Everyone who lives in The Netherlands and intends to drive a motor vehicle must possess a valid driver’s license. You are considered a resident of The Netherlands if your usual address is in this country. Your ‘usual’ address is defined as the address where you spend at least 185 days a year. For purposes of obtaining your driver’s license, the first day of your residence is the day when the documentation is issued by the Aliens’ Police (vreemdelingenpolitie) declaring you to be a legal resident of The Netherlands.
Age Requirements
You must be 18 years or over to drive a car in The Netherlands. You must be at least 16 to drive a moped.
How Soon Do You Need To Obtain a Dutch Driver’s License?
If you have a valid driver’s license from another country, you are allowed to drive on the strength of that license for a certain period of time. How long depends on which country issued the license. The RDW had further information on the length of these ‘probation periods’.
Rules for People Who Have a License from One of the Following Countries
European Union Countries
Austria, Ireland, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Luxemburg, Finland, Portugal, France, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Greece & United Kingdom.
European Economic Area Countries
Iceland, Norway & Liechtenstein.
If you have a valid driver’s license from any of the countries listed above, you may use it for one year from the day you start living in The Netherlands. If you want to use it for a longer period of time, you must register your driver’s license at your Town Hall before the end of your first year of residence. After this registration your driver’s license will be valid in The Netherlands up to a maximum of ten years after the date of issue of the original license. For example, if your original license was issued in your home country in December 1994, you register it at the Town Hall in February 1998; it could be valid in The Netherlands for a maximum of ten years after its issue date, which means it could be valid until December 2004.
There is no cost to register your license. If however, your original license was issued more than ten years ago, you must trade in your driver’s license for a Dutch License. This is possible if you live in The Netherlands and possess a valid resident’s status.
Rules for Everyone Else
If you have a valid driver’s license issued in a country other than those listed above, or in the Dutch Antilles or Aruba, you may use it up to 385 days after moving to The Netherlands. Before these 185 days elapse, you must have obtained a Dutch driver’s license. There are two ways to obtain a valid Dutch driver’s license: by passing a driving test or by trading your license issued in another country.
Trading Your License for a Dutch
The best option, and the least expensive, is to simply trade your still valid foreign license for a Dutch license. But this is not an option available to many foreign residents.
The option of trading in your license is available only to the following:
- Holders of driver’s licenses issued by European Union Countries and European Economic Countries (as listed above)
- Holders of driver’s licenses issued by the following countries: Monaco, State of Jersey, Isle of Man, Switzerland, Aruba and Netherlands Antilles
- Holders of certain driver’s licenses issued by the following countries: Israel (holders of B, passenger car licenses), Japan (holders of IB, passenger car licenses and licenses for motorcycles larger than 400 cc), Singapore (holders of class tow licenses, motorcycles larger than 400 cc and holders of class three licenses – passenger car), Taiwan (holders of B, passenger car licenses)
- Those covered by the 30% regulation
What is the 30% regulation, and who qualifies for it?
A very small group of people qualify for the 30% regulation, including some individuals from countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and South Africa etc., those not listed in any of the previous categories. The 30% regulation actually relates to taxes. To attract foreigners with certain skills to the country, a regulation was enacted which gives to those who qualify the privilege to pay no taxes on the first 30% of their income. Another part of the regulation also entitles them, and their family members, to trade in their valid driver’s license for a Dutch license.
To qualify for the 30% tax regulation it is advisable to apply for approval within the first three months of residence in The Netherlands. The granting of this special tax benefit will only be issued by the Inspector of Direct Taxes in Heerlen to those who can prove that their work is of essential importance to the Dutch economy. Most of those who qualify have been recruited from abroad because they possess special expertise that is either non-existent or scare in the Dutch labour market.
How to Trade In Your Existing Drivers License for a Dutch License
To trade in your license, you need to go to your Town Hall. Here’s how the process works and what paperwork is needed:
- You must be registered with the foreign police (vreemdelingenpolitie), sometimes referred to as the Alien Police. Go to your Town Hall with the identification documents issued to you by the foreign police, along with 38.46 euros. You should then receive a certificate from the city register (uittreksel bevolkingsregister) stating who you are and where you live. You should also receive a ‘Certificate of Fitness’(eigen verklaring) which you need to fill out and mail to a special address which appears on the form
- Once you receive the ‘Certificate of Fitness’ back in the mail, you can return to the Town Hall. Bring the health form with you, along with two recent passport photos, your work permit and (if you’re trading in your license based on the 30% rule) a letter from a lawyer and/or employer (or a copy of the statement issued by the Tax Office on Heerlen) showing proof that you fall under the 30% vergoedingsregeling and your foreign driver’s license.
They will make copies of most of these documents, but they will keep your foreign drivers’ license, that means you will leave the office without any driver’s license in your possession. Legally, you aren’t supposed to drive without a license.
It may also be a good idea to bring a letter from your employer stating that you need your foreign driver’s license returned to you. If you don’t have such a letter, your original license may not be returned to you. If the licensing authorities agree to return your original license, you will get it in the mail at the same time as your Dutch license is issued.
The accelerated driving test – for those who must take a driving test
If your license cannot be traded in, or if you do not qualify to simply register your foreign license, you must take a driving test at the Dutch Driver’s License Authority, Centraal Bureau Reijvaardigheid (CBR). If you already hold a valid passenger car driver’s license, you can take an ‘accelerated test’, which is given in the knowledge that you have prior driving experience. The exam is given by the Bureau Nader Onderzoek Rijvaardingheid (BNOR). You can apply directly with the BNOR to take the test, but most of those familiar with the process highly recommend that you enroll with a driving school.
The driving school will assist you with the paperwork needed to take the test, which is helpful since much of it is in Dutch. They will also make certain that the test you receive will be in English. When you fill out the forms, please list any dates that you are not available to take the exam. Ordinarily, if you can’t make a scheduled examination you forfeit the money for the application and have to begin all over again. However, if they schedule it for a date you listed on the application as ‘not available’, an appeal for a change of date will probably be successful.
The following documentation must be submitted when taking the accelerated driving test:
- Proof of valid residential stature in The Netherlands
- A completed ‘eigen verklaring’ from which can be obtained at the CBR, municipalities or driving schools
- A copy of your foreign-issued driver’s license (no international driver’s licenses)
- A copy of a government issued ID-card (passport etc)
About two to three weeks before your examination (and between six and ten weeks after your application), the driving school will contact you and give you the date and time for the exam. If you have not yet taken lessons, this is the time to schedule them. The test takes about 70 minutes in total and consists of a practical section (road test) during which several theory questions can be asked. For the theoretical part, the examiner will show you photographs of an automobile or motorcycle in a particular position and ask you a yes or no question. There is no fixed number of questions that the examiner will ask and no fixed number or percentage that you have to answer correctly.
Kahan and Frinking say one instructor ‘has said you can’t fail the exam strictly on the basis of your performance on the theoretical part, but we wouldn’t recommend depending on that statement’. They also say that the practical exam ‘will run through city streets, country roads and perhaps an auto-route and can be easy or difficult depending on how well you did on the theoretical part or how smoothly you perform’.
If you pass the examination, you will be given two documents verklaring van rijvaardingheid and the verklaring van geschiktheid which you take with your other paperwork to your Town Hall to obtain your license. Be sure to do this within six months, as after this period the verklaring is no longer valid and you may have to take the test again.
For those who fail the accelerated driving test or for those who don’t have a valid license from another country
You only have one opportunity to take the accelerated test. If you fail it, you must take the normal theory test and road test, which is generally considered to be more difficult than the accelerated test.
If you do not have a valid passenger car driver’s license, which includes those who have expired licenses, the accelerated test is not an option. You must take the regular test. The regular test is on Dutch citizens must take when they first try to obtain a driver’s license. You can however, have the test administered in English, although you must pay a €4.60 charge in addition to the €32.70 fee to take the theoretical exam.
While the accelerated test is conducted under direction of the BNOR, this test is administered by the Centraal Bureau Rijvaardingheidsbewijzen. Unlike the BNOR procedures, you must pass the theoretical part of the test before you may take the practical exam. The English language version of the theoretical exam is given only a few times a month even in a city with many foreigners, such as The Hague, so you may have to wait several months before you can take it.
The test itself lasts about 45 minutes and consists of a set of 50 questions, with ten seconds to answer each. It is administered in a group session and you answer questions by pushing the green (yes) or red (no) button on the apparatus on your table. Within the ten seconds, you may change your mind (only the last button pressed counts), but remember that the timer on the screen may over-rule the decision. You must have given no more than five incorrect answers to pass. The questions are not hard and may sometimes be deceptively easy. To ensure passing you should be careful and concentrate. You are told immediately after the test whether or not you have passed.
Once you have passed the theoretical test you will get a certificate stating that you can drive ‘in theory’ but not on the road in a car. Now you may take practical lessons and apply for the practical examination. Be sure to apply for the practical test as early as possible, as the theoretical test certificate is only valid for one year, so you have to pass the practical test within this time period.
This application procedure is similar to that of the BNOR; you are best advised to let the driving school deal with the paperwork. The documentation is the same, except you bring a copy of your ‘theoretical license’ instead of your driver’s license.
The practical test is not for the nervous or faint-hearted. The failure rate is high and the pressure is on; a cool head and steady hand are prerequisites for passing. The place and time of the test are completely arbitrary and you have absolutely no influence on it. There are a number of chance elements that can greatly influence your chances of passing. For example, you may be lucky and be asked to drive along roads where you have practiced, or you may be unfortunate enough to be tested in rush hour and have to drive in the chaos of downtown traffic. Or, you may have the misfortune of being tested while your examiner is him/herself being tested by a supervisor. In this case, the examiner must fail you if the slightest pretext can be found.
The test itself concentrates on the mechanics of driving (parallel parking, driving in reverse, smooth performance etc.) as well as adherence to the rules of the road. There are a few technical things that you may be tested on. For example, you have to be able to read license plates from 25 meters away.
You can fail the test if you obey all the laws and can perform all of the required tasks, but don’t drive smoothly enough. You are told immediately after the test whether or not you have passed. If you fail, you can get another chance after ten weeks, some more lessons and more administrative fees. If you fail four times (or more) within five years, then you have the right to take the ‘easier’ version of the test through the BNOR. This exam is supposedly not easier than the CBR version, but there is more time available to put candidates at their ease. Also, the BNOR exam is taken in quieter locations.
Taking driving lessons
Whether you are taking the accelerated test or the regular test, it is greatly recommended that you enroll in a driving school. First of all, you cannot take the exam in your personal car. You have to take it in a driving school automobile, so most people make an application through a driving school.
There are many driving schools throughout The Netherlands. You can consult the telephone directory, contact ACCESS for a list of schools, or rely on word of mouth to find one.
In addition to the driving lessons, you are well advised to obtain a book on driving rules in The Netherlands (available in English) and a set of practice theoretical questions (typically in Dutch, but with an accompanying translation and set of correct answers with explanations in English).
The standard instruction book is: J.F.Verstappen (trans T.C Warnock), Traffic Manual, Driving License A and B, published by VERJO, Sint-Michielsgestel. A book of sample questions is Verstappen’s Examen Wegwijzer, produced by the same publishers. This book comes in two versions, a smaller (100 sample questions) and larger (350 sample questions) edition. The English language translation of this book and the English language answers with translations must be purchased separately. All of these books are available at driving schools or in English language book stores.
For Those Taking the Accelerated Exam
In a 1994 report Driving Dutch: A guide for Americans, James Kahan and Erik Frinking of the RAND/European-American Centre for Policy Analysis recommended that foreigners take the driving lessons. They say it depends of the amount of driving experience you have, but for everyone they ‘recommend at an absolute minimum between two and five lessons and more if you have any doubts about passing the examination.’
The report by Kahan and Frinking goes into some detail about the driving school lessons: ‘The nature of the lessons vary considerably with the driving instructor and the student. As a student, you should demand that the instructor give you thorough feedback on your performance and that he/she run you through test conditions. You should also take the initiative to discuss driving rules with the instructor if he/she does not talk enough about them’.
Some non-Dutch speaking foreigners report having communication problems with their instructor due to a strong accent or lack of English skills. Be sure that you can understand your instructor properly or your lessons will not go smoothly and you may have to take more lessons than you had planned. There are driving schools that are run by native English speakers.
For Those Taking the Regular Exam
The most convenient and the most economical way to interact with the CBR is through a driving school. Almost any driving school will guide its students through the paperwork and help you prepare for the examinations.
The question of how many lessons to take is difficult. The incentive to keep the number of lessons to a minimum is very much present, because lessons are expensive, generally running between €25 - €50 per hour. The number of lessons a candidate may need varies from person to person. For learner drivers/beginners a minimum of 35 lessons is considered necessary, but some require 70 or more.
Paperwork you need to get your Dutch license
Whether you’re getting your Dutch license by trading your current one at the Town Hall, or by taking a test with the help of a driving school, you need to have certain paperwork available:
- A readable photocopy of your passport (showing your photograph and personal information). It may be advisable to take your passport along as well
- A photocopy of evidence from the Alien Police that you are a legal resident in The Netherlands (a stamped passport will do if you have not as yet, received your identity card)
- Your valid driver’s license
- Two recent colour passport photos
- An original certificate of registration in your municipality
- An Eigen Verklaring, which is a form you can obtain from your Town Hall or your driving school which asks questions about your general health
Rules for special situations
Drivers 65 and Older
Some drivers aged 65 to 70 may be required to provide a certificate of fitness. All drivers over 70 are required to have a medical examination in order to prove they are fit to drive.
Diplomatic and Consular Staff
Different rules apply to those living in The Netherlands who have been accorded diplomatic or consular staff status and their families. Generally, persons in this category are able to exchange a license from their home country for a Dutch license. The Protocol Department of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs can provide more information.
Moped License Requirements
If you have a valid driver’s license you can ride a moped. If you don’t you can still ride a moped if you obtain a moped certificate. You need to be 18 to obtain a driver’s license in The Netherlands, but the age required for a moped certificate is only 16.
Motorized Wheelchairs and Other Invalid Vehicles
If you ride a motorized wheelchair, or other type of motorized vehicle for invalids, a license is not required. There is also no age requirement, provided the motorized device is not capable of speeds greater than 10 km/h. If it is, you still do not need a license, but need to be at least 16 years old.
Bicycles
You do not need a license to ride a bicycle in The Netherlands and there is no age requirement.
Driving in The Netherlands for Non-Residents
Those taking part in international road traffic (tourists and business visitors, for instance) can generally use their own driver’s license. In some instances however, an international driver’s license is required, namely from countries outside the European Union, Iceland, 
Liechtenstein and Norway. You are then in principle, sometimes also obliged to be able to show an international driver’s license if you are asked to do so by the police.
Reviewed on March 2010
Access has compiled this information from a variety of sources. Access does not assess organisations and using any of the services listed is at your own risk.
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helpdesk-ams@access-nl.org
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