Home Blog Caravan How can I import a caravan from Germany?

How can I import a caravan from Germany?

Feb 09, 2020

5 min reading time

If you are planning to buy a new caravan, it may be worth looking in Germany. The selection at our eastern neighbors is often just a bit larger, giving you a good chance of running into a bargain. On average, caravans in Germany are about 10% cheaper. This is partly due to the large supply and because in Germany there is no BPM and VAT is also a few percent lower. As a result, the price of the same type of caravan can be much cheaper in Germany. In this article we will discuss the pros and cons of importing a caravan from Germany.

Caravan insurance? Calculate your premium!

What are the costs of importing a caravan from Germany?

Are you considering buying a caravan in Germany? Then of course you are asking yourself what costs this will entail. First of all, you have to take care of caravan insurance. In addition, you have costs for importing your caravan to the Netherlands. Importing a caravan from an EU country costs at most about €200 for formalities in the Netherlands. These costs consist of the inspection and the registration at the RDW. On average you will pay € 99,- . You will also need a license plate, which costs about € 10. In Germany, there is no BPM and no import duties, BPM or disposal fees are charged. This makes importing attractive. If you choose an export license plate, you will have to add about € 75 for an export license plate. More on that later in this article.

Caravan insurance? Calculate your premium!

On which German websites are caravans offered for sale?

If you are considering buying a caravan in Germany, it is wise to orient yourself online first. There are, of course, numerous websites that offer caravans. For example, www.webmobil24.com or www.mobile.de can help you in your search.

Importing a caravan from Germany?

When importing a caravan from Germany, there are a number of things you need to be aware of. To drive from Germany to the Netherlands, you must take into account that your caravan is insured. For driving from abroad to the Netherlands, the RDW does not issue a license plate. It may be that a dealer offers you a kurzzeitkennzeichen (5-day registration number). But beware, this is only valid within Germany. The solution is to apply for an export license plate. This is a white license plate with a red square. This can be obtained from the strassenverkehrsamt in Germany.

In addition, you need to make an appointment with the RDW to apply for a Dutch registration number. To do this, the caravan must be inspected at the National Road Transport Agency (RDW). If you make an appointment, you can immediately apply for a one-day registration plate. With this you can drive to an RDW inspection station to have the caravan inspected. This one-day registration plate is only valid on the day of the inspection. If the vehicle still has a valid foreign MOT, you can request that it be taken over. You must then hand over the original foreign MOT report.

With that said, always contact your insurer to check that your caravan insurance is in order before your caravan hits the road.

Caravan insurance? Calculate your premium!

What are the advantages of importing from Germany?

So what are the advantages of buying a caravan in Germany? First, there is more supply of caravans than in the Netherlands, for both new and used. So you simply have more choice. In addition, you can often save on buying a caravan anyway. Due to the large supply, you generally pay about 10% less for a caravan than in the Netherlands. In addition, in Germany you pay no BPM and a lower VAT rate, which also influences the price favorably.

What are the disadvantages of importing a caravan?

The disadvantage of importing a caravan is that it takes a little more preparation time. The sorting out and arranging is a bit of a chore. But if you have the time for this and don't find this a problem, this obviously doesn't have to be a disadvantage. However, should something happen to your caravan, you are often not next door. If you have to return to the dealer in Germany, this is of course annoying if you don't live nearby. Moreover, Dutch caravan dealers will not be eager to help you first if you did not buy the caravan from them.