RDW Vrijwaring vs Sloop in the Netherlands — Plain English Guide
Two Dutch documents are routinely confused: the vrijwaringsbewijs (proof you transferred ownership) and the sloopverklaring / sloopauto certificaat (proof the vehicle was destroyed at an ARN-certified yard). Mixing them up keeps you on the hook for road tax (motorrijtuigenbelasting), liability insurance and APK fines.
Decision tree in 4 questions
- Is the car going to a buyer who will keep using it? → vrijwaringsbewijs issued by the RDW counter or by a vehicle-buying company (ARN-erkend bedrijf is not required).
- Is the car a sloopauto / total loss? → sloopverklaring from an ARN-certified dismantler (verplichte vrijwaring inbegrepen).
- Are you exporting the vehicle? → uitvoervrijwaring — a specific RDW document for export use.
- Putting the vehicle in storage long-term? → schorsing (Article 67) suspends road tax and APK for up to 3 years.
How InterCar handles both
If you sell the car to InterCar Auto-inkoop, you receive a vrijwaringsbewijs the same day, payment within 24 hours, and we handle the RDW notification. If the vehicle is end-of-life, our ARN-certified sloop service picks it up free and issues the sloopverklaring with full RDW vrijwaring included.
Read also: lost car key emergency guide and the automotive circular economy in Europe.
