the exact location and vehicle, then confirm access with the seller. The inspection does not automatically include transport, import formalities, customs or tax representation, or guaranteed registration in France.
Frequently asked questions
Does kentekencheck replace the seller’s report?
No. The public plate check provides data and statuses, while the owner or holder requests the fuller report. Have it sent before export and examine the limits of a geen oordeel verdict.
Can a missing kentekencard be recovered after export?
Do not base the purchase on this assumption. RDW requires replacement to be resolved before export and warns it will no longer be possible afterwards. Postpone deregistration while the required file is incomplete.
Is vrijwaringsbewijs enough for France?
No: also retain the corner-cut card or part 1B and exportbewijs part II. Check that export was recorded in the French buyer’s name; deregistration alone does not replace these documents.
Do white plates allow fourteen days in France?
The cited RDW rule concerns Dutch roads, subject to the applicable insurance and APK. It does not validate France or transit countries. The selected route is full vehicle transport; any driving requires separate confirmation.
Does a BPM refund automatically belong to the buyer?
No. The tax conditions and contractual beneficiary must be specified, including permanent-registration evidence within thirteen weeks where applicable. Do not deduct a promised sum from the payable price while its treatment remains uncertain.
When should the Dutch procedure be paused?
Before deregistration, if the card is missing or export in the correct name cannot be arranged. After reviewing reports, also suspend payment over unexplained mileage discontinuity; a favourable status does not resolve a contradictory file.
Sources and limits of the guide
The shared French sources were checked on 8 September 2026; local additions were verified on 10 September 2026. The links above retain that scope: no individual vehicle, quotation or administrative application has been verified here.
