What is an Article 34 statement?

You must insure every licence plate you have in your name. The RDW is responsible for checking this. If a poll shows that your registration number has not been reported as insured by an insurer, you will be informed accordingly and you will be required to submit an article 34 statement.

What is a warning letter from the RDW?

The RDW sends you a standard warning letter 28 days after the registration if the vehicle is not insured yet. If you do not comply, a fine will follow. You are then asked to contact us. We will look into what went wrong. If a mistake has been made, we request the insurer to correct it, as they are the only ones who can ensure 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 incorrect, the vehicle cannot be registered and it will therefore appear that you are uninsured.

Second letter from the RDW what now?

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

If the vehicle has been registered for a longer period of time and the cover is terminated or the suspension of the registration plate expires, the holder of the registration plate no longer receives a warning but immediately a letter stating that a fine will follow if no article 34 statement can be produced.

Can my license plate be suspended?

If you are not going to use the public roads with your vehicle for a longer period of time, you can suspend the vehicle registration online with the RDW. During this suspension period, the holder of the vehicle registration certificate is exempt from the obligation to have third-party insurance, from the holder's tax and from the MOT inspection. Suspension can be arranged fully online on the RDW website. After that, 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 its expiry. Otherwise, the licence plate will automatically be administratively activated by the RDW. In that case, you must ensure yourself that the insurance is also reactivated. This does not happen automatically.