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Destination  Netherlands

Driving licence exchange in the Netherlands – 185 days, the 30% ruling exception and OV-chipkaart

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

Your licence may be valid for years, or for 185 days – it depends on where it was issued and, oddly, on your tax status. This part covers exchanging a driving licence, importing a car through the RDW, where diesel cars may not go, and how the OV-chipkaart and OVpay work in the five big cities.

Woman cycling with a child seat beside a blue and white tram in Amsterdam
Photo: anamejia18/Adobe Stock

Since 14 April 2025 the daytime limit is again 130 km/h on parts of the motorway network. Since 1 January 2026 the first toll road for cars, the A24 Blankenburgverbinding near Rotterdam, charges €1.57 a trip, and milieuzones (low-emission zones) carry a new road sign. Whether and when you must exchange your own driving licence depends on where it was issued – and, unexpectedly, on the 30% ruling.

How long is your foreign driving licence valid in the Netherlands?

The rules are national, set by the RDW (the Netherlands Vehicle Authority), and hinge on where the licence was issued and when you registered in the BRP (Basisregistratie Personen – the population register).

Licence issued inValid for driving in the NetherlandsThen
EU/EFTA, categories AM, A1, A2, A, B and BE15 years from its date of issue, as long as it is validExchange at the gemeente – no new test
EU/EFTA, categories C1, C, D1, D and their trailer classes5 years from the date of issueExchange
EU/EFTA, issued more than 15 years ago and never expired2 years after your moveExchange
EU/EFTA, issued while you already lived in the NetherlandsNot validExchange first
Outside the EU/EFTA185 days after your moveOnly a Dutch licence counts – even if an exchange is pending
Any country, tourist rather than residentAcceptedAn international permit is wise if the categories differ

Source: RDW, read 24 September 2026.

Who can exchange a driving licence – and the 30% ruling exception

A licence from outside the EU/EFTA can only be exchanged if it comes from a listed country – Andorra, Alberta and Québec, Gibraltar, Great Britain, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Monaco, Northern Ireland, the former Netherlands Antilles, Israel, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea, several for category B only – and you must have lived there for 185 days in the year it was obtained. A US licence cannot be exchanged. Everyone else takes the theory and practical tests at the CBR (the driving test authority).

The exception is the expat scheme. A kennismigrant (highly skilled migrant) with the 30% ruling – the RDW asks for the Belastingdienst's decision – can exchange a licence from any country, the USA included. Anna, arriving from the United States with her ruling approved, exchanges within 185 days; her colleague without it sits CBR tests. Ukrainians under temporary protection may keep driving on their Ukrainian licence, even an expired one.

Apply at the gemeente (municipality) – only it can submit the request – with a colour passport photo, the foreign licence (translated if not in Latin script) and, for a non-EU licence, a CBR health declaration; the fee varies per municipality. The RDW needs at least 15 working days, and you collect the Dutch licence 5 working days later. The foreign licence is not returned, and an expired non-EU licence cannot be exchanged. You must be in the BRP with EU/EFTA nationality or a residence permit – not while waiting for one. New drivers: theory from 16, lessons from 16.5, the practical test from 17.

Bringing a car: RDW, bpm and mrb

Once registered in the BRP – compulsory for stays over 4 months – you may not drive a foreign-registered car: it must be registered with the RDW, and Dutch bpm (purchase tax) and mrb (motor vehicle tax) paid. People not in the BRP may drive on foreign plates for up to 6 months; students and seconded employees are exceptions.

From another EU country there is no customs declaration and no import duty. From outside the EU you first file a customs declaration for household effects and bring the Belastingdienst document, no older than 12 months, to the inspection. Book an RDW inspection and attend in person with ID and the complete original foreign registration certificate (the RDW keeps it). To get there legally, apply online with your BSN for the 2-week bpm and mrb exemption, or request a free one-day registration with DigiD.

Step or fee (2026)Amount or time
Identification of a light vehicle€58.50
Registration certificate€50.00
Registration in your name€13.10
Recycling fee (cars and vans up to 3,500 kg)€22.50
EU-import inspection25 to 55 minutes
Registration certificate after approvalWithin 5 working days; code letter 2 working days later
Toll on the A24, per trip (since 1 January 2026)€1.57 for cars; reminder fee €9.00

Source: RDW and Rijksoverheid, read 24 September 2026.

For a car you already own, the verhuisboedelvrijstelling (relocation exemption) means no bpm if you owned and used it for at least 6 months before the move, lived abroad for at least 12 months and apply within 12 months of moving – but sell or lend it within 12 months of the exemption date and bpm is due. Once the car is in your name, Dutch WA (third-party liability) insurance is compulsory and the Belastingdienst bills mrb automatically. A valid EU/EFTA inspection certificate carries over; otherwise have the APK (periodic inspection) done immediately after the registration certificate arrives, or risk a fine.

Milieuzones, tolls and speed: where can your car go?

Milieuzones are municipal decisions within a national framework. Four cities have a zone for diesel cars and vans: Amsterdam, Arnhem, The Hague and Utrecht. The Hague runs a 'green' zone (diesel emission class 4 or higher, cars only); Amsterdam, Arnhem and Utrecht run 'blue' zones (class 5 or higher). Eindhoven introduces a blue zone for cars on 1 January 2027. Petrol, LPG and electric vehicles may always enter.

Amsterdam's zone covers everything inside the A10 ring, not the ring itself: diesel cars, taxis and vans need Euro 5 or higher, lorries and coaches Euro 6, and vehicles over 40 years old are allowed in. No sticker or registration exists; fines are €90 for mopeds, €130 for cars, taxis, vans and coaches and €320 for lorries. Since 1 January 2025 several cities also have zero-emission zones for vans and lorries; the only official exemption site is the RDW's.

The A24 toll has no gates: cameras read the plate and you pay through a provider or online from 7 days before to 3 days after the trip. The blood-alcohol limit is 0.5 per mille for every driver, cyclists included, and 0.2 for holders of a beginner's licence.

Getting around without a car: OV-chipkaart and OVpay

In city transport you pay per kilometre with credit on an OV-chipkaart or with OVpay, paying by debit card; passes are set by each operator. The 2026 figures for the five cities:

City (operator)Fares and tickets 2026Monthly passes 2026
Amsterdam (GVB)€1.16 + €0.217 per km; 1-hour ticket €3.40; day ticket €10.00GVB Vrij €129.00 (€85.00 for ages 4–18)
Rotterdam (RET)Discount passes: RET 20% €8.20, 40% €29.70 a monthRegio Vrij R10 Rotterdam Centrum €84, R11 Centrum Groot €128; also valid on EBS, HTM and Transdev lines
The Hague (HTM)2-hour ticket €4.85; day ticket €8.60Regio Vrij DH70 Den Haag Centrum €63
Utrecht (U-OV)€1.16 + €0.201 per kmU-OV Max caps OVpay at €100.00 a month; Dal Vrij off-peak €30.00
Eindhoven (Bravo, run by Hermes)€1.16 + €0.202 per kmBrabant Altijd Vrij €160, all buses in Brabant

Source: GVB, RET, HTM, U-OV and Bravo, read 24 September 2026.

GVB's park-and-ride ticket costs €6.00 for 1 or 2 persons; a bicycle costs a €2.30 supplement.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Find your licence in the first tableOn arrival – 185 days for non-EU licences
2Non-EU licence: check the exchange list or your 30% ruling; get a CBR health declarationThe RDW needs 15 working days
3Apply for the exchange at the gemeente with a colour photoOnce you are in the BRP with a permit
4Bringing a car: 2-week exemption, RDW inspection, bpm returnBefore driving on Dutch roads
5Dutch WA insurance and the APKThe day the car is in your name
6Diesel? Check your city's milieuzone; load an OV-chipkaart or use OVpayBefore your first trip
7Questions: RDW 088 008 7447, Monday–Friday 8:00–17:00, press 0 for English; CBR 088 227 77 00Weekdays

Source: RDW and CBR, read 24 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 24 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.