What is an Article 34 statement?

Every license plate you have in your name must be insured. The RDW is responsible for checking this. Should a survey reveal that your license plate has not been registered by an insurer as insured, you will be notified and must submit an article 34 statement.

What is a warning letter from the RDW?

The RDW sends you a warning letter 28 days after the registration date if the vehicle is not yet insured. Failure to do so will result in a fine. You are then requested to contact us. We will look into where it went wrong. If a mistake has been made, we request the insurer to correct it, as they are the only ones who can provide a correct registration. A vehicle is registered on the basis of the combination of the registration number and the registration code of your vehicle. If this combination is not correct, then the vehicle cannot be registered and it will appear that you are uninsured.

Second letter from the RDW what now?

After the warning letter is sent, you will have some time to still insure the vehicle or the insurance company can still register the license plate with the RDW. If you do not comply with the warning letter, you will receive a second letter from the RDW. In it, the RDW indicates that it wishes to receive an article 34 statement from you. If you did not have valid insurance on the RDW's reference date, it may impose a fine on you. This is usually €550.00 (as of 01-01-2016). Did you do insure your vehicle on time? Then the insurance company must issue an article 34 statement. This statement states that you were indeed insured on the relevant reference date. Have you still not insured your vehicle or insured it too late? Then the insurance company cannot help you in all cases.

If the vehicle has been registered for some time and coverage is terminated or the license plate suspension expires, the license plate holder will no longer receive a warning but an immediate letter that a fine will follow if a Section 34 statement cannot be presented.

Can my license plate be suspended?

If you are not going to use the public roads with your vehicle for an extended period of time, you can suspend the license plate online at the RDW. During this suspension period, the license plate holder is exempted from the WA insurance obligation, the holding tax and the MOT inspection. Suspension can be arranged completely online on the RDW website. Afterwards, the insurance can also be stopped.

The suspension period is for a maximum of one year. A possible extension can be requested six weeks before it expires. Otherwise, the license plate will be automatically activated administratively by the RDW. In that case, you will have to ensure that the insurance is also reactivated. This does not happen automatically.