Exchanging a driving license

Registering and owning a car

General driving 

Contacts

Taking the car driving  theory and practical tests in English

Update for moped drivers

To drive a car in the Netherlands you must have a valid license, be aged 18, have third party insurance and be driving a registered vehicle.

Once you are a resident of the Netherlands, you cannot drive a car registered in another country.

Exchanging a driving license
To exchange (omwissellen) your existing national driving license (rijbewijs) for a Dutch one, you must fit into one of the categories below. Otherwise you can use it for 185 days after arrival, after which you must pass the regular CBR theory and driving tests. You can take the theory exam in English or Turkish and, after a brief respite from 1 March - June 2009, when  the practical exam in English was no longer a standard option, you can once again take the practical in English.. ’Drivers in international traffic‘, which are essentially tourists or the short-term visitor, are non-residents on the Dutch roads and do not need a Dutch driving license. Dutch licenses are generally issued for 10 years. If you have a license from an EU country, it is also valid for 10 years from the date of issue. You may like to exchange it anyway:  it is a valid proof of identity in many cases.

Licenses that can be exchanged:

• Aruba, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Republic of Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, (States of) Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Isle of Man, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands Antilles, Norway,  Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland.

• Specific licenses from Taiwan, Israel, Japan, Singapore, Andorra, South Korea, Canadian Province of Quebec.

• Residents with the 30% ruling status (whatever nationality).

For most of the countries listed above, the licenses will be valid for ten years -- before the ten years elapses you will need to exchange the license for a Dutch one..

Apply at a municipal office for an ‘Aanvraag omwisseling voor Nederlands rijbewijs’  form, You must have a BSN number and be registered in the municipality database as a resident; and an ’Eigen Verklaring‘ a CBR Statement of Health. If you are 70 years or over you need an ‘Uitgebreide Eigen Verklaring’—an extensive statement of health. There are fees for these. If you are applying under the 30% ruling you will need a statement from the tax office—the international department in Heerlen. Additional documentation may be required in certain circumstances so check with your own embassy for any specific translation or authentication requirements. You will generally forfeit your original licence (unless applying under the 30% ruling).You need a special license for a bromfiets (moped), snorfiets (light moped), or brommobiel (mobility car)  (unless you have a license of the A or B category), You must be 16 or over  to get one.

 
Registering and owning a car
The hefty disincentive for bringing a car into the Netherlands is the private motor vehicle and motor cycle tax (BPM) levied as a percentage of the value of the car. Exemption certificates are dealt with by customs www.douane.nl. There are many other tax implications for car owners: consult the website www.belastingdienst.nl for full details (in English). All cars must be registered with the RDW. You can register a car at a post office with all the usual identification documents and certificate of ownership, statutory liability insurance (WA), and safety certificate (APK). For second hand vehicles, there is a transfer certificate Overschrijvingsbewijs.

A seller should insure their previous ownership certificate has been officially invalidated. After registering your car, you will receive a bill for road tax motorrijtuigenbelasting from the tax office.

The vehicle's registration certificate Kentekenbewijs, and the certificate of ownership Tenaamstellingsbewijs must be in the car at all times when on the road.

The APK test (at an RDW approved garage) measures the road worthiness of your vehicle. For cars brought into the Netherlands, a test is necessary if the car is older than three years. For insurance, check the a-z listings or other sources for suppliers of autoverzekering.

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