Apply for a one-day license plate

If you drive your car to an inspection station yourself, you must apply for a free one-day registration certificate from the RDW. You can apply for this registration certificate when you make an appointment for the vehicle inspection. The process of applying for a one-day registration certificate from the RDW may take a few days, and it will be sent to you as soon as possible.

With the one-day license plate, you can drive your car to the inspection station. The license plate is valid only in the Netherlands and only on the day of the inspection. When you drive your car to the inspection station, you must affix the one-day license plate—with black letters on a white background—to your car. This does not have to be an original license plate.

For example, if you purchased your car in Germany, you can drive to the vehicle inspection station using the one-day license plate. Since the license plate is only valid in the Netherlands, you will need to replace your temporary foreign license plate with your one-day license plate when crossing the border.

Import Inspection Without an Appointment

On weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., you can bring your imported vehicle to an RDW inspection station for a license plate inspection without an appointment. This applies to vehicles weighing no more than 3,500 kg. For vehicles weighing more than 3,500 kg, you must make an appointment.

Exceptions to this are:
Tricycles and ATVs, only on Mondays and Tuesdays without an appointment
Mopeds (by appointment only)
Vehicles from outside the EU/EFTA (e.g., the United States) that were first registered after December 31, 1997, and do not have a CVO (by appointment only)

A CVO is the written documentation that a manufacturer can issue for a vehicle built in accordance with a specific type approval. A CVO allows you to demonstrate that the vehicle meets the registration requirements.

The RDW processes applications in the order they are received. The purpose of this policy is to save you time. If it happens to be particularly busy, the inspection station employee will schedule a new appointment with you.

How do I make an appointment for an inspection over the phone?

To schedule an inspection appointment, please call a staff member at an RDW inspection station. They can also provide you with information about the documents you need to bring. The phone number is: 0900-0739 (€0.10 per minute). The inspection stations are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.