Suspending the registration of a car

• The person requesting the suspension must be at least 18 years old (16 for mopeds or motor-assisted bicycles).
• The car must be registered in your name or your company's name.
• If the registered owner of the car has died, you cannot apply for a suspension. The car must first be transferred to the name of a new owner.
• If a car is registered in your company's name and your company's registration with the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce has ended, you cannot apply for a suspension. You will first need to transfer the vehicle to another company or an individual.

You can apply for a suspension online using DigiD  if the vehicle is registered in your own name. If the vehicle is in your company's name, you must request a suspension using eHerkenning  or an R DW certificate . 

How to request a suspension online:

1. Log in via the Request Suspension button (only available in Dutch) with your DigiD, eHerkenning or RDW certificate.
2. Fill in the requested information in full and pay the fee via iDeal  (with DigiD and eHerkenning). If you are logging in with an RDW certificate, your payment will be made using the payment method agreed with us (direct debit or by sending you a bill). 
3. You will receive confirmation of the request by e-mail.
4. The registration number is not suspended until you receive a second e-mail from us. This e-mail will also specify the end date of the suspension (under ‘expected end date’). Print and save this e-mail. This e-mail is your proof of suspension.
5. The suspension applies from the date you report the suspension to us until the same date 1, 2 or 3 years later. Example: you suspend the vehicle for a period of 3 years, from 10 January 2019 to 10 January 2022.
6. The vehicle registration certificate (paper or credit card format) remains valid. You will not receive a new registration card after the suspension.
7. You can now cancel your vehicle insurance yourself.
8. If your vehicle is subject to motor vehicle tax, we will inform the Tax and Customs Administration that the licence number has been suspended. The motor vehicle tax will then stop automatically.

1. You go to a vehicle registration counter, an RDW inspection station or an RDW desk. 
2. You bring the following documents with you:
   • a valid and original identity document (see ‘Providing proof of identity when suspending a vehicle at a counter )
   • the registration card and the registration code or the Registration Number Allocation Document and the Transfer Certificate (for a paper licence number certificate).
3. You pay the fee.
4. The licence number is suspended immediately. The suspension applies from the date you report the suspension to the counter until the same date 1, 2 or 3 years later. Example: you suspend the vehicle for a period of 3 years, from 10 January 2019 to 10 January 2022.
5. You will receive a suspension report from the counter staff stating the date on which the suspension ends. Keep this safe – this is your proof of suspension.
6. Your vehicle registration certificate remains valid. If you have a vehicle registration card in credit card format, you will receive a new registration code . The first 4 digits of this code can be found on the suspension report. The second part of the registration code (with 5 digits) will be sent by post to the address where you are registered with the municipality. You must destroy the old registration code.
7. You can now cancel your vehicle insurance yourself.
8. If your vehicle is subject to motor vehicle tax, we will inform the Tax and Customs Administration that the licence number has been suspended. The motor vehicle tax will then stop automatically. 

If you are the registered owner/keeper of the vehicle or you are handling the suspension on the owner's behalf, you can use one of the following documents to provide proof of your identity at the counter:

• a Dutch driving licence, passport or identity card 
• a driving licence or identity card issued by an EU or EFTA country
• a diplomatic passport
• a Dutch travel document for foreign nationals
• a Dutch travel document for refugees
• a service passport
• a foreign passport

Providing proof of your identity with a foreign identity document

You can only provide proof of your identity with a foreign identity document at an RDW desk or inspection station, not at a vehicle registration counter.

Vehicle in a company name

If you want to suspend a vehicle which is in the name of a company (legal person) as the authorised signatory or representative of that company, you must also provide proof of your identity with one of these documents.

• Normal rate: you pay this for vehicles (cars, camper vans up to 3500 kg and commercial vehicles) up to 15 years old.
• Low rate: you pay this for vehicles (cars, camper vans up to 3500 kg and commercial vehicles) which are 15 years old or older.

Please note: You will not receive a refund if you cancel the suspension early.  

Cancelling early

• You can cancel a suspension prematurely if you want to use your vehicle on public roads again. You will not receive a refund in that case.
• If you cancel the suspension within 1 month of the start of the suspension, you must still pay motor vehicle tax (in the case of taxable vehicles) for the period during which the licence number was suspended. The Tax and Customs Administration will send you a supplementary assessment in this case. See the Tax and Customs Administration website.

Expiration of the suspension

• After the suspension period you have chosen, the suspension will automatically end and you must immediately meet the vehicle obligations again (insurance, vehicle tax and periodic technical inspection (APK) if applicable). If you do not, you will receive a fine. You can see how much the fine is here (only available in Dutch). You can also extend the suspension.
• You will receive a reminder letter from us 4 to 5 weeks before the suspension expires, either by post or in your Message Box (Berichtenbox.) If you have specified that you want to receive communications from us in your Message Box at mijn.overheid.nl, the letter will only be sent to your Message Box and not to your postal address.

Lease vehicles

• You will not receive a registration code if your vehicle is owned by a lease or a finance company. In such cases, we always send the registration code to the lease or finance company.

Suspension during conversion

• If the vehicle is issued a different licence number – for example, due to being converted into a camper van – the suspension will continue for the new licence number.

A suspended vehicle may not be driven or parked on a public road. There are 2 exceptions:

1. You may drive a suspended vehicle for a periodic technical inspection (APK) by an RDW-approved company that performs such inspections or to an RDW inspection station. The reason being that a vehicle subject to periodic technical inspection must have a valid inspection report at the time the suspension expires or when you cancel it. In such cases, you must have the appointment confirmation on your person, including the time of the inspection. You must be able to produce the appointment confirmation if the police ask you for it. The vehicle must also be insured for third-party liability.
   You may only drive around the time of the appointment, from the address where the vehicle is being kept to the address where the inspection is being carried out. When doing so, you must take the shortest route.
   Always ask the inspection station for a periodic technical inspection report (pass or fail). If you drive on a public road without a valid periodic technical inspection report, you may be fined – even if the police do not stop you on the way. You can only appeal against such a fine if you can produce a periodic technical inspection report for the same date.
   You do not have to pay motor vehicle tax on the date of the inspection and you do not have to notify RDW of the inspection in advance. You can find more information on the Tax and Customs Administration website.
2. You may drive a suspended vehicle that is 15 years old or older to an event. However, you must first register for the events scheme with the Tax and Customs Administration.

If you are unable to request the suspension (or extension of the suspension) yourself, someone else can do it for you.

What you need to know first

• The person requesting the suspension on your behalf must be at least 18 years old (16 for a moped).
• Another person can request the suspension for you online only if you have a registration card. If you have a paper vehicle registration certificate, this can only be done at a counter .

Requesting a suspension for someone else at a counter

You must provide the person requesting the suspension on your behalf with the following documents to take with them:

• in the case of a paper vehicle registration certificate, the Registration Number Allocation Document and the Transfer Certificate.
• in the case of a vehicle registration card: the registration card and the corresponding registration code .

The person must bring their own proof of identity with them. (Yours is not required).

After requesting the suspension, they must give you the documents provided by the service desk staff. 

Requesting a suspension for someone else

You must provide the person who requests the suspension for you with the following:

• the document number of your registration card and the corresponding registration code . The document number is listed on the front of the registration card.

1. He/she logs in with their own DigiD via the Request/Extend Suspension button (only available in Dutch).
2. He/she fills in the requested information in full and pays the fee via  iDeal .
3. We will then send you a confirmation e-mail to the e-mail address provided. 
4. The licence number is suspended/the extension comes into effect as soon as you receive a second e-mail from us at this e-mail address.
5. You will receive a new registration code by post. Your vehicle registration card remains valid.