Ins and outs of owning a car
Can owners in the Netherlands must comply with numerous legal requirements. The Holland Handbook guides you through registration, road tax and more.
If you have, or intend to buy, a car in the Netherlands, you must comply with a number of legal requirements.
For starters, you must have the registration certificate transferred to your name, take out car insurance and pay road tax.
When do you have to pay road tax?
You have to pay road tax from the time your name is transferred to the vehicle registration certificate. Regardless of whether you are temporarily unable or unwilling to use your vehicle, you are always required to pay road tax. You pay for possession of a vehicle, even if it remains parked on private premises.
Declaration and payment
When you buy a vehicle, you must have your name transferred to the registration certificate, which you can do at any large post office.
Once your name is transferred to the registration certificate, this also serves as a road tax declaration. You must indicate whether you want to pay for each three-month period separately or for four consecutive periods at once. Soon afterwards, you will automatically be sent a bill and giro payment slip for the road tax for which you are liable. Thereafter, the bills will always be posted to you automatically. The period for which you must pay road tax is stated on the bill, as is the due date.
Road tax rates
The amount of road tax you pay depends on the following:
the type of vehicle (i.e. passenger car, delivery van, motor cycle)
for passenger cars and delivery vans: tare weight. This is stated on part of the registration certificate (under massa ledig voertuig)
for passenger cars: the fuel used (gasoline, diesel, LPG or a combination of gasoline/LPG)
the province in which you live
whether your vehicle is equipped and intended to be powered primarily by an electric motor.
You never have to pay additional road tax for a caravan (camper), collapsible caravan or static caravan, even if the maximum permitted loaded weight of the caravan, collapsible caravan or static caravan exceeds 750 kg. You can always inquire at any large post office or the Tax Department offices of the Central Office for Motor Vehicle Taxes, if you want to know precisely how much road tax you have to pay for your vehicle.
Vehicle modifications
You may have to pay more or less road tax if you modify your vehicle. For example:
modification of your vehicle results in a change in its tare weight. As a result, your vehicle may then fall under a different weight category
you change the type of fuel you use in your passenger car. If you modify your vehicle in this way, you must have your registration certificate adjusted. For this, contact the Ministry for Transport Industries.
Sale of your vehicle
You sell your vehicle to a private individual... You will not receive any tax reimbursement for the period in which you sell your vehicle to a private individual. If you paid road tax for four consecutive periods at once, you will receive a tax reimbursement for the periods that have not yet taken effect. You could include the remaining amount of the current period in the price of the vehicle.
You sell your vehicle to an authorized dealer or authorized scrap yard... In such cases, the dealer or scrap yard must inform the Ministry for Transport Industries that the vehicle is no longer registered in your name. You will then automatically receive a road tax reimbursement for the period the vehicle is no longer your property.
What if your temporarily go abroad?
If you temporarily go abroad, you are still required to pay road tax on time for the duration of your absence, regardless of whether you take your vehicle with you. There are two ways to ensure that the road tax is paid on time:
pay the bill(s) for the duration of your stay abroad in advance. For this, contact the Central Office for Motor Vehicle Taxes
authorise someone to pay the bill(s) for you.
Suspending your registration
If you will not be using your vehicle for an extended period of time, you can apply for suspension of the registration certificate at a large post office.
If the suspension exceeds three months, you will not owe road tax for that period, but you will not be allowed to drive your vehicle on the public highway. There are certain fees connected with suspension. You can read more about this in the brochure entitled Uw auto of motor en het kentekenbewijs (Your car or motor cycle and the registration certificate), available at the post office.
What if your vehicle leaves the country permanently?
You must inform the Ministry for Transport Industries if your vehicle leaves the country permanently. You will then automatically receive a road tax reimbursement for the period after which your car is no longer in the Netherlands. If you paid road tax for four consecutive periods at once, you will also receive a tax reimbursement for the periods that have not yet taken effect.
Road tax is subject to frequent checks
The Central Office for Motor Vehicle Taxes closely monitors the payment of road tax. Photographs, customs data and police information, such as fines and records, are also utilised. If it is discovered that you have not paid road tax, or have paid too little, you will receive an increased assessment.
The Holland Handbook (ISBN 90 5594 211 1), published by XPat Media, provides information for the expatriate on all aspects of living and working in the Netherlands, such as: registration, career, housing, education, fiscal issues, health care and telecommunications. The book is sold for 15.90 euros in the major bookstores. For more information Tel: +31(0)70 306 33 10 or email info@hollandhandbook.com |
登录
