Car and driving licence in Nigeria: three months on your Dutch licence

Do you take your car along?

That is mainly a calculation with unknowns. We could not read the import rules of the Nigeria Customs Service (age limit, import duties and levies): the customs site refuses automated requests, and we found no official copy of the rules elsewhere. So we have not taken over what you read in stories from removal companies or on forums.

Only deregister your car for export once you know which papers Nigeria wants to see. The RDW warns: "Meld uw voertuig niet af voor export voordat u weet welke documenten dit zijn" (don't deregister your vehicle for export before you know which documents these are). Ask for the requirements in writing at the Nigerian embassy in The Hague or at an approved forwarder, and have the age limit for used cars confirmed.

What do you arrange in the Netherlands?

At the RDW you register the vehicle for export. You get an indemnity certificate, a registration card with a corner cut off and an export certificate (registration certificate part II). You need that export certificate to register the car abroad. After the export notification you may drive in the Netherlands for another 14 days with export plates: the same registration number on white plates.

If you move to a country outside the EU, you make an export declaration for your household goods at Dutch Customs, with an inventory list. According to Customs, extra rules sometimes apply to cars; they are at the Belastingdienst under the export of motor vehicles to countries outside the EU. You only get the bpm back on export if the car is permanently registered in an EU or EEA country. So that doesn't apply to Nigeria.

What do you watch out for when driving there?

The travel advice. NederlandWereldwijd writes that kidnappings are increasing across Nigeria, especially on the main roads between cities, and that there is a lot of crime in the Niger Delta, especially after sunset. Plan long drives in daylight, and check the current colour of the region before every trip. How the rest of the move goes: household goods to Nigeria and the plan for Nigeria.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.3: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Nigeria or go straight to step 4.3 in the open plan.