From zero to a licence
The order nobody may skip
- Theory exam — car from 16, moped from 15.5, motorcycle from 17.
- Driving lessons — for the car from 16.5.
- Health declaration — compulsory, € 46.90, and the item most often forgotten.
- Interim test — optional, from 16.5, costs as much as the exam itself.
- Practical exam — from 17.
- Coach pass — only if you pass at seventeen.
- Apply for the licence — at your municipality.
Two dates that shape your planning
The theory result is valid for a year and a half, not one year. The Reglement says literally "een jaar en zes maanden". Reckon with one year and you rush yourself for nothing.
Booking is allowed earlier than sitting. You may book a theory exam up to twenty weeks before reaching the minimum age; on the day itself you must have reached it. For the practical exam the margin is six months and your instructor does the booking.
Passing at seventeen: 2toDrive
Obtain your category B licence at seventeen and until you turn eighteen you may drive only with a coach beside you and the coach pass on you. The order is binding: first apply for the pass at the RDW, only then for the licence at your municipality. Without the pass you receive the licence only at eighteen, even though you passed.
A coach must be at least 27 and have held a Dutch car licence for at least five years. You choose a minimum of one and a maximum of five. A prospective coach may register at the earliest six months before your seventeenth birthday.
What the CBR charges in 2026
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Theory exam (Dutch) | € 50.50 |
| Theory exam in English | € 57.00 |
| Theory with extra time | € 64.00 |
| Theory with an interpreter or individually supervised | € 118.50 |
| Practical exam, car | € 143.50 |
| Interim test | € 143.50 |
| Exam-anxiety practical exam | € 202.00 |
| Health declaration | € 46.90 |
These are the CBR's rates only; the driving school is by far the largest item. According to CBR research a licence costs roughly € 3,320 in total on average.
If you hold a dyslexia certificate you can claim the extra-time surcharge back within fourteen days of the exam via Mijn CBR. Miss the window and the money is gone.
After passing: the novice period
Your first licence is a novice licence, and then an alcohol limit of 0.2 rather than 0.5 per mille applies. That period lasts seven years if your first licence was AM or T and you were not yet eighteen, and five years if your first licence was issued when you were already eighteen. Someone who obtained a moped licence at sixteen therefore stays under the stricter limit until twenty-three.