Driving a Model 3 with foreign license plates in NL

[MrDaniel]

Hi everyone,

I have been living in The Netherlands for a few months now and lately I have been considering buying a Model 3. One option would be to buy it from my home country, because the price is way lower there (we have some tax benefits for electric cars). Would it be a problem if I do that and drive the Model 3 in NL with foreign license plates at least for the first year? Especially considering that there is no road tax or BPM tax for electric cars. Or would this be considered illegal for some reason?

Thanks in advance for any replies and I apologize for posting in English, but my Dutch is not great.

 

[wooter]

If you get stopped by police, and they can prove you live in the Netherlands, they can make a case about tax evasion. Because that is what this is.

 

[Camelroel]

Officially Wooter is right, but are you officially living in The Netherlands or like a lot of Polish workers not?

 

[job-lek]

It should depend on we’re you are officially registered as inhabitant

 

[MrDaniel]

If you get stopped by police, and they can prove you live in the Netherlands, they can make a case about tax evasion. Because that is what this is.

That is not what I am trying to do, I would happily register it in NL from Day 1, but one of the conditions for getting the discount in my home country is to keep it registered there for the 1st year. But yeah, legally speaking, I think you are probably right.

Officially Wooter is right, but are you officially living in The Netherlands or like a lot of Polish workers not?

I am registered, yes. I was also wondering how come I see so many Polish cars driving around without any issues like the one mentioned above.

 

[wooter]

I was also wondering how come I see so many Polish cars driving around without any issues like the one mentioned above.

If they are not registered to live here, but are just here every week to work, then that is possible. It’s once you register at town hall that you are an inhabitant, that things change.

I do not know of any way long-term to own a vehicle which is registered outside of the Netherlands. For Belgium I know there is a way to do it (your non-Belgian employer gives you a car which is not registered in Belgium, and you need a separate exception from the tax office which needs to be in the car) but this won’t work in your situation.

 

[djlorenz]

Officially you can't. I also had a look if was worth doing it (up to 16k€ in some parts of Italy if you exchange and euro 0/1/2 with a EV) but you can drive a car with foreign plates only for 2 weeks:

If you register permanently here you have tor register your vehicle and change plates, and if you do it within 1year from your official registration you will have a tax exemption to import fees (as it's considered personal belongings moved here with you, not a purchase abroad).


More info: Driving a foreign motor vehicle in the NL « The International Welcome Center North – IWCN

 

[MrDaniel]

Thanks, guys!