In this guide
The APK is the Dutch equivalent of the MOT or Hauptuntersuchung: a periodic roadworthiness inspection, recorded against the licence plate in a national register. Miss the date and a fine can follow: RDW checks the registers periodically and passes findings to the CJIB.
The rules that matter are short — how often, how to find your date, and what happens if you let it slip — and they are all published by the RDW.
💡 Related: buying a car in the Netherlands, registering a car here, car insurance for expats.
The schedule, by fuel and age
The interval is not the same for every car, which is the first thing that surprises people arriving from a country with one flat rule.
| Vehicle | First APK | After that |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol or electric, under 30 years | At 4 years old | Twice at 2-year intervals, then every year |
| Diesel, gas or other fuel (also combined with electricity), under 30 years | At 3 years old | Every year |
| 30 years and older | — | Once every 2 years |
| 50 years and older | — | No APK obligation |
(Source: rdw.nl, “Wanneer en hoe vaak APK keuren”, retrieved 2 October 2026. This table is for cars up to 3,500 kg; RDW counts the age from the date of first admission and lists separate schedules for heavier vehicles.)
Two consequences worth planning around. A three-year-old diesel is already due, while a petrol car of the same age is not, which matters if you are choosing between two similar used cars. And a petrol car is tested every year from 8 years old (RDW’s own example).
There is also a useful piece of flexibility: you may have the vehicle inspected up to two months before the APK expires and still keep the same APK date, plus one or two years depending on your interval. Going early does not shorten your next cycle.
Finding your expiry date
Use the RDW kentekencheck at ovi.rdw.nl. Type in the plate, then open the tab for expiry dates and history; the APK date is listed there.
The same tool lets you look up the plate of a car you are considering buying before you view it. For the wider check on a used purchase, see the second-hand car platforms guide.
The Public Prosecution Service states that the owner or keeper is responsible for having the vehicle inspected on time (om.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026), so put the date in your calendar the day you buy the car.
What the test actually checks
The RDW APK handbook sets out the requirements component by component: general construction, dimensions and masses, engine, fuel systems and environment, transmission, axles, suspension, steering, brakes, bodywork, and lighting and reflective equipment (apk-handboek.rdw.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026).
Tyres show how the handbook treats wear. The profile of the main grooves must be at least 1.6 mm around the whole circumference of the tread, wear indicators excepted. A tyre with a profile depth of 1.6 up to and including 2.5 mm is an advice point (code AC1 in the handbook), a note rather than a rejection (apk-handboek.rdw.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026). If winter is coming, the winter tyre article covers what to fit and what the neighbouring countries demand.
After the test you receive an APK report, also after a rejection. It shows the date the APK ends and any repair, rejection and advice points. If you do not receive it, ask for it (rdw.nl, over de APK, retrieved 2 October 2026).
When the car fails
The report lists the repair and rejection points, so keep it. RDW says a pass shows the date on which the APK ends, and that inspecting up to two months early keeps the same APK date, plus one or two years (rdw.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026). RDW also states that your vehicle must be inspected before the APK date, otherwise you may not drive it, so plan repairs and a re-test before that date.
The fine, and how it is enforced
This is the part worth getting right, because RDW checks the registers rather than waiting for a police stop.
RDW’s own penalties page lists, for the absence of an APK approval:
- Light vehicles up to 3,500 kg: €190
- Heavy vehicles above 3,500 kg: €500
The same page lists driving without insurance at €500 for cars, campers, vans, motorcycles, agricultural vehicles and mobile machines, and €480 for mopeds and light mopeds (rdw.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026).
How you get caught is the important bit. RDW says it checks the insurance register and the inspection register daily and checks every vehicle with these obligations at least once a year; a vehicle that should have an APK and does not gets a fine from the CJIB, the central judicial collection agency (rdw.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026). Police can also fine you if they stop you (om.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026). And the Public Prosecution Service is explicit that as long as the vehicle is neither inspected nor suspended, further penalty notices can follow — so this is not a one-off charge you can absorb and ignore.
The decision point: if the car is going to stand unused for months, do not simply let the APK lapse. Suspend it instead.
Schorsing: pausing the obligations
The suspension scheme exists for exactly this situation. During a suspension the vehicle may not be on the public road or driven, and in exchange you pay no motor vehicle tax and a liability insurance and a valid APK are not needed (rdw.nl, schorsing aanvragen, retrieved 2 October 2026).
You can suspend for one, two or three years, and it ends automatically at the end of the period you chose or earlier if you stop it yourself, without a refund. One exception exists for the obvious problem: if you have an APK appointment you may drive a suspended vehicle to the inspection, and RDW advises you to ask for the APK report.
Suspension is applied for through RDW and costs depend on vehicle type, period, age and maximum mass. For a passenger car up to 3,500 kg and not older than 15 years RDW lists €88.05 for one year, €117.15 for two years and €146.25 for three years; for passenger cars older than 15 years €29.10, €58.20 and €87.30 (rdw.nl, schorsing aanvragen, retrieved 2 October 2026). Check the RDW page for the current amount. This is the tool for a car parked at a family address over a long assignment abroad.
APK on an imported car
For a vehicle from an EU or EFTA country, you can ask RDW at its counter to take over a foreign APK that is still valid and was carried out in an EU or EFTA country. Bring proof: the original APK report, a note in the foreign registration document or a sticker on the foreign number plate. If you have no valid foreign APK proof and did not have an APK done at RDW, RDW’s instruction is direct: have the APK done by a garage near you directly after you receive the registration certificate, because later means a fine (rdw.nl, invoeren binnen Europa, retrieved 2 October 2026).
So the order is: registration with RDW, then either the transferred foreign approval or a Dutch test straight away. The car import and BPM guide covers the tax side of the same process, and the registration guide covers the paperwork.
Buying used: what the APK date does and does not tell you
Read a long remaining APK for what it is.
- It confirms the car met the requirements on the day of the test, not today
- It says nothing about the advice points recorded — ask for the APK report, not just the date
- A diesel is tested every year from 3 years old; a petrol car may be on a two-year cycle
RDW states that APK costs differ per company, so we are not quoting a figure. Ring a few local garages with your plate and ask what the test costs and what a re-inspection costs.
Final thoughts
Do two things today. Look your plate up on ovi.rdw.nl and note the APK date, then set a calendar reminder six weeks earlier — early testing keeps the same date, so there is no downside to booking ahead.
And if the car is going to sit unused for a season, apply for a suspension rather than letting the approval quietly run out. The register does the enforcing here, and it does not forget. For the wider set of obligations that come with a car in the Netherlands, the driving guide is the place to start.
Sources: rdw.nl, “Wanneer en hoe vaak APK keuren” and “Over de APK”; rdw.nl penalties page for insurance and APK amounts; rdw.nl on suspension (schorsen) and on importing a vehicle from an EU or EFTA country; the RDW APK handbook (apk-handboek.rdw.nl) on test requirements, tyres and advice points; rdw.nl on importing a vehicle within Europe; om.nl on enforcement of the APK and insurance obligations. All retrieved 2 October 2026. Amounts and intervals are set by regulation and change — check the RDW pages and the Boetebase of the Openbaar Ministerie for the position on the day. This article is editorial analysis of public sources, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often does a car need an APK in the Netherlands?
It depends on fuel type and age. For petrol and electric cars up to 30 years old, RDW gives the schedule as: first inspection when the vehicle is 4 years old, then twice at two-year intervals, then every year. For diesel, gas or other-fuel cars (also combined with electricity) up to 30 years old: first inspection at 3 years old, then every year. Vehicles of 30 years and older are inspected once every two years, and vehicles of 50 years and older have no APK obligation at all (rdw.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026). RDW counts the age from the date of first admission and gives separate schedules for heavier vehicles, taxis and tractors, so the RDW page rather than a rule of thumb is the source to check for your own vehicle.
How do I find out when my APK expires?
Use the RDW kentekencheck, the licence plate lookup at ovi.rdw.nl. Enter the plate and open the tab for expiry dates and history; the APK date sits there (rdw.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026). You can also check the plate of a car you are thinking of buying before you go and see it. The lookup shows the date the current approval runs out, so put it in your calendar yourself: the Public Prosecution Service states that the owner or keeper is responsible for having the vehicle inspected on time (om.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026).
What is checked during a Dutch APK?
The RDW APK handbook sets out the requirements by component: general construction, dimensions and masses, engine, fuel systems and environment, transmission, axles, suspension, steering, brakes, bodywork, and lighting and reflective equipment (apk-handboek.rdw.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026). Tyres sit under suspension and must have at least 1.6 mm of tread in the main grooves around the whole circumference of the tread (apk-handboek.rdw.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026). After the test you receive an APK report, including after a rejection, which lists repair, rejection and advice points (rdw.nl, over de APK, retrieved 2 October 2026).
What is the fine if my APK has expired?
RDW publishes the amounts on its own penalties page: for the absence of an APK approval, €190 for light vehicles up to 3,500 kg and €500 for heavy vehicles above 3,500 kg. The same page gives €500 for driving without insurance for cars, campers, vans, motorcycles and agricultural vehicles, and €480 for mopeds (rdw.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026). According to the Public Prosecution Service, RDW checks periodically whether the APK and insurance obligations are met and passes findings to the CJIB, which sends the keeper a decision at home, and police can also fine at a stop (om.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026). The Public Prosecution Service warns that as long as the vehicle is neither inspected nor suspended, more decisions can follow, even if you object to the first one (om.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026).
Can I drive to the garage if my APK has already expired?
RDW states that your vehicle must be inspected before the APK date, otherwise you may no longer drive it (rdw.nl, over de APK, retrieved 2 October 2026). The one exception RDW describes for driving to a test applies to a suspended vehicle: with an APK appointment you may drive it to the inspection without notifying anyone in advance, and you should ask for the APK report (rdw.nl, schorsing, retrieved 2 October 2026). Without a suspension, book the APK before the date: RDW says you can have the vehicle inspected up to two months before it expires and keep the same APK date (rdw.nl, retrieved 2 October 2026). If the car is going to stand still for a longer period, the suspension scheme (schorsing) pauses the APK and insurance obligations instead.
Does an imported car need a Dutch APK straight away?
For a vehicle coming from an EU or EFTA country you can ask RDW to take over a foreign APK that is still valid and was carried out in an EU or EFTA country, with proof such as the original APK report. If you have no valid foreign APK proof and did not have an APK done at RDW, RDW instructs you to have the APK done by a nearby garage directly after you receive the registration certificate, and warns that doing it later results in a fine (rdw.nl, invoeren binnen Europa, retrieved 2 October 2026). So the sequence matters: registration first, then either a transferred foreign approval or a Dutch test without delay.