To drive a car in the Netherlands you must have a valid license-recognised by Dutch law-be aged 18, have third party insurance and be driving a registered vehicle. Once you are a resident of the Netherlands (registered in the municipality database) you cannot drive a car registered in another country.

Exchanging a driving license

To exchange (omwisselen) 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 both the theory and practical exam in English. ‘Drivers in international traffic'-essentially tourists or short-term visitors-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 ten 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, Republic of 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 percent ruling status (whatever nationality).

For most of the countries listed above, the licenses will be valid for 10 years from the date of issue at the most. Note: Several countries issue a license for less than 10 years.

Apply at a municipal office for an ‘Aanvraag omwisseling voor Nederlands rijbewijs' form-you must have a BSN 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 percent ruling you will need a statement from the tax office's international department in Heerlen. Additional documentation may be required in certain circumstances so check with your embassy for any specific translation or authentication requirements. You will generally forfeit your original licence (unless applying under the 30 percent 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) and you must be 16 or over to get one.

For all information on driving licences visit the website www.rijbewijs.nl, which has an English language section.

Registering and owning a car

The hefty disincentive for bringing a car into the Netherlands is the private motor vehicle and motorcycle 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).Also note that you, as a Dutch resident, may not drive in a vehicle with foreign registration plates as you will be considered to be evading the import duty on the vehicle and road tax and you risk being heavily fined.  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 ensure 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 yellow pages or other sources for suppliers of autoverzekering.

General driving

You drive on the right. Unless otherwise marked, the speed limits are 50 km/hr in the city, 80 km/hr on other roads and 100 or 120 km/hr on motorways. Traffic is an issue (www.trafficnet.nl) and so is parking, for which you generally need a permit. There are various options for paying for parking, with cash, chip or via your mobile phone. See  www.parkmobiel.nl or www.park-line.nl or www.yellowbrick.nl). Most Dutch drivers are members of motoring organisation ANWB (www.anwb.nl) which can provide breakdown cover (wegenwacht) at home or abroad. Park and Ride (P+R) schemes are in most cities and.  Car-sharing scheme Green Wheels is a popular option (www.greenwheels.com). (See expatica article Dutch community car service Greenwheels.)

Read about the changes to traffic and vehicle regulations from 1 May 2009.

Contacts
The Department of Road Transport (www.rdw.nl  Tel: 900 0739 or outside the Netherlands +31 598 393330
Driving licenses (www.rijbewijs.nl/)
Driving tests www.cbr.nl
070 413 0300

You can download a brochure 'Road Traffic Signs and Regulations' from the website of the Ministry of Transport and Public works. www.verkeerenwaterstaat.nl. For information on traffic offences, the BVOM (Bureau for Traffic Enforcement of the Public Prosecution Service has details on its website about common offences (www.verkeershandhaving.nl ).

For more information on driving related topics such as vehicle leasing, buying a car, insurance and importing your car to the Netherlands, read  Driving in Amsterdam by Explorer Publishing.

Online moped theory training is now available in English

The Dutch moped theory test is now available in the English language with the release of a new online training and testing course in English by The International School of Driving (DriveRight).

Ask the experts
Do you have driving-related questions? Ask our expert Michael Davidson. Simply go the the Travel and Transport category of our Ask the experts section and click on his name. Current Q&As cover topics such as vehicle insurance and registration.

A-Z listing

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