What should you do if your license plate is lost or misplaced?

No more new license plates for lost or stolen registration papers.

If you lose your registration papers, you no longer have to purchase new license plates (as of September 22, 2008). The same applies the other way around: if you lose your license plate due to loss or theft, you no longer need to apply for new papers.

Until this date, they had to. That procedure cost vehicle owners an unnecessary amount of money and caused the RDW to do extra work. Therefore, the RDW has arranged that the registration certificate and license plates each get their own duplicate code. If one of them goes missing, all you have to do is replace the missing product.

Duplicate code

The duplicate code is a numerical addition that appears on the license plate and registration papers. Until now, when the registration certificate was replaced, they were both given the same duplicate code. This link was introduced in the fight against the misuse of stolen or lost license plates and certificates.

Learn how to request a new registration certificate here.
Source: www.rdw.nl

Requirements for online application for new registration certificate

You can apply for a new registration certificate only if:

• The vehicle is in your name, or if someone else applies for it on your behalf.

Online application processing time

Application before 8 p.m.: RDW sends registration certificate the next business day.
Application after 8 p.m. and on weekends: RDW sends registration certificate within 2 working days.
Application Friday after 8 p.m.: RDW sends registration certificate the following Tuesday.

Process for applying for new license plate

Registration card

If you no longer have the registration certificate, you must apply to the RDW for a new registration card. The RDW will send you the new registration card and a new registration code. The registration card will have the same registration number but a different document number.
The costs are €34.50 (January 2023).

Registration code

If you still have the registration card but no longer have the registration code, you can request a new registration code via the RDW website.
The RDW will send the code to the address of the registered owner/holder. The cost for this is (expected to be) € 20.00.

Applying for a registration card as a matter of urgency

If you no longer have the registration certificate and/or the registration code but need a replacement registration certificate, a new registration code or both the same day, you can opt for an urgent request. The cost of an urgent delivery of a registration card with registration code is €200.00. Incidentally, no money will be refunded if the old registration card and/or code is later recovered.