RDW: new version of registration certificate will be available in June

The registration certificate will change, so the cards that will be issued from mid-June will have a new look, different security features, a different back and a new contact chip. The RDW reports this. The previously issued registration certificates remain valid.

In 2014, the RDW introduced the registration certificate in credit card format. Now, ten years later, a new version follows. In addition, certificates of conformity will no longer be issued for light commercial vehicles. A certificate of conformity is a supplement to the registration certificate which states the permitted dimensions, weights and towing data of the vehicle.

Adjustments to registration certificate

The previous contract for the production of the registration certificate ended after 10 years. A new tender was therefore necessary, says the RDW. “We also took this opportunity to renew the registration certificate. The most visible changes are the new appearance, the contact chip and the adjusted safety features. Although not all of these safety features can be seen or felt with the naked eye. For example, you need a UV lamp,” says Gert Jan Holland division manager Registration & Information.

Another change is on the back of the registration certificate. “This only contains the data that is mandatory and applicable for the relevant vehicle category. For example, you can no longer see the number of parking spaces on the registration certificate of a trailer or car,” says Holland.

Crime

It previously became clear that criminals are increasingly selling rented or leased cars with false papers, the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence and Expertise Center (LIV) reported based on police figures. In 2023, the police received almost 1,300 reports of embezzlement, as this form of crime is called. For comparison: in 2016 this was still 450.

“You don’t have to hack a darkened vehicle, you get an original key and sometimes even an original registration certificate,” Rudi Welling, manager at LIV, said at the time. “This gives criminals time to drive through Europe unhindered and sell the vehicle, often with false or forged papers, to an unsuspecting buyer. The leasing or rental company often only discovers this after some time.”