Hi everyone!

I am planning a move to the Netherlands, and I have a US Spec 2015 Mini Cooper S that I want to bring along. I am trying to figure out what (if anything) would need to be changed on the car to make it conform to European regulations. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!

 

https://www.cfrrinkens.com/internati...o-netherlands/

 

I can't see it mentioned & I'm not 100% certain, but you might need amber directionals if you don't already have them.
You may also need a first aid kit & warning triangle etc..

 

if you are going on 'government work' ... different rules may apply .....

In the US, cars that can not be imported normally can be allowed for diplomatic personnel, & some foreign military personnel here on extended temporary duty ......

 

Thanks for the responses guys. I am going there for work and planning to take the car along as a personal good since I have owned it for over a year.

The car has turn signals on the side panels, but the turning signals at the back blink red so I think I will have to get those changed. I think another thing could be changing the speedometer, though it is possible to change the digital display to km/h.

 

For registering US car in Europe, you need rear fog light* , EU headlights** and rear lights, and side directional lights. rear one should be possible just to change bulb. mph-kmh is not important

* - if US mini's don't have rear fog light, you can install it
** - Headlights have some numbers and letters on them different for US and EU , i can check what exactly they must have to pass EU import

 

If you have the fog lights on the bumper, all you'll need is a switch and Bimmercode to activate.
Rear Euro tail lights can be had at ECS

 

If you are going for diplomatic work or anything gov nothing is changed on the car. If you are going for personal work through an employer it might not be worth it.. You'll need something called a Carnet de Passage en Douane which in the USA , AAA would issue. This requires putting a bond or deposit down on the car to the tune of around 100% of value, it essentially means that you'll ship it back by a certain date. It covers the customs fees etc. You aren't required to change anything on the car either unless you do plan on 100% legally importing it. I've shipped my 350Z to Europe for 6 months. Some countries will allow those on temporary work visas to import their cars for a period of up to 2 years. My sister inlaw had a gov posting in Belgium and they shipped her 2014 Mercedes C class over for the duration of the posting. Only modification that was require was having a safety vests for number of seat belts, first aid kit and I think a safety triangle.

 

First off, congrats on the move to the Netherlands! So, bringing your US Spec Mini Cooper S to Europe is totally doable, but there might be a few things to consider. One of the main things you'd need to tackle is adapting your car to European regulations, which can involve adjusting lighting, emissions, and maybe even safety features. But don't worry, it's not as daunting as it sounds! Also, I've heard good things about A1 Auto Transport inc – they seem to have a decent reputation. In terms of cost, you might want to check out the Car Shipping Cost Calculator. It's a handy tool that can give you an estimate of how much it could cost to transport your car.

 

Kinda like taking ice to Alaska though, ain’t it?

rear tails, warning triangle and first aid kit, rest should be codeable in esys etc. take your US tails with you, just like everyone here likes aperiodic tails, ove4 there they like USA tails to be different. Can probably sell them to locals to offset cost of EU tails.