Which Dutch papers your car needs for registration in Italy

• The export certificate. The Dutch call it kentekenbewijs deel II: the Dutch registration certificate Part II. It is issued in the name of the person for whom the export is arranged.
• The registration card (kentekencard) with one corner cut off, or with older papers the tenaamstellingsbewijs deel 1B.
• The indemnity certificate (vrijwaringsbewijs) for the seller, proof that the Dutch registration has stopped. It is not on the Italian lists, but keep it safe.

According to the RDW, the export certificate together with the registration card is needed to register the vehicle abroad. The RDW also advises asking in the importing country which documents are required there.

The Italian instructions ask for the foreign registration certificate 'comprensiva della Parte II se rilasciata': including Part II, if one was issued. No Italian source names the Dutch export certificate or registration card as such; it is the RDW that calls the export certificate kentekenbewijs deel II.

When the car is registered (nazionalizzazione), Italy takes in the foreign registration document and the foreign plates. Whether the white Dutch export plates count as such is not clear. Take them with you to the STA.

The application needs a technical document. Usually that is the certificate of conformity (CoC), as an original or a photocopy; it does not need translating. Without a CoC, another document from the list of the Italian transport ministry is needed, such as a scheda tecnica integrativa with a translation, and according to ACI an omologazione.

We offer CoC assistance on request. The route varies by manufacturer and importer, so we look at your vehicle first.

According to the MIT instructions, a full Italian translation of the foreign registration certificate is needed if it does not contain the European harmonised codes or carries extra notes. The translator swears an oath before a court clerk (cancelliere) or a notary; a personal statement is not enough. Registration certificates from EU countries need no legalisation. A regional directive in the north-east was stricter and asked for all documents to be translated.

Whether the Dutch registration card and export certificate need translating in practice is not certain. Allow for a sworn translation of the Dutch papers and ask the office what it wants to see.

• An identity document, a codice fiscale and an address in Italy.
• The invoice or purchase contract.
• Proof of the last APK (the Dutch roadworthiness test): its date is entered in the Documento Unico.
• Proof of payment of the Italian fees.

Local offices can ask for more. The Motorizzazione Civile in Florence, as one example, lists its own application form and a VAT declaration. The full order of the Italian steps is on importing a car to Italy.

When you sell to a buyer from Italy, the car is not transferred to the buyer in the Dutch register. The buyer exports it in their own name and receives the export certificate; the seller receives the indemnity certificate. More on selling a car for export.

For the export itself, bring a valid passport, identity card or driving licence of the person in whose name the export is arranged, the registration card with its code (or the older paper parts), the yellow Dutch number plates, which are handed in, the current mileage and the full address in Italy. For the insurance we also need the start date, the route and the details of the policyholder and driver. The checklist below shows everything at a glance.

Documents and plates are sent insured and with tracking, also to Italy. Is the car already in Italy on its Dutch registration? Then we can arrange the export remotely through a procedure that runs by post: DHL standard takes about 5 working days, DHL Express about 1 working day. Contact us first and we will tell you what we need and what it costs.