Car/Vehicle Shipping Cost from Yokohama to Amsterdam

Japan's "3-year car rule" refers to the mandatory, costly vehicle inspection called Shaken, where a new car's first inspection is due three years after registration, with subsequent inspections every two years, making older cars expensive to keep and boosting new car sales, often leading to trade-ins around the three-year mark. This strict system ensures high safety standards and creates a steady supply of well-maintained used cars for export, say www.alibaba.com and Japanese Nostalgic Car.

Import duties for imported cars. For a car younger than 30 years this is 10% over the purchase value and transport costs. For cars older than 30 years you do not have to pay import duties. You then only pay 6% VAT on the purchase price.

If you move to the Netherlands and bring your car with you as a so-called 'moving article,' you can keep your registration plates for 6 months. After that, you have to apply for Dutch vehicle registration at the RDW. Your vehicle must be approved by the RDW. This requires a physical inspection.