A foreign driving licence in the Netherlands
| Origin of the licence | Exchange possible? | Exams again? | How long you may drive on the foreign licence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU or EFTA (EEA) | Yes, through the municipality | No | Fifteen years from the date of issue for AM, A1, A2, A, B and BE; five years for C1, C, D1, D and their E variants. In all cases the licence itself must still be valid. If it was issued more than fifteen years ago but has not expired, you may drive on it for another two years from the day you came to live in the Netherlands. | The exception that is often missed: if the EU or EFTA licence was issued while you were already registered in the Netherlands, you may not drive on it here at all and must exchange it. The fifteen years do not apply then. |
| Ukraine, under the Temporary Protection Directive | Only in certain cases — the temporary-protection regime changes and stands apart from the ordinary rules. Always check this directly with the RDW at the time itself | Yes, if exchange is not possible. Anyone staying in the Netherlands under the Temporary Protection Directive can apply for a Dutch licence after passing both the theory and the practical exam — that is stated explicitly | Separate arrangements apply to the driving itself, outside the ordinary 185-day rule. Go to the RDW for this rather than relying on a summary | We deliberately write no more here than what we saw verbatim at the source. The dedicated RDW page on Ukrainian licences returned an error on the verification date. A wrong figure in this row could put someone on the road without authority, and that weighs heavier than a complete-looking table. |
| Highly skilled migrant with the 30% ruling | Yes, regardless of the country of issue | No | The ordinary 185 days for non-EU/EEA licences still apply — the ruling makes the exchange possible, not driving for longer | The condition is that the foreign licence is still valid. This is the only route by which a licence from almost any country can be exchanged without an exam, which is why it pays to check whether you fall under the Tax Administration's ruling. |
| Designated country outside the EU/EEA | In some cases yes. Whether your country is included is determined by the checklist on the RDW exchange page | No, if exchange is allowed | One hundred and eighty-five days after you live in the Netherlands | We do not reproduce a list of countries here. Such lists change, and an outdated list is worse than none — work through the RDW's own checklist. |
| Other countries outside the EU/EEA | No | Yes — theory and practical exams again at the CBR. That is exactly the route this site exists for | One hundred and eighty-five days after you live in the Netherlands, then no longer | If the categories on your foreign licence are not designated A, B, C, D or E, an international licence alongside it is advisable. You arrange that in the country that issued your licence, not here. |
Notes
- A pending application grants no right to drive. The RDW says so in as many words: without a Dutch licence you may not drive once the period has expired, not even while your application is being processed. Count on at least fifteen working days, and longer if documents are needed.
- An expired licence cannot be exchanged. So start before the expiry date. Missing items, such as the CBR Health Declaration, may be submitted later — but the application itself must be lodged in time.
- The hundred and eighty-five days count from the moment you live in the Netherlands, not from your arrival and not from municipal registration if that comes later. Six months sounds long, but between arrival, housing, language and work it passes quickly.
- You exchange at the municipality, not at the RDW. The RDW assesses and registers, but the application itself goes through the municipal desk.
- This table is deliberately marked source_partial. The row on Ukraine is not fully completed because the source page was unreachable on the verification date. Only complete it with text read verbatim at the RDW, and only then set the status to source_ok.
The law itself
Verified on: