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Registering an imported vehicle: the step-by-step guide

An imported vehicle is registered with the registration authority of the country where you live: ANTS in France, DIV in Belgium, SNCA in Luxembourg, RDW in the Netherlands, NCTS and Revenue in Ireland. The file combines the foreign registration certificate, proof of purchase, VAT clearance or the customs document, the certificate of conformity and a valid roadworthiness test.

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The documents to gather before you start

Scan or photograph every document on both sides, legibly. Authorities reject incomplete files and the clock restarts with every additional document requested.
  • The original foreign registration certificate, all parts (Teil I and II, Del 1 and 2, kentekencard…), or the official document that replaces it if the foreign authority kept it.
  • Proof of ownership: a dealer’s invoice or a sales contract signed by the private seller, with the VIN, the date and the price.
  • Proof of VAT clearance (vehicle from a Member State) or the customs import document (third country), in the form your authority uses.
  • Proof of conformity: the manufacturer’s certificate of conformity, or a foreign registration certificate carrying complete D.2 and K entries, or a manufacturer’s identification certificate / individual approval report.
  • A valid roadworthiness test for a vehicle old enough to be subject to periodic testing, passed where your authority accepts it.
  • Your ID, a recent proof of address, the driving licence matching the vehicle category where it is asked for, and proof of insurance.
  • The registration application form of your authority (filled in online or attached) and, if you go through a professional, the mandate authorising them to act for you.

The procedure in seven steps

  1. Step 1

    Check conformity before you buy

    Note the VIN (entry E of the foreign registration certificate) and read entries D.2 and K. If K contains an EC type-approval number and D.2 the type-variant-version, the COC will not necessarily be required. Otherwise, or if the vehicle comes from a third country, plan for the certificate of conformity: our VIN check tells you for free whether it is available.

  2. Step 2

    Secure the sale and the origin documents

    Insist on every part of the registration certificate, an invoice or contract stating the VIN, and have the vehicle de-registered in its country under the local procedure (Abmeldung, exportmelding, radiazione, baja por exportación…). Organise the journey home: export plates of the country of origin or transport on a trailer.

  3. Step 3

    Settle the VAT position: clearance or customs

    Vehicle from the Union: obtain the VAT clearance your authority uses (tax clearance certificate, e-705, vignette 705, BPM declaration, VRT appointment) with the invoice and the foreign registration certificate; VAT is only due at destination for a new means of transport or a VAT-free sale. Vehicle from a third country: customs declaration, payment of VAT and any duty, and issue of the import document.

  4. Step 4

    Pass the roadworthiness test

    For a vehicle old enough to be subject to periodic testing, have a roadworthiness test carried out before filing, in a centre your authority recognises. Right-hand-drive vehicles pass this test with headlamps adjusted for driving on the right, and vice versa.

  5. Step 5

    File the application with your registration authority

    Log in to your authority’s online service or go to its counter (ANTS, WebDIV through your insurer, SNCA, RDW inspection station, NCTS centre, Zulassungsstelle), choose the “vehicle bought abroad” procedure, enter the vehicle’s characteristics, submit the documents and pay the taxes (registration tax, administrative fee, CO₂-based tax where it exists). A licensed professional can do it for you with a mandate.

  6. Step 6

    Download the provisional certificate and have the plates made

    As soon as payment is validated, most authorities issue a provisional registration certificate or the definitive one straight away. It carries your registration number: have the plates made and drive while waiting for the definitive document. If a document is still missing, ask instead for the temporary registration your country offers, which is short and rarely extended.

  7. Step 7

    Receive the registration certificate and check it

    The definitive certificate is sent to your home or handed over at the counter. Check entries D.2, K, P.6, V.7 and the masses (F, G) against the certificate of conformity: an error is corrected free of charge if reported quickly. Keep the COC with the vehicle; it will serve the next buyer.

Registering in another country

Belgian variant: registering with the DIV

In Belgium, an imported used vehicle first goes through the roadworthiness test “for registration”, which checks the data, cancels the foreign registration certificate and issues the registration application form. Customs sends the DIV the electronic e-705 signal (the former vignette 705) confirming that VAT is in order. The application is then filed through your insurer (WebDIV) or at the DIV with proof of insurance. The certificate of conformity is requested to pre-register the data when the foreign registration certificate does not supply them; ask the seller for it or order it before the test. Taxes: tax on entry into service, then annual road tax, depending on the region.

Luxembourg variant: registering with the SNCA

In Luxembourg, the application is filed with the SNCA using the form “Demande en obtention d’un certificat d’immatriculation”, the original foreign registration certificate, the vignette 705 issued by the Administration des douanes et accises (vehicle from the Union or from a third country), proof of insurance and, for a vehicle subject to periodic testing, a valid roadworthiness test passed at an organisation approved in Luxembourg. The European certificate of conformity is required for vehicles first registered after 1 February 2016; for older vehicles, the SNCA checks conformity on documents or by inspection.

Swiss variant: customs clearance, then the cantonal office

In Switzerland, the vehicle is first cleared through customs on entry (duty, automobile tax, VAT): customs fills in and stamps the inspection report, form 13.20 A, without which no canton will register the vehicle. You then present the vehicle to the cantonal road traffic office for inspection, with the 13.20 A, the foreign registration certificate, proof of insurance and proof of conformity: the European certificate of conformity or a matching Swiss type approval. The Swiss Fahrzeugausweis is issued after the inspection.

German variant: registering at the Zulassungsstelle

In Germany, an imported used vehicle is registered at the local Zulassungsstelle with the foreign registration certificate, the purchase invoice, your ID and proof of address, the eVB number (electronic insurance confirmation), a SEPA mandate for the annual Kfz-Steuer and a valid Hauptuntersuchung passed at a German testing organisation (TÜV, DEKRA, GTÜ, KÜS). Conformity is proved by the certificate of conformity; without it, the testing organisation draws up a full report under § 21 StVZO and the KBA data are used. A vehicle from a third country needs the customs clearance first, and a new means of transport from the Union is declared to the Finanzamt for VAT. Germany has no one-off registration tax: only the annual vehicle tax and the office fees.

Dutch variant: registering with the RDW

In the Netherlands, the vehicle is presented at an RDW inspection station for the import inspection, with the foreign registration certificate, proof of ownership and proof of conformity: the certificate of conformity lets the RDW record the approval data directly; without it, an individual inspection is needed. The RDW then issues the registration once the BPM declaration has been filed with the Belastingdienst and the tax paid; the kentekencard and the tenaamstellingscode follow by post. A vehicle from a third country goes through customs before the RDW; a valid APK is needed for a vehicle subject to periodic testing.

How long does the authority take?

The provisional certificate is immediate when the file is complete and the vehicle data are recognised. A file with a foreign registration certificate generally goes through manual processing: the time depends on the workload of the authority and the quality of the documents. A file that is complete on first submission is the best accelerator; every request for an additional document sends the file back to the queue.

What if the authority asks for an additional document?

Three requests come up: the certificate of conformity when entries D.2 and K of the foreign document are missing or national; the manufacturer’s identification certificate or the individual approval report when the vehicle has no EC type approval (American import, British approval after Brexit, old vehicle); and the translation of a sales contract written in a less common language. Reply through the authority’s online service or counter, attaching the document as a single legible file.

Do I need to go through a licensed professional?

It is not compulsory. A garage or agent licensed by your authority can file the application for you, for a fee, with a signed mandate. It is useful if you have no national digital identity for the online service, or if the file is unusual (converted vehicle, individual approval). The documents required remain the same.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

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