At every death where a vehicle is part of the estate, the heir faces the same choice: take over, sell, temporarily put on hold or have it scrapped. The RDW (Rijksdienst voor het Wegverkeer) handles each of those routes; not your municipality and not the Belastingdienst. Below the right steps per situation.
What you always need
Collect in advance:
- the death certificate (free at the municipality);
- the registration certificate (parts 1A and 1B, or the card variant with tenaamstellingscode);
- the tenaamstellingscode (4 digits on the certificate or card);
- with multiple heirs: a verklaring van erfrecht or a power of attorney signed by all heirs.
Option 1: transfer to an heir
If you or another heir wants to keep the car, this is done via a registration transfer at an RDW inspection station or a recognised business (often a PostNL location). You bring:
- the deceased's registration certificate;
- the death certificate or verklaring van erfrecht;
- your driver's license or passport;
- a signed authorisation from the other heirs if any.
The transfer costs around 12 euro per vehicle and is finished the same day. Do not forget to put the third-party insurance in your name immediately and to update the road tax registration with the Belastingdienst.
Option 2: sell or trade in
If you sell to a private buyer, the procedure is the same: you briefly put the car in your own name (12 euro), or hand the buyer the vrijwaring directly via an RDW-recognised business with the death certificate.
Trading in or transferring to a car dealer goes via a dealer registration. The dealer handles the papers, you sign for transfer. Always ask for the vrijwaringsbewijs: that is your proof that the car is no longer in the deceased's name or yours.
Option 3: suspend during stand-still
If you do not want to decide yet, or the car is parked on a closed property during processing, you can suspend the registration. During suspension the road tax stops and the vehicle does not have to be insured for third-party liability. The car may then no longer be on public roads.
Suspension can be arranged online via Mijn RDW or at an RDW counter and costs around 27 euro for a passenger car. The suspension is valid for 1 year and is renewable.
Note: suspension requires the vehicle to be in your name, so first arrange the transfer, then the suspension.
Option 4: scrap or dismantle
If the vehicle is old, damaged or no longer practical to sell, a recognised dismantler can take it in. You receive a vrijwaringsbewijs plus, depending on the company, a small residual value. The dismantler reports directly to the RDW that the vehicle has been scrapped.
Road tax after death
The road tax (mrb) keeps running as long as the vehicle is registered. After registration in your name you become liable yourself. With a suspension the mrb stops. With a transfer to another heir the liability moves on.
For the period until transfer the Belastingdienst sends an assessment to the heirs. This falls in the estate.
Insurance: do not forget
Driving uninsured is an offence. Immediately after the death:
- Call the current insurer and report the death.
- Ask for continuation in your name until you decide, or a cancellation at end of month.
- Suspending the registration removes the insurance requirement, but you can keep insuring if you want.
Special: lease, financial or operational
If the car was a lease vehicle, it is not part of the estate. You report the death to the leasing company. They collect the vehicle and close the contract. Sometimes an early termination charge follows; ask if there is a bereavement clause.
If the car was financial leased (the deceased was the legal owner but financed it), it is part of the estate, but so is the outstanding loan. Both pass to the heirs, unless you accept beneficiarily.
Practical order
For most situations:
- Call the insurer (same day, so you stay covered).
- Suspend or transfer within 2 weeks to limit the mrb run.
- Sell or scrap within 6 months, otherwise mrb keeps being due.
- Keep all vrijwaringsbewijzen in the estate administration.
Need help?
Nalenta puts the right RDW route in your dossier, with links to inspection stations in your region and templates for the insurer notification. One-off 129 euro.