Importing a car to Italy from the Netherlands: the nazionalizzazione

Before a car can get Italian registration plates, it must first be deregistered for export in the Netherlands. You receive the export certificate, which the Dutch call kentekenbewijs deel II (registration certificate Part II), and the registration card (kentekencard) with a corner cut off. According to the RDW, the export certificate together with the registration card is needed to register the vehicle abroad. What each paper is for is explained on Dutch car export documents.

After deregistration you may drive on Dutch roads for 14 days, and never after the APK (the Dutch roadworthiness test) has expired. The rules for a Dutch export registration vary by country, so check them for every country on your route, or choose a car transporter. If you live in Italy, ask the Italian authorities before driving in on export plates. See Dutch export plates and the export insurance with Green Card.

1. VAT check at the Agenzia delle Entrate. A private buyer first applies to the Direzione Provinciale of the Agenzia delle Entrate. It checks whether VAT is due and passes the vehicle data to the data centre (CED) of the Motorizzazione. According to the MIT, a private person importing a vehicle for own use usually pays no VAT. VAT is due only on a 'new' means of transport and is then paid with form F24. Italian dealers report the purchase to the CED within 15 days (censimento).
2. Technical document. The application needs a technical document: the certificate of conformity (CoC), original or photocopy, which does not need translating. Without a CoC, another document from the MIT list is needed, such as a scheda tecnica integrativa with a translation, and according to ACI an omologazione.
3. Inspection, only in some cases. A passenger car with a European type approval issued without derogations needs no visita e prova (inspection before registration). An inspection is required for vehicles that only partly meet the European type approval, vehicles after an accident or badly damaged, and vehicles built for driving on the left. Separately, if the last periodic test is too old under the Italian 4+2 rule (first test after 4 years, then every 2 years), a revisione at the Motorizzazione or an authorised testing centre comes first; ask the STA.
4. One application to Motorizzazione and PRA. The owner submits a single application (istanza unificata) to the Ufficio della Motorizzazione Civile and the PRA. According to the MIT this is easiest at an STA (Sportello Telematico dell'Automobilista) at a Motorizzazione office, a PRA office or a Studio di Consulenza Automobilistica. Any office in the country will do, wherever the applicant lives. If you apply through an agency, the Motorizzazione first validates the file (preconvalida).
5. Documento Unico. The STA issues the carta di circolazione, which has the value of the Documento Unico (DU) for circulation and ownership.

• An identity document, a codice fiscale and an address in Italy.
• The Dutch registration papers: Italy asks for the foreign registration certificate including Parte II, if issued. For a Dutch car, the RDW says the export certificate and the registration card are needed.
• The technical document, usually the CoC.
• Proof of payment of the fees.
• The invoice or purchase contract, with a sworn translation if the office asks for one.
• Proof of the last APK: the date of that test is entered in the DU.
• The white export plates: Italy takes in foreign registration papers and plates, but whether that includes Dutch export plates is not clear, so bring them to the STA.

According to the national price list of the MIT (English version), the Motorizzazione charges three fixed amounts to register a vehicle from another EU country (tariff code N054): €10.20 in diritti, €64.00 in imposta di bollo (stamp duty) and €41.78 for a rectangular number plate. The province of Aosta has different plate prices, and in Sicily, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trento and Bolzano the list refers you to the local office. On top come the emolumenti of the PRA and the provincial IPT, which depends on vehicle type, power (kW) and province. After registration, the regional road tax (bollo auto) is due every year; the first payment follows shortly after registration and varies by region. We do not calculate or collect any Italian charges. Every item is listed on the cost of importing a car to Italy.

There is no official average. For the preconvalida, the MIT instructions set a target service level of at most 7 working days from the day after the complete digital file is sent; that is a target, not a promise. We found no official figure for how long the VAT check takes. As an indication: with complete papers (a CoC, a valid test, no damage) the Italian part usually takes a few weeks, depending on the VAT check and the appointment at an STA. Without a CoC, with a sworn translation, an expired test or a visita e prova, it takes longer.

If you live in Italy, the car must be registered within three months of acquiring residenza (art. 93-bis). More on that deadline under moving to Italy with a car.

• No CoC or other technical document, so the application cannot go ahead.
• A periodic test that has expired under the 4+2 rule, so a revisione comes first.
• No codice fiscale yet.
• A missing sworn translation when the office wants one.
• The export insurance running out while you wait: extend the export insurance in good time.
• The 13 weeks for a refund of BPM, the Dutch registration tax, running out before the car is registered in Italy.

Is the car already in Italy on its Dutch registration? We can still arrange the export with the export certificate (kentekenbewijs deel II), entirely remotely through a procedure that runs by post. Shipping is insured with DHL: standard about 5 working days, DHL Express about 1 working day. Contact us first to hear what is needed and what it costs.