Red plates are temporary plates, available to rent on the 3 sites, Sandweiler, Esch-sur-Alzette, and Fridhaff, of the SNCA . Red plates are intended for use by people resident in the Grand Duchy; they allow the transfer and presentation of the vehicle to a technical inspection body or equivalent.
Using red plates
A vehicle with red plates may be driven in the Grand Duchy, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Red plates may be used on a vehicle on the road for:
Provided that it is covered by insurance that meets the requirements of the amended law of 16 April 2003 on compulsory civil liability insurance for motor vehicles, a road vehicle subject to registration may be put into circulation on public roads without being registered:
- by the owner, the future keeper of the vehicle or the future holder of the vehicle registration certificate, as well as by a legal entity authorised to trade in or repair vehicles subject to registration, under the cover of red plates or under the cover of registration plates displaying the number that has been reserved or allocated to the future holder of the vehicle registration certificate for the purpose of its registration:
- on the direct route between the point of sale or warehouse of the vehicle and the place where the registration, conformity check or technical inspection will be carried out, as well as, in the event of importation of a vehicle from abroad, between the border crossing point and the office of the Customs and Excise Agency and the place where the inspection will be carried out registration, conformity check or technical inspection;
- on the direct journey between the place where a conformity check was carried out under the conditions of paragraphs 3 and 4 and the place where the technical inspection required on the instructions of the SNCA will be carried out under the provisions of Article 4bis, paragraph 3, point 2;
- on the direct journey of the vehicle to a garage or repair shop to undergo a repair, a technical modification or transformation or an inspection;
The vehicle must have a valid technical inspection certificate if one is required (e.g. vehicles more than 4 years old).
Validity of red plates
The period of validity is indicated on the document in respect of putting a road vehicle into service under the cover of red plates (Fiche de mise en circulation d’un véhicule routier sous le couvert de plaques rouges) supplied with the red plates. The plates may be valid for up to 15 working days (not including public holidays and weekends).
How to obtain red plates
To obtain red plates, please contact SNCA either by email or by telephone to check the availability of a date and to reserve a set of red plates.
Supporting documents
On the day you collect the set of red plates, bring with you:
- the vehicle's chassis number;
- information about the journey to be made (place of departure, place of arrival);
- the driver's driving licence;
- the driver's passport or ID card;
- the amount of the security deposit, which must be provided at the time of collecting the plates.
Further information is available on our information sheet.