Driving in the Netherlands with a foreign licence - and exchanging it

Before you start

• Registration in the Personal Records Database (BRP) at a Dutch address
• For non-EU citizens, a valid temporary or permanent residence permit (not a pending application)

Documents you need

• Your foreign driving licence

  With a certified translation if it uses non-Latin characters

  required

• A recent colour passport photo meeting Dutch requirements

  required

• Passport or ID card

  required

• Residence permit

  If you are not an EU/EFTA citizen

  optional

• Tax Administration decision granting the expat scheme (30% ruling)

  Only if you rely on the 30% ruling to exchange a non-EU licence

  optional

• CBR health declaration result (Certificate of Medical Fitness)

  Needed for non-EU licences and in some EU cases

  optional

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Check how long you may drive on your current licence

   • EU/EFTA licence: for cars and motorcycles (AM, A1, A2, A, B, BE) you may drive in the Netherlands until 15 years after the licence's issue date, as long as it remains valid. For lorries and buses (C and D categories) the limit is 5 years after issue. If your licence was already older than that when you moved, you can use it for two more years from the date you settled in the Netherlands.
   • Non-EU/EFTA licence: you may drive for the first 185 days after you moved to the Netherlands. After that you need a Dutch licence, even if your exchange application is still being processed.
   • EU/EFTA licence obtained while already living in the Netherlands: not valid for driving here; you must exchange it.

   If your licence does not use the categories A, B, C, D and E, the RDW recommends also carrying an International Driving Permit from the country that issued your licence.

2. 2

   Step 2: Check whether you can exchange

   You can exchange if you meet all of these conditions:

   • your licence is valid and from an EU/EFTA country (an expired EU/EFTA licence can also be exchanged), or from a country the Netherlands has an agreement with;
   • you are registered in the BRP;
   • you are an EU/EFTA citizen, or you hold a temporary or permanent residence permit (not while waiting for one), or another status the RDW lists.

   For licences from outside the EU/EFTA, you must also have lived in the issuing country for at least 185 days in the year you obtained the licence.

   Countries and regions on the RDW exchange list (2026) include Andorra, the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Québec, Gibraltar, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Israel, Japan, Jersey, Monaco, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea and the former Netherlands Antilles. Often only some categories (for example only the car licence) are exchanged. Licences from countries not on the list, such as the United States, cannot be exchanged by most people.

3. 3

   Step 3: Use the 30% ruling exemption if it applies

   If you work in the Netherlands and the Tax Administration has granted you the expat scheme (the 30% ruling, 30%-regeling), you can exchange a valid driving licence from any country, including countries not on the list. You bring the Tax Administration's decision (beschikking) to the municipality. Apply while the decision is valid, and check the RDW's conditions for whether family members in your household can use the same route. See the 30% ruling for how the scheme itself works.

4. 4

   Step 4: Get a CBR health declaration if needed

   A health declaration (Gezondheidsverklaring) is needed for all exchanges of non-EU/EFTA licences and in some EU/EFTA cases, for example for lorry and bus categories or depending on your age. Fill it in online through Mijn CBR and pay €46.90 (2026). The CBR may ask you to see a doctor, at your own cost. Processing can take up to four months, so start early. Once you are declared fit, the result is registered for one year.

5. 5

   Step 5: Apply at your municipality

   Make an appointment at the municipality where you are registered and bring your foreign licence, a colour passport photo, your ID, your residence permit if applicable, an old Dutch licence if you ever had one, and the 30% ruling decision if you rely on it. Fill in the application form and pay the municipal fee. The municipality sends everything to the RDW; only the municipality can submit the application.

   If your non-EU licence is about to expire, start the exchange before it does; the RDW cannot exchange an expired non-EU licence, but documents such as the health declaration can follow later.

6. 6

   Step 6: Collect your Dutch licence

   If your application is complete, the RDW sends you a letter within 15 working days, and you can collect your Dutch licence at the municipality from five working days after that. You do not get your foreign licence back.

   While your licence is with the authorities, you can choose whether to drive. You are allowed to drive with a valid licence, but if the police stop you and you cannot show it, they can check your application with the RDW and may still fine you. The RDW advises against driving abroad during this period.

7. 7

   Step 7: If you cannot exchange - take the Dutch tests

   If exchange is not possible, you must pass both the theory exam and the practical exam at the CBR. You first fill in a health declaration, then book the theory exam through Mijn CBR. Many people take lessons with a driving school before the practical exam, and driving schools can usually book the practical exam for you. Ask the CBR which languages and support are available for the theory exam.

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Starting the CBR health declaration too late; it can take months.
• Applying while your residence permit application is still pending, which is not accepted.
• Assuming a licence from a US state or another non-listed country can be exchanged without the 30% ruling.
• Letting a non-EU licence expire before applying.

Tips

• Make a copy or photo of your foreign licence before you hand it in; you will not get it back.
• Ask the issuing authority in your home country whether you can get a replacement later if you need a licence there again.
• If you only drive occasionally, car sharing and public transport may make the exchange less urgent; see *public transport in Amsterdam*.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Official links

In your plan

• Check your driving licence and exchange it in timeAdd to plan
• Collect the originals you will need in the NetherlandsAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 5 Apr 2027.