Netherlands Driving Licenses | ExpatINFO Holland (2024)

Driving license (rijbewijs) requirements for operating a car, motorcycle, moped, truck or other motorized vehicle for international residents living in Holland.

RDW (Rijks Dienst Wegverkeer) is the Netherlands Vehicle Authority, the organization responsible for overseeing all forms of motorized transport in the Netherlands.

Its activities include:

• Licensing vehicles and vehicle parts
• Supervision of vehicle roadworthiness testing and certification
• Recording, maintaining and reporting all data related to vehicles and their owners
• Issuing documents including vehicle registrations and vehicle driving licenses

The RDW is authorized to perform these tasks by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.

DUTCH MOTOR VEHICLE LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

All motorized vehicle operators in the Netherlands must possess a valid operating (i.e. driving) license. In addition, the vehicle being driven must be insured by a policy that includes third-party liability coverage.

There are several Dutch driving license categories; each one authorizes the operation of a specific type of motorized vehicle:

The minimum age to drive a car unsupervised in the Netherlands is 18 years old. However, teens who have passed both the theoretical and practical exams are able to drive from age 17 when accompanied by a registered ‘driving coach’. The teen must request a ‘driving passport’ to be eligible to drive with a coach. This transitional period up until their 18th birthday allows the new student driver to gain valuable practical experience under supervision.

There is no maximum age for operating a vehicle as long as the driver holds a valid license. Drivers over the age of 75 are required to provide a certificate of good health when renewing their driving license.

At the start of 2021, 81.8% of adults in the Netherlands held a Class B (automobile) driving license. In addition, 10.7% held a Class A (motorcycle) driving license, 3.7% held a Class C (truck) driving license and 1.6% held a Class D (bus) driving license. More stats.

DRIVING IN NETHERLANDS WITH A FOREIGN LICENSE

An experienced driver holding a valid license issued by another European Union member state OR an EFTA country (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) can use their foreign license to drive in Holland. Before the foreign license is due to expire, it can be exchanged for a new Dutch driving license. Certain restrictions may apply.

A driver who holds a valid license issued by one of the following countries or territories (which have a special treaty with the Netherlands) can use their foreign license to drive for up to 185 days from the date they become a resident. At any time during this window, they can exchange their foreign license automatically for a Dutch driving license.

If they do not exchange their foreign license for a Dutch license during that time, their foreign license becomes invalid in the Netherlands and cannot be used to drive in the country. At that point they would need to start the process of getting a Dutch license from scratch.

The countries/territories with this special exchange treaty are:

Drivers who have a valid license issued by a non-EU/ non-EFTA country that is NOT listed above, can use it to drive in the Netherlands for 185 days from the date their municipal registration. After that time they can no longer use the foreign license to drive in the Netherlands. To drive they must get a Dutch driving license.

EXCHANGING A FOREIGN LICENSE FOR A DUTCH LICENSE

The exchange of a foreign license for a Dutch driving license is done at the municipal level (gemeente). Get details about the license exchange process in…

DRIVING LICENSE EXCHANGE WITH 30% RULING

Highly-skilled workers who come to the Netherlands for a specific job that qualifies them for the 30% tax ruling can exchange their foreign driving license for an equivalent Dutch driving license, regardless of the country they are from. This applies to members of their immediate family as well. The exchange must be done within the first 185 days of residency. For U.S. and Canadian nationals (except those from Calgary and Quebec), this is the only situation under which they can exchange their foreign license for a Dutch driving license.

GETTING A DUTCH DRIVING LICENSE

Information about the application process and the steps required in order to earn a Dutch driving license in Holland: driving lessons, theoretical and practical exams (in English)…

CBR is the Dutch agency responsible for testing potential drivers’ skills to ensure they can safely operate a specific type of vehicle. CBR is headquartered in Rijswijk (South Holland), near The Hague and Delft. Like the RDW, the CBR is an independent organization which operates within the framework of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment (I&M).

CBR is broken into 4 functional areas responsible for:

• Theoretical Driving: testing the theoretical knowledge of a Netherlands driving license applicant
• Practical Driving: testing the practical skills of a Netherlands driving license applicant
• Driver Health Assessment: determining if driver’s physical health meets minimum requirement for operating motor vehicle
• CCV: testing the skills of applicants for professional (automotive-related) certification and administering exams for licensing applicants in other forms of motor vehicles (such as motor boats, aircraft, etc)

To get a driving license in the Netherlands, a person must take and pass a theoretical driving exam and a practical test administered by the CBR. Both can be taken in English.

NETHERLANDS DRIVING LICENSE EXAMS

Theoretical – The theoretical portion of the Dutch driving license exam is administered digitally on monitors set up in a testing room at a CBR location. The exam consists of 65 questions broken down into three sections: hazard perception (25), knowledge (10) and insight (30). The applicant makes an appointment to take the exam through the CBR website using their DigID.

Options to help prepare for the Netherlands driving license theory exam include:

• Examencentrum offers practice exams online which precisely replicate the various portions of the actual test. They offer one practice exam for free; additional tests can be purchased singly or in multi-packages.
• Theory exam preparation books and kits are available in English and can be purchased at bol.com, Paagman and Amazon NL

Practical – A date/time to take the practical portion of the Dutch driving license exam can only be scheduled by a CBR-registered driving school. This is done once the instructor is satisfied that the student can drive a car safely on Dutch roads.

The same applies to experienced drivers licensed in another country who are ineligible to exchange their foreign license for a Dutch license. They too must demonstrate their driving ability at a satisfactory level to a Dutch instructor before the instructor will schedule their practical exam.

The practical test consists of the student performing various driving maneuvers under the observation of a CBR test administrator. The student can request to have their instructor present in the vehicle during the test. Should the student fail, the instructor then has an understanding of the area that requires additional training.

DUTCH DRIVING SCHOOLS

Driving schools/instructors commonly offer an intake or trial lesson from which they make an estimate of the number of lessons the student will need before they are ready for the actual CBR practical exam.

Driving lessons are given in a car with a large blue cube with the letter ‘L’ in white affixed to the roof. This indicates to other drivers that the vehicle is being driven by a learner. The car has controls also on the passenger side that allows the instructor to take control in a dangerous situation. Students typically take the CBR exam using the same vehicle they have trained in.

Many driving schools in Holland offer lessons in English for non-Dutch speaking foreign residents. You can check a school’s quality by looking it up on the website Rijschoolgegevens.nl which shows the pass rate of students over the previous 3-month period.

NOTE: A student can take driving lessons before they have passed the theory exam. However, the practical exam cannot be scheduled until the student has taken and passed the theory portion. Once the theory exam has been successfully passed, the student has up to 18 months to pass the practical exam. If successful completion of the practical exam does not occur within this time frame, the theory exam result is voided and the applicant must retake the theory exam.

RECEIVING YOUR DUTCH DRIVING LICENSE

Once the student driver has successfully passed the theoretical and practical driving exams and has been deemed healthy to drive by the CBR, an appointment can be made at the local municipal office (gemeente) to request their Dutch driving license.

They must bring to the appointment:

• Passport photo which meets the technical specifications
• Valid ID
• Form of payment for the processing fee

The driving license can be collected at the same municipal office approximately 5 business days later. If the driving license is not collected within 3 months, the municipality is required to destroy the license. If this happens, the applicant needs to submit a new license request and pay the processing fees again.

Related information…

DRIVING SCHOOLS IN HOLLAND

BUYING A CAR IN THE NETHERLANDS

NETHERLANDS CAR INSURANCE