What does a WOK status mean on a Dutch car?

WOK is the older Dutch term for what the RDW, the Netherlands Vehicle Authority, now officially calls a "driving ban" (verbod voor rijden over de weg): a car carrying this status cannot be used on public roads until it has been repaired and approved at an RDW inspection station. The RDW imposes it after damage, including water damage, after a technical defect that fails the permanent requirements, after an unapproved modification, or if the owner fails to present the car for inspection when the RDW asks.

Insurance and road tax obligations keep running while the ban is active; only driving the car is off the table. You can check the status for free through the RDW licence-plate check at ovi.rdw.nl, under "Overzicht", next to "Status van het voertuig".

Applies to: the Netherlands, RDW vehicle registration register. Source: RDW (rdw.nl), fetched directly. Checked: August 2026. Main exception: on the day of a booked inspection appointment, the car may be driven to the inspection station and back.

When the RDW imposes a driving ban

The RDW lists four grounds for a driving ban on its own site. The vehicle fails the permanent requirements, for instance on brakes, lighting or noise levels. The vehicle has sustained damage, including water damage. An unapproved modification has been carried out. Or the owner did not present the vehicle for inspection after the RDW requested one. The term "WOK" (Wachten Op Keuren, "waiting for inspection") still appears on many Dutch buyer and insurance sites, but the RDW itself now uses "rijverbod" (driving ban) as the official term and describes WOK explicitly as the earlier name for it.

This is not a category invented by dealers or intermediaries. It is a flag the RDW itself places on the vehicle registration, regardless of who owns or is selling the car at the time.

What it means for driving

While the driving ban is active, the vehicle may not be used on public roads. There is one exception, and it is narrow: on the day of the inspection appointment, the car may be driven to the inspection station and back home again. Outside that single trip, driving is not permitted, not even for a short test drive with an interested buyer.

For a buyer, this means a car under an active driving ban cannot legally be handed over as a roadworthy vehicle. The seller cannot drive it to you, and you cannot drive it away, even once the sale is agreed. Transport has to go by trailer or recovery service until the ban is lifted.

What it means for insurance and tax

A driving ban does not suspend the duty to insure the car or pay road tax. The RDW is explicit about this: "Ook al mag u niet met het voertuig rijden, het voertuig moet wel verzekerd zijn" (even though you may not drive the vehicle, it still has to be insured). Road tax (motorrijtuigenbelasting) remains payable too, and the ordinary periodic inspection (APK) obligation continues to apply.

That is a different regime from a suspension (schorsing), a separate status the owner has to apply for. During a suspension, an exemption does apply: "Tijdens de schorsing mag uw voertuig niet op de openbare weg staan of rijden. U hoeft dan geen motorrijtuigenbelasting te betalen. Uw voertuig hoeft ook niet verzekerd en APK-gekeurd te zijn" (during a suspension, the vehicle may not stand or be driven on public roads; no road tax is due, and the vehicle does not need to be insured or hold a valid APK). A driving ban and a suspension are often confused, but they are two separate statuses with opposite consequences for the insurance duty.

How to spot a WOK status

The fastest route is the RDW licence-plate check at ovi.rdw.nl. Enter the registration number, go to "Overzicht", and look under "Status van het voertuig". If a driving ban is listed there, the car is not currently roadworthy, whatever a listing or the seller claims.

If in doubt, ask the seller directly whether the car has ever carried a driving ban and, if it has since been lifted, ask for proof of the passed re-inspection. A seller who cannot or will not produce that while the registration check still shows a past flag is a reason for extra caution.

How the status is lifted, and what it costs

The owner first has to bring the vehicle up to the technical requirements, then book an inspection appointment with the RDW using DigiD, with a valid ID card, passport or driving licence to hand. Once the vehicle passes, the RDW removes the driving ban from the vehicle register within five working days.

There is a fee attached. The RDW's own site lists a damage inspection for a car or commercial vehicle up to 3,500 kg at €59, and a re-registration fee of €88 for a vehicle up to 3,500 kg or €182 for one at 3,501 kg or heavier. Which figure applies depends on the type of inspection the RDW requires for that specific ban.

What this means for you as a buyer

The driving ban sits on the vehicle registration, not on the owner. The RDW ties its removal exclusively to a passed re-inspection, not to a change of ownership: transferring the registration into your name does not lift the ban. Buy a car with an active driving ban and you are effectively buying the process to clear it too, including the repair, the inspection appointment and the fees above, unless you agree upfront that the seller sorts this out first and hands over proof of approval before the transfer.

Factor that time and cost into your offer, or walk away if you cannot judge what the underlying defect will cost to fix. A Plateop report for a Dutch registration shows, where that data is available, the APK expiry date and past inspection defects from the vehicle register; it does not include the current driving-ban or WOK status itself, so check that separately through the RDW licence-plate check before you make an offer. Check any car before you buy at plateop.com.