Export outside the EU: the EX-A customs document on top of your export kenteken

The Dutch government explains on business.gov.nl that a vehicle taken to a country outside the European Union also needs an export declaration with Customs. See exporting vehicles from the Netherlands for the official explanation.

Within the EU, no EX-A is needed. Note that Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein are not members of the EU and fall outside the EU customs union, so for them an export declaration is needed too. In practice, a car going to Romania or Lithuania needs no EX-A, while a car going to Ukraine, Serbia or the United Kingdom does.

1. The vehicle in the Netherlands. Customs may inspect it, so it must be in the country with its Dutch registration certificate when we file.
2. The last border crossing. We need to know where the vehicle will leave the EU: the customs office of exit.
3. An invoice. The invoice must name the person or company abroad as the buyer.
4. A valid EORI number of the selling party. The seller, as the exporter, needs an EORI number. It is free and is applied for with Customs: see the government page on the EORI number. We do not apply for it.

Moving abroad without selling the car, so without an invoice or a seller's EORI number? An EX-A is still possible. Contact us beforehand so we can look at your situation.

With these details, we submit the application to the customs officer. That is only possible from Monday to Friday, between 08:00 and 16:00. Once the declaration is approved, we receive the EX-A customs document.

Customs decides on the approval. We do not give a lead time and cannot promise the outcome, so plan your departure with some room to spare and contact us early through the contact page for our Hengelo desk. The EX-A starts from €150, including VAT where applicable, and the price is confirmed beforehand.

Buying a car in the Netherlands to take outside the EU? Arrange these points with the seller before you pay:

• an invoice that names you, or your company abroad, as the buyer;
• the seller's valid EORI number, because the seller acts as the exporter;
• the car stays in the Netherlands, with its Dutch registration certificate, until the declaration has been filed.

Also decide where the vehicle will leave the EU, as we need the customs office of exit for the filing. Send us these details as early as possible.

The EX-A does not replace the RDW export. For a destination outside the EU you need:

• the RDW export deregistration with the export documents, from €50;
• white export plates with 14 days of insurance, if the vehicle is driven;
• the EX-A customs declaration, from €150.

What the buyer and the seller receive from the RDW export is explained in our guide to the Dutch export certificate and deregistration. The price for your vehicle and route is always confirmed before we start.

The EX-A covers the Dutch and EU side of the departure. It says nothing about the rules in the country of destination or in the countries you cross on the way. Customs duties, taxes and registration rules there are outside our service, and we make no promises about them. Check them with the authorities of those countries.

If the car is driven to its destination or to a port, each transit country also applies its own rules to the Dutch export kenteken. Our guide to driving abroad on Dutch export plates explains what to check before you set off.