Extend export insurance without driving back to our Hengelo desk

At our desk in Hengelo you left with white plates, a Green Card and 14 days of cover. If things then drag on abroad, extending does not mean another trip to the Slachthuisweg. What you would have put on the desk, you now send as a photo or PDF; the rest is done by message, email and bank transfer, wherever you are.

Worth knowing up front: the insurance gets the extra time, the Dutch export registration does not. We are an RDW-approved export company rather than an insurer. Your request goes to our insurance partner, and the extension only goes ahead once the insurer approves.

Typical reasons to extend

• Registration in the destination country drags on: the vehicle still needs an inspection, the registration office has no earlier appointment, or paperwork is missing.
• Transport to the destination runs late.
• The buyer still needs some time.

Not sure 14 days will be enough? Message us now rather than on the final day.

Where the extension stops

The extra 14 days apply to the insurance. Everything else stays as it was:

• Nothing changes on Dutch roads. From deregistration the vehicle has 14 days on Dutch public roads, or fewer if its roadworthiness test (APK) expires sooner. That RDW rule does not shift with the insurance, so the export registration does not get any extra days. When those 14 days begin is explained under Dutch export plates; the RDW's English guide to exporting a vehicle sets out the export rules.
• 14 days over and the vehicle still in the Netherlands? Driving it on Dutch roads is then no longer allowed. From then on, it can only be taken out of the country on a trailer or car transporter.
• Once over the border, the local rules count. Each country has its own rules for vehicles on Dutch export plates. Look them up for the vehicle's current location before driving on beyond the first 14 days. Countries and drivers covered appear in the policy and on the Green Card; background on the Green Card scheme comes from the Council of Bureaux.
• No gap between the two periods. Make sure the new period begins where the current cover stops. Without valid insurance the vehicle has to stay parked.

What to send instead of coming to the desk

Send us these five things:

• the registration number, the same one that is on your white plates;
• your current Green Card or policy (photo or PDF);
• the last day of your current cover;
• where the vehicle stands today, and its destination;
• the policyholder's details, and the driver's if that is someone else.

A sharp phone photo is enough if the registration number and the date can be read.

Step by step, without the desk

1. Message us on WhatsApp at +31 6 38199986, email info@autoexporthengelo.nl or use the form further down this page.
2. We check with the insurer and come back to you with the price.
3. You pay by bank transfer once the insurer has agreed and the price is clear.
4. New papers by email: the insurance certificate and the new Green Card reach your inbox; where permitted, as a PDF. That is your Green Card extended for the next 14 days.

Prefer to talk first? Call or WhatsApp us, or find our email address and office hours on the contact page.

What an export plate insurance extension costs

An extension of 14 days costs from €120; for a heavy or non-standard vehicle it can be more. What is included and which conditions apply is shown below. We always confirm the price for your vehicle in advance.

Still need more time after that? You can extend again in the same way, by another 14 days. Again the insurer decides, and approval is never certain.

Insurance arranged by another company?

Got your plates and cover somewhere other than our Hengelo desk? You can still extend with us. We arrange new insurance for two weeks that starts where your current cover ends, provided the insurer agrees. Photograph the Green Card or policy of your current insurance and send it along, so the end date is clear. The 14-day cover we arrange at our desk is explained on our export insurance in the Netherlands page.

Request your extension

The form below is already set to 'Extend export insurance'. Type in the registration number and use the message box for the vehicle's current location and the date your cover ends. The form takes no attachments, so send the Green Card or policy separately by WhatsApp or email, as a photo or PDF.