To end a suspension of a car

• If you end the suspension within 1 month of the start of the suspension term you must still pay motor vehicle tax (for taxable vehicles) for the period during which the licence number certificate was suspended.  The Tax and Customs Administration will send you a supplementary assessment in this case.
• If you end your suspension before end of the suspension period, you will not receive a refund.
• After the cancellation of the suspension, 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).

• If the owner of a suspended vehicle has died, you cannot end the suspension prematurely. The suspension will automatically end at the end of the chosen suspension period. The suspension does end if, for example, the partner or an heir or someone else takes over the vehicle and has it registered in their name. You can find more information about this under Registering a vehicle after the death of the owner.

• As soon as the vehicle has been transferred (to another company or to an individual), the suspension automatically ends.

You can cancel a suspension online with your DigiD , eHerkenning  or an RDW certificate .

This is how you end the suspension online free of charge:

1. Log in via the Cancel Suspension button (only available in Dutch) with your DigiD, eHerkenning or RDW certificate. 
2. You specify which suspension you want to cancel.
3. You will receive two e-mails from us. Only upon receipt of the second e-mail is the suspension cancelled, with immediate effect. That e-mail will contain a confirmation and the date on which the suspension term ends.
4. As soon as the suspension is cancelled, you may drive the vehicle on public roads again, provided the vehicle has third-party liability insurance (WA verzekering). For vehicles that are required to undergo periodic technical inspections (APK) and for which motor vehicle tax is payable, these obligations immediately come back into effect. The vehicle must therefore have a valid periodic inspection report once the suspension is cancelled.
5. If you have a vehicle registration certificate in credit card format (registration card), it will remain valid after the expiration of the suspension. You will not receive a new certificate.
   If you have a paper vehicle registration certificate that shows the suspension, (this information is shown on the certificate if you suspended the vehicle or extended the suspension term before 1-1-2014), you will receive a new registration certificate in credit card format and a registration code  within 5 working days. We will send out the registration code one working day after the registration card.
   If you have a paper vehicle registration certificate that does not show the suspension, this certificate will remain valid.

1. You go to a vehicle registration counter an RDW inspection station or an RDW desk.
2. You bring the following documents with you:
   • an original valid identity document (see ‘Providing proof your identity when suspending a vehicle at a counter ’)
   • the registration card and the corresponding registration code  or the Registration Number Allocation Document and the Transfer Certificate (for a paper licence number certificate).
3. The counter staff will immediately end the suspension free of charge.
4. You will receive a document from the counter  staff stating the date on which the suspension ends.
5. If you have a registration card,  your proof of suspension will also show the first 4 digits of your new registration code. You will receive a letter from us with the second part of the registration code (5 digits) within 5 working days. Your registration card remains valid.
   If you have a paper vehicle registration certificate that shows the suspension, (this information is shown on the certificate if you suspended the vehicle or extended the suspension term before 1-1-2014), your proof of suspension will also show the first 4 digits of the registration code  You will then receive a letter from us containing a new certificate in credit card format (registration card) and the second part of the registration code (5 digits) within 5 working days.
   If you have a paper vehicle registration certificate that does not show the suspension, this certificate will remain valid.
6. As soon as the suspension is ended, you may drive the vehicle on public roads again, provided it is insured for third-party liability. For vehicles that are required to undergo periodic technical inspections (APK) and for which motor vehicle tax is payable, these obligations come immediately back into effect. The vehicle must therefore have a valid periodic inspection report once the suspension is ended.

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.

• If you sell a vehicle whose licence number has been suspended, you do not have to do anything. As soon as the buyer has had the vehicle registered in their name, the suspension will expire.
• If you have suspended multiple vehicles which are 15 years old or older via the vehicle collectors scheme with us, ending a suspension may mean you no longer have 5 paid suspensions. You may have to pay for a subsequent suspension term or extension of a suspension – the reason being that you only get a suspension for free if you already have 5 paid suspensions per year for vehicles which are 15 years old or older.
• We always send the vehicle registration certificate and the letter containing the registration code to the address of the registered owner/keeper of the vehicle that is registered with the municipality or to a Dutch correspondence address. We do not send these internationally.
• It you are due to receive a registration card after the suspension ends and you have not received it yet, you are allowed to use the vehicle on Dutch public roads in those cases. The Dutch police can directly look up your details in the vehicle registration database. You must be able to produce the registration card 14 days after the suspension was ended. You may not drive your vehicle on public roads in a foreign country without a registration certificate.
• You will not receive a registration code if your vehicle is owned by a lease or finance company. In such cases, we always send the registration code to the lease or finance company.

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 end the suspension yourself, someone else can do it for you.

What you need to know first

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

Ending a suspension for someone else at a counter

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

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

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

After the cancellation has been requested, they must give you the documents provided by the counter staff.

Ending a suspension for someone else online

You must provide the person requesting the cancellation 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 End Suspension button (only available in Dutch).
2. He/she fills in the requested information in full.
3. We will then send you a confirmation e-mail to the e-mail address provided.
4. The suspension is cancelled as soon as you receive a second e-mail at this e-mail address stating the date on which the suspension ends.
5. You will receive a new registration code by post. Your licence number certificate remains valid.