Importing a car to the Netherlands from the USA

Are you importing a car from a United States salvage car auction to the Netherlands? EasyHaul can help you. This article clarifies what you need to arrange vehicle shipping to the Netherlands.

EasyHaul deals with US Customs

You placed the winning bid on a car from an online auto auction? Congratulations! Now you’ll want to find an auto shipping company that will help you ship your car overseas. The sooner you do this, the better: many auction yards charge storage fees if vehicles aren’t picked up within a few days.

You can count on EasyHaul. We’ve shipped hundreds of thousands of vehicles all over the world and we can help with importing a car from the USA to the Netherlands. To handle US Customs before shipping a car to Holland, you’ll need to upload a valid government-issued ID or passport and make sure your vehicle is exportable from the United States. EasyHaul will take care of the rest. 

Select your shipping option

There are two methods to ship your car to the Netherlands. The first is more common and cost-effective: container consolidation. A popular option for international shipping, it’s safe, and cost-efficient in comparison with a single container shipping. The time spent waiting for the container to be loaded with other vehicles is the biggest drawback. On the other hand, you’ll pay less for shipping as costs will be split with other vehicles in the same container. Single container shipping is suitable for luxury and classic cars. When the safety of the car is your priority, single container shipping is the safest way to ship a vehicle.

Requirements for importing a car to the Netherlands

Before importing cars to the Netherlands you have to be aware of all the taxes and requirements. The RDW (Rijksdienst voor het Wegverkeer) is the Dutch Road Transport Authority, and they regulate everything related to transportation in the country. 

According to them, you need to pay special attention to criteria related to the headlights when importing a car from a non-EU country. The navigation and speedometer readings need to be converted to kilometers. Once you’ve completed any necessary modifications, inform the RDW before importing and wait for the inspection by Dutch authorities. This is for acquiring the Certificate of Conformity (Conformiteitsverklaring in Dutch) or the Individual Vehicle Approval for the cars imported from outside the EU. The Dutch import requirements are very similar to German’s, as indicated in this blog post. 

Prior to importing a car to the Netherlands, calculate the estimated tax fees. Be ready to face that importing a car to the Netherlands can be expensive. There are 4 tax types in Holland: 

• VAT (also called BTW)
• Private motor vehicle and motorcycle tax (BPM in Dutch)
• Import duties (rechten bij invoer)
• Road tax (paid monthly when you have registered your car in the Netherlands).

Tax types in the Netherlands

Now we’ll clarify each kind of tax. All import taxes are levied by Dutch Customs (Douane). The VAT amount is not fixed and it depends on the age of the car you are importing. For instance, for cars more than 30 years old, the VAT is 6%. No import duty is charged for classic and vintage cars as well. For new and used vehicles imported to the Netherlands, the VAT is 21%. After you’ve paid the VAT, you’ll have to get a receipt of the transaction for further vehicle registration. 

Import duty tax is paid only once at the very beginning. Contrary to VAT, it is fixed at 10%. Each importer has to pay it when the vehicle enters the country and this tax can not be refunded.

Private Motor Vehicle Tax (Bijzondere Verbruiksbelasting van Personenautos) should be calculated before importing a car from the USA to the Netherlands. To get the estimated tax cost you can look for information available on the Dutch Customs Authority website. Based on the emissions level of the car, this tax may be due prior to registering the vehicle in the Netherlands. There is no need to pay BPM if you are importing an electric car to the Netherlands as they do not produce any exhaust fumes.

Can I import my car to the Netherlands tax-free?

Yes, it is possible. Primarily, you’ll have to get the permit from the RDW and meet the following preconditions:

• You are moving to the Netherlands permanently and renounced residency in another country
• You’ve bought and used the car at least for 6 months before shipment
• You are going to use your vehicle in the Netherlands for the same purpose as you did previously
• You have had the vehicle insured for no less than 6 months before importing the car to Holland
• You’ve lived at least for a continuous year in the country you’re moving from
• Or you’re an expatriate who is returning to Holland with your own car, which is considered as “removal goods” (a part of your household)

If you and your car meet these criteria, you can import one car to the Netherlands without paying import duties and BPM tax. Note that if you imported a vehicle to the Netherlands tax-free, you have no legal right to sell it for a year.

Destination ports in the Netherlands and sailing times

There are lots of ports in the Netherlands, but EasyHaul ships vehicles primarily to the busiest container port in Holland: Rotterdam. This port has great container-scanning facilities, so the process of customs clearance is fast. The average sailing time from US ports to Rotterdam varies between 16-23 days. To get your guaranteed shipping quote to the Netherlands, use our online shipping calculator.

With EasyHaul your shipping will be always trouble-free

EasyHaul is an experienced auto shipping company that can help you with both international and domestic shipping. Getting started is simple: just register with us, get your instant car shipping quote and order your shipping! Don’t hesitate to contact us or call +1 (360) 776-3596, 6:00 AM – 4:00 PM PST, from Monday to Friday if you have any questions.