How to exchange a foreign driving licence in the Netherlands

After moving to the Netherlands you can drive on a foreign licence for a while, but not indefinitely. The country that issued it largely decides how long and whether you can swap it for a Dutch licence without a new test. The key question is whether it comes from the EU or from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, a group the licence authority, RDW, calls EU/EFTA. Exchanges go through your municipality to RDW; the CBR runs the driving tests and medical fitness checks.

First, which rules apply to you

A UK licence counts as non-EU/EFTA: RDW lists Great Britain and Northern Ireland among exchangeable non-EU/EFTA licences, so the 185-day limit applies.

Licences from EU/EFTA countries

RDW says a valid EU/EFTA licence can always be exchanged. You may drive on it until 15 years after issue for categories AM, A1, A2, A, B and BE, or five years for lorry and bus, while it stays valid. An EU/EFTA licence issued after you registered here cannot be used here and must be exchanged.

RDW gives two more years from your move to an unexpired licence issued over 15 years ago. The law differs. Under article 108 of the Road Traffic Act, you get two years from settling if, by then, the 15-year (lorry and bus: five-year) period has ended or has under two years left. Only a licence valid for more than 15 (or five) years in total qualifies. Near or past that point? Confirm your end date with RDW; after it, you need a Dutch licence.

RDW says an expired EU/EFTA licence can still be exchanged, with a no-objection statement from the issuing authority if it is from Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland. The driving licence regulations, the Reglement rijbewijzen, require a certified statement for any expired EU/EFTA licence, so ask RDW or your municipality first.

RDW says you may need a CBR health declaration for:

• a licence valid for less time than usual in its country, or with a restriction not shown as an EU code (except glasses, lenses or automatic);
• lorry or bus categories;
• a medical condition that may affect your driving;
• age 65 or over, with a licence running to your 75th birthday or later.

On age, article 45 of the Reglement uses 70 rather than 65, and requires one from everyone aged 75 or over. The CBR says exchanges generally need one, with some exceptions; if in doubt, ask RDW.

Licences from outside the EU/EFTA

A valid non-EU/EFTA licence may be used for the first 185 days after you move; if its categories are not labelled A to E, RDW advises also carrying an international driving permit from the issuing country. RDW counts from your move, the law from the day you settled and Eindhoven from your registration: work from the earliest.

RDW names one exception: a Ukrainian licence held by someone under the Temporary Protection Directive (residence permit 46) may still be used, even if expired. It can be exchanged only with a 30% ruling from the Belastingdienst, the tax authority (the Expat Scheme, below). Article 108 also exempts some diplomatic, consular and international-organisation staff, members of NATO forces stationed here, and their families.

For most newcomers, three routes lead to an exchange, each needing a CBR health declaration. RDW requires a valid licence, as it cannot exchange an expired one, and 185 days’ residence in the issuing country in the year you got it. Article 46 of the Reglement waives both, on conditions, for a licence itself issued in exchange for an earlier one of yours.

Your country is on RDW’s list

RDW’s list sometimes covers only certain categories, so check your country and category. It includes Great Britain (all categories, but BE only after a separate exam, RDW says), Northern Ireland (all categories) and certain Canadian provinces, but not the US. The exchange regulation behind the list sets no such BE condition, so ask RDW if you need BE; it excludes UK provisional licences and learner permits.

The Expat Scheme applies to you

Who qualifies. RDW says that if you are here for work and the Expat Scheme (30% facility) applies to you, you can exchange a licence from any country. The exchange regulation also covers a household member living with the employee. RDW does not mention this, though Eindhoven refers to partners, so partners should check with RDW.

What you get. All the categories on your licence, says RDW’s Dutch checklist.

Residence permit. The checklist asks everyone for a valid one; RDW’s English page asks only people without EU/EFTA nationality, so EU/EFTA nationals should ask their municipality.

What to bring. A valid Expat Scheme decision (RDW’s English page calls it a Decision on the Evidence Rule), which you apply for with your employer. The Belastingdienst says it replies within eight weeks and a decision lasts up to five years; check the end date on yours.

You once held a Dutch licence

RDW says a Dutch licence that was valid after 30 June 1985 lets you exchange a licence from any country for the categories you had. Rijksoverheid, the central government’s site, describes one obtained after July 1985 and later exchanged abroad, so check your case with RDW.

If your foreign licence was issued in exchange for your Dutch one, article 46 lifts the validity requirement. Two more conditions apply: you ask for the same categories, and it expired only because its validity period ran out. If yours has expired, ask RDW before booking any tests.

If your licence cannot be exchanged

RDW says you then need to pass the CBR theory and practical tests. A first Dutch licence also needs a health declaration. An international driving permit is only a translation and cannot be exchanged. The car theory test can be taken in English.

RDW says you must live here at least 185 days before applying; article 32 of the Reglement says 184 days in the past year or six months’ enrolment at a Dutch school or university. Check with your municipality. Without EU/EFTA nationality you also need one of the residence statuses listed in step 1 below; a Vreemdelingen Identiteitsbewijs (VI) is valid ID, not a residence permit.

How the exchange works

1. Check that you can apply. You must be registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP) and, without EU/EFTA nationality, hold a residence permit, Association Decision 1/80 status or Temporary Protection Directive cover. Waiting for a (new) residence permit is not enough.
2. Get the health declaration, if you need one. RDW says you can fill it in online through My CBR (a paper form takes longer); once declared fit, you have one year to apply. The CBR says it responds within four weeks, but that response can be a referral to a doctor or a driving test; RDW warns that processing can take up to four months, so plan for the longer figure. The CBR advises filling it in six months before you must stop driving on your foreign licence.
3. Visit your municipality in person. Eindhoven, for example, asks you to book an appointment. You pay the fee there; only the municipality can submit the application. RDW says to bring:
   • a colour passport photo;
   • your foreign licence, translated by a certified translator, embassy or consulate if it uses characters not used here, such as Japanese or Greek (RDW’s Dutch page says a sworn translator);
   • any old Dutch licence;
   • any statement needed for an expired EU/EFTA licence;
   • a valid Expat Scheme decision and the health declaration, if they apply.

   Eindhoven also asks for ID: a passport or ID card, or a residence permit for non-EU nationals.

4. Wait for RDW. You hand in your foreign licence and do not get it back. RDW says it needs at least 15 working days; if all is in order, a letter follows within 15 working days, then collection five working days later. Missing information adds time.

Driving while you wait. Official pages disagree. RDW says the choice is yours: you may drive if you have a valid licence, but police can fine you if you cannot show it when stopped, so the risk is small but real. RDW says that with a valid licence your insurance still covers you (your insurer can confirm), and advises carrying ID and not driving abroad. Rotterdam also leaves the choice to you. Eindhoven says you have no licence while your application runs, so you may not drive, even if you applied before your licence expired. Ask your own municipality, and if you want no risk, do not drive until you collect your Dutch licence. Either way, the limits above still apply.

Costs

The exchange fee varies by municipality, RDW says, so check yours; Rotterdam, for example, charges €53.65 in 2026. The CBR fees below come from its 2026 tariffs and the 2027 tariffs it has published. They exclude driving school and medical specialist costs, and the CBR says all its tariffs are subject to change.

Common mistakes

• Letting a licence from outside the EU/EFTA expire. Apart from the article 46 exception, RDW then cannot exchange it.
• Assuming an exchanged licence is accepted if you move to another EU country. A Dutch licence that replaced one from outside the EU can be used on temporary stays across the EU/EFTA, NetherlandsWorldwide says. But some EU countries, including Germany and France, do not accept it if you go to live there.