Used car from the Netherlands to Slovenia: documents, export and costs

When buying in the Netherlands, first check which documents you will need in Slovenia and only then arrange the export procedure. Once the vehicle has been deregistered for export, it is no longer possible to request a replacement Dutch vehicle registration certificate. The 14 days of permitted driving after deregistration apply to Dutch public roads, not automatically to the journey to Slovenia. 1

This guide is for a private resident of Slovenia buying an already-registered used M1 passenger car for personal use. In the Slovenian administrative procedure, this is an ‘acquisition of a vehicle’ from another EU Member State, although the word import is often used in searches. 2

Match the car, seller and documents before payment

Request the original vehicle documents and examine them carefully. eUprava warns that they may be forged, but the guidance itself does not authenticate your documents. The seller’s identity, ownership, authority to sell and absence of financial encumbrances remain open questions for the particular transaction. 3

The RDW kentekencheck uses the registration number to show the recorded history, whether transfer is possible, any known theft or export status, and known recalls. However, correct information in the register does not confirm the identity of the car in front of you. RDW warns about cloned vehicles: such a car may point to the clean record of another, genuine vehicle. Compare the result with the physical VIN, the registration documents and the car. 4

The registered owner or holder can obtain the more detailed RDW-Voertuigrapport and share it with you. It contains the recorded number of owners, status history such as scrapping or export, APK history with repair and advisory points, recalls and mileage. APK is the Dutch statutory roadworthiness inspection; its report is not a comprehensive pre-purchase condition inspection. 5

The mileage assessment may be ‘no opinion’ if there is insufficient information or the car was imported or modified, or has a repaired or replaced odometer or an odometer with a limited range. Such a result does not confirm that the mileage is correct. The report contains RDW data, not a guarantee of ownership, mechanical condition or complete damage history. 5 4

As a Slovenian buyer, use the export procedure, not a domestic transfer

The standard Dutch transfer procedure uses a kentekencard and the complete tenaamstellingscode, or the older Tenaamstellingsbewijs and Overschrijvingsbewijs documents. The seller also hands over the latest APK report if the car has undergone that inspection. However, this domestic procedure requires a buyer who lives and is registered in the Netherlands. RDW directs a buyer who lives abroad to the export procedure. 8

Before deregistration, make sure you have the documents needed for the later procedures. RDW warns that you cannot request a replacement vehicle registration certificate after export. Remote deregistration of a car that is already abroad can only be carried out by the owner; it does not provide export certificate Part II. Do not confuse it with the standard export procedure. 1

RDW advises you, as the buyer, to arrange the export in your own name: this puts your name on export certificate Part II and makes you responsible from that point. If the seller arranges the export, the seller remains responsible until the car is registered abroad. Agree clearly in advance who will complete the procedure. 1

The applicant presents an identity document, the kentekencard with the tenaamstellingscode or the older Tenaamstellingsbewijs Part 1B and Overschrijvingsbewijs, and the existing plates to RDW or an RDW-recognised export business. Once the export is registered, the vehicle is removed from the applicant’s name. The applicant receives a vrijwaringsbewijs, the clipped kentekencard or Part 1B, and export certificate Part II. Before leaving, confirm that you have actually received all the listed export documents. 1

Choose the transport method and check the entire route

For self-driving, the general Slovenian guidance requires temporary registration abroad and plates and a vehicle registration certificate obtained there. It does not specify the Dutch rules on issuance, validity or insurance. You should therefore handle the Dutch export deregistration and driving permission under the RDW rules. 3 1

After export deregistration, a passenger car may continue to use Dutch public roads for no more than 14 days, using its previous registration number on white plates with black characters. During this period, it must be insured and have a valid APK. The period runs from the export deregistration, not from arrival in Slovenia. 1

This rule does not establish recognition of the plates or the territorial scope of insurance cover outside the Netherlands. Before driving the car yourself, establish validity in every country along the selected route and the start and end of cover. Slovenian motor third-party liability insurance for registration is a separate matter; it is not a substitute for evidence of cover for the export journey. 1 3

Prepare the Slovenian application for vehicle conformity assessment

For a used car already registered in another EU Member State, the specified Slovenian procedure is identifikacija in ocena tehničnega stanja (vehicle identification and assessment of technical condition). This is neither a pre-purchase inspection nor registration. How the application is handled in practice, any additional evidence, the cost and the duration depend on the vehicle, its approval, its documentation and any modifications. 9

An individual must attach to the application submitted to a Slovenian expert organisation an invoice as proof of purchase and either the CoC or the vehicle registration certificate issued by the competent Dutch authority. If the vehicle does not have unified European approval, the applicant must also provide documents containing technical data and evidence of conformity with technical specifications or equivalent rules. Before export deregistration, therefore, also establish whether your documents can be used for this application. 2 1

Determine DMV and DDV from the data, not the advert

For a taxable vehicle with no established exemption, FURS states that Slovenian motor vehicle tax (DMV) applies when it is first put into circulation or first registered in Slovenia. Taxpayers include acquirers from the EU and importers; the procedure covered here is an acquisition from the EU. 7

The tax base is determined according to the vehicle type or tariff classification and data on fuel, combined CO₂ emissions, engine power in kW and/or the EURO emissions category. Without verified data and an assessment, there is no fixed DMV amount. The indicative calculator does not confirm the data, an exemption or the final amount. 7

For value added tax (VAT; Slovenian DDV), FURS treats a vehicle as new if it is factory-new or supplied before six months have elapsed since first use or has no more than 6,000 km. It counts as used only if it is supplied after six months have elapsed and has more than 6,000 km. Even an already-registered car may therefore fall within the tax-new branch. 6

If you are not identified for VAT and, as a private individual, acquire such a tax-new vehicle, you must file DDV-PPS within 15 days of acquisition. Slovenian VAT (DDV) is 22% of a tax base that includes the vehicle price and assessed DMV. The vehicle cannot be registered without proof of VAT payment. Establish the date of first use, the date of supply or acquisition, the mileage and the tax treatment of the seller’s invoice for the particular transaction. 6

Clarify the roadworthiness inspection and insurance before registration

eUprava states that vehicles no more than four years old do not need a Slovenian statutory roadworthiness inspection. This exception does not remove the vehicle conformity assessment. For an older car or different documentation, the sources do not specify the Slovenian inspection deadline or recognition of a particular APK; request clarification for your vehicle. 3 9

The vehicle registration body issues the vehicle registration certificate and the prescribed number of Slovenian plates. The certificate’s validity is linked to the applicable roadworthiness-inspection period, compulsory motor third-party liability insurance, payment of the annual road-use charge and settlement of the other prescribed obligations. 10

First registration is not an electronic procedure. Alongside the new plates, include the annual road-use charge, registration fee and new vehicle registration certificate form in your plan. The eUprava guidance used here does not provide their monetary amounts. 3

Plan the costs without adding together alternatives

For planning purposes, the budget below selects a specialist vehicle carrier. Using a tow truck or driving the car yourself are other options, not additions to the same transport. Keep the export procedure separate from the cost of plates and insurance for a possible self-drive. Because the required amounts are not yet known, no total cost has been calculated. 3 1

Checklist through to registration in Slovenia

Treat the steps as open. In particular, distinguish between the documents that must be resolved before export deregistration and the conditional DDV-PPS deadline, which runs from acquisition. 1 6

Frequently asked questions

Is a clean kentekencheck enough for a safe purchase?

No. A cloned car may use the identity of a vehicle with a correct RDW record. Also compare the registration number with the physical VIN, the documents and the actual car; ownership and condition remain separate checks. 4

Can you order the detailed RDW-Voertuigrapport yourself as the buyer?

The online procedure described is intended for the registered owner or holder. Ask them to obtain the report and share it with you. The public kentekencheck is not the same as this more detailed document. 5, 4

Can you first complete the standard Dutch transfer procedure?

For the domestic transfer described, the buyer must live and be registered in the Netherlands. RDW directs you, as a resident of Slovenia, to the export procedure; do not use the domestic procedure as a substitute. 8

Does remote deregistration after arrival in Slovenia replace the export certificate?

No. Remote deregistration by the owner of a car that is already abroad does not produce Part II. Resolve any missing documents before the standard export procedure, while it is still possible to request a replacement vehicle registration certificate. 1

Is a valid APK automatically accepted for registration in Slovenia?

That conclusion is not supported. An APK is a condition for the described driving on Dutch roads, while the Slovenian sources used do not determine whether your foreign inspection will be recognised. Vehicle conformity assessment remains a separate procedure. 1, 3, 9

Is Slovenian DDV charged on every already-registered Dutch car?

Do not draw that conclusion from registration alone. The stated DDV-PPS obligation and Slovenian DDV apply to a private acquirer who is not identified for VAT and to a vehicle that is new under the FURS criteria. You must establish separately how the particular invoice is treated. 6

Check whether a pre-purchase inspection is available

First check with CarAudit whether a possible pre-purchase inspection is available for the selected car and location in the Netherlands, and on what terms. The website was publicly accessible on 14 September 2026 with order and contact options. This does not confirm coverage, appointment availability, scope, price or outcome, nor the validity of documents or suitability for registration. 11

Check inspection availability and terms

Sources

1. Voertuig exporteren
2. eUprava - Uvoz vozila iz tujine
3. eUprava - Kupil bom rabljen avto v tujini
4. Tips als u een tweedehands auto gaat kopen
5. RDW-Voertuigrapport aanvragen
6. Nakup novega ali rabljenega vozila v Sloveniji ali v drugi državi članici EU | FINANČNA UPRAVA REPUBLIKE SLOVENIJE
7. Davek na motorna vozila (DMV) | FINANČNA UPRAVA REPUBLIKE SLOVENIJE
8. Een voertuig verkopen
9. eUprava - Homologacija vozila
10. eUprava - Registracija vozila
11. CarAudit: rabljenega avta ne kupujte na slepo | 270 kontrolnih točk | Slovenija