Car expenses
Having a car comes with certain expenses such as insurance costs and car taxes. On this page you can find out how to get a car insurance and how to pay car taxes in the Netherlands.
Car insurance
Dutch law dictates that every driver (car, motorcycle, moped or otherwise) must be insured against legal liability. You are then insured against damage you may cause with your vehicle. However, damage done to your vehicle is not covered. A Dutch insurance company will not insure a car registered in a foreign country, so make sure your car is insured in the country it’s registered in. Independer is a well known insurance comparison website. You can find more about car insurance in the Netherlands here. Make sure that your car insurance covers all of the parts you need. For example, you may need to pay additional costs for windshield protection etc.
Car taxes
If you’re living in Maastricht and have registered your Dutch address at the municipality, you must pay taxes to the Dutch tax service (belastingdienst) whenever you drive a privately owned, rented, or leased car in the Netherlands. It does not matter if the car is registered in your home country or in the Netherlands. If you only plan on using your foreign registered car in Maastricht for two weeks or less then you don’t have to pay these taxes. Check out this page to see if you’re eligible for the exemption.
If you are planning to drive a car registered in another country for longer than two weeks, you need to declare your car at the Dutch road transport directorate. You can find out how to declare your car at the Dutch road transport directorate here. To learn more about car taxes in the Netherlands visit the website of the Dutch tax service or visit AngloInfo.
