How to exchange your driving licence in NL

Exchanging a foreign driving licence in the Netherlands is done by your municipality (gemeente), which forwards the application to the RDW (the Netherlands Vehicle Authority). Whether you can exchange at all, and how long you may keep driving on your current licence in the meantime, depends on where the licence was issued. There is no single waiting period that applies to everyone.

You must be registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP) at a Dutch address before you can apply. If you do not hold EU/EFTA nationality you must already hold a temporary or permanent residence permit: the RDW states that exchange is not possible while you are waiting for a new or renewed permit, so a pending IND decision blocks the application. Establish two things first: which country or territory issued your licence, and the date you came to live in the Netherlands, because that date starts the clock on how long a non-EU/EFTA licence may still be used. A licence issued in an EU or EFTA country can be exchanged once those conditions are met, and it may be expired. A licence issued outside the EU/EFTA can only be exchanged if it appears on the RDW's list of designated countries, or if the expat scheme applies to you. If neither route is open, exchange is not possible and you will have to sit Dutch exams instead.

The country of issue decides both how long you may keep driving and whether an exchange is possible at all.

• Issued in an EU or EFTA country

  For categories AM, A1, A2, A, B and BE you may keep driving in the Netherlands for another 15 years counted from the date the foreign licence was issued, as long as the licence itself is still valid. For the heavy categories C1, C, D1, D, C1E, CE, D1E and DE the limit is a maximum of 5 years from the date of issue. If your licence was issued more than 15 years ago but has not expired, you may drive for another 2 years from the date you came to live in the Netherlands. You can exchange at any point provided you are registered in the BRP and hold EU/EFTA nationality or a valid residence permit, and the RDW accepts an EU/EFTA licence for exchange even when it has expired.

• Issued outside the EU/EFTA, in a designated country

  You may use the licence for 185 days after you come to live in the Netherlands, and after that only a Dutch licence is valid here. Exchange is possible only if the issuing country or territory is on the RDW's list of non-EU/EFTA licences suitable for exchange, which sets out per country which categories may be exchanged. You must also have lived in that country for 185 days in the year you obtained the licence. A CBR Health Declaration is required.

• Issued outside the EU/EFTA, and the expat scheme applies to you

  The RDW states that if you are in the Netherlands for work as a highly skilled migrant and the expat scheme (expatregeling, widely known as the 30% ruling) applies to you, you can exchange your driving licence from any country. You must bring the valid decision from the Belastingdienst to the municipality. The Belastingdienst issues that decision to the employee, on an application form completed jointly by employee and employer, for a maximum of 5 years. The RDW page does not state whether a partner or child can rely on the same decision, so ask the RDW or your municipality rather than assuming it, and do so before your 185 days run out.

• Issued outside the EU/EFTA, with no exchange route open

  If the issuing country is not on the RDW list and the expat scheme does not apply, the licence cannot be exchanged. To drive in the Netherlands after your 185 days you must obtain a Dutch licence by passing both the theory exam and the practical exam at the CBR. A separate route exists if you previously held a Dutch driving licence that was valid after 30 June 1985.

1. 1

   Work out which validity rule applies to your licence

   Look at the country that issued the licence, not your nationality and not where you last lived. A licence from an EU or EFTA country keeps working in the Netherlands for up to 15 years from its date of issue for categories AM, A1, A2, A, B and BE, and for a maximum of 5 years from that date for categories C1, C, D1, D, C1E, CE, D1E and DE. A licence issued anywhere else may be used for 185 days after you come to live in the Netherlands.

   Do this: Write down the issuing country, the date of issue on the licence and the date you came to live in the Netherlands, then read the RDW validity page against those three facts.

   Documents needed

   • Your foreign driving licence

   Processing time

   15 minutes

   Common mistake: The most common error is treating the 185-day rule as universal. It is the non-EU/EFTA rule. Applying it to an EU/EFTA licence makes people rush an exchange they did not need, and applying the 15-year rule to a non-EU/EFTA licence leaves people driving unlawfully.

   Official source

   RDW · Driving with a foreign driving licence
2. 2

   Check whether your licence can be exchanged at all

   An EU or EFTA licence can be exchanged even if it has expired, provided you are registered in the BRP and hold EU/EFTA nationality or a qualifying residence permit. The RDW is explicit that exchange is not possible while you are waiting for a new or renewed residence permit, whichever country issued your licence. A licence from outside the EU/EFTA can only be exchanged if the issuing country or territory appears on the RDW's list, which also states which categories that country's licences convert into, or if the expat scheme applies to you.

   Do this: Open the RDW exchange page and find your issuing country in the list of non-EU/EFTA licences suitable for exchange, or confirm that your licence is an EU/EFTA one.

   Documents needed

   • Your foreign driving licence
   • Your residence document or proof of EU/EFTA nationality

   Processing time

   15 minutes

   Common mistake: The list works per country and per category. A country can be on it while the specific category you hold is not, which means part of your entitlement is not carried across.

   Official source

   RDW · Exchanging a foreign driving licence
3. 3

   Check whether you need a CBR Health Declaration, and submit it early

   The CBR lists exchanging a foreign licence for a Dutch one among the situations in which you must complete a Health Declaration (Gezondheidsverklaring). The RDW requires it as a document if your licence is from outside the EU/EFTA, and states that for an EU/EFTA licence you sometimes need one as well, so check your own situation on the CBR site rather than assuming an EU/EFTA licence exempts you. You complete it through My CBR (Mijn CBR) using DigiD, answering the questions truthfully. If the CBR approves it, the Certificate of Fitness to Drive (Verklaring van geschiktheid) is registered, and the RDW states that this registration is valid for 1 year, within which you file for your licence at the municipality.

   Do this: Log in to My CBR with your DigiD, answer the questions in the Health Declaration and pay it.

   Documents needed

   • DigiD
   • Details of any medical conditions or medication affecting driving

   Cost

   €46.90 CBR Health Declaration fee (2026)

   Processing time

   The CBR states you receive a response within 4 weeks, and the RDW states that processing by the CBR can take up to 4 months

   Common mistake: People discover this requirement late and then find that the CBR assessment alone can outlast the 185 days their licence has left. The paper form is not a shortcut: it is sold over the counter only at the CBR exam centres in Amsterdam, Arnhem, Eindhoven and Rijswijk, Monday to Friday between 08.00 and 17.00, and municipalities sell it only for the assessment that applies when a licence expires on or after the holder's 75th birthday. Start the Health Declaration before the appointment at the municipality, not after.

   Official source

   CBR · Completing and paying for the Health Declaration
4. 4

   Assemble the documents the municipality will ask for

   The RDW lists what you must bring: a colour passport photograph meeting the Dutch photo requirements, your foreign driving licence with a translation by a sworn translator where the licence uses characters not used in the Netherlands, your old Dutch licence if you have ever held one, the CBR Health Declaration, and the valid Belastingdienst decision on the expat scheme if you are exchanging under that route. The Health Declaration is always required for a licence from outside the EU/EFTA and is sometimes needed for an EU/EFTA one. Take a valid identity or residence document as well.

   Do this: Have the passport photograph taken to the Dutch specification and gather the rest of the documents in one file before booking the appointment.

   Documents needed

   • Colour passport photograph to the Dutch requirements
   • Foreign driving licence and, if required, a sworn translation
   • CBR Health Declaration: always for a non-EU/EFTA licence, and sometimes for an EU/EFTA licence
   • Valid Belastingdienst expat scheme decision, if applicable
   • Valid identity or residence document
   • Old Dutch driving licence, if you have one

   Cost

   Translation by a sworn translator, where required, varies by translator and language

   Processing time

   A few days, mostly waiting for a translation

   Common mistake: A photograph that does not meet the Dutch photo requirements is the usual reason an appointment is wasted. The requirements are published by the Rijksoverheid and most Dutch photo booths and photographers work to them.

   Official source

   RDW · Exchanging a foreign driving licence
5. 5

   Apply in person at your municipality and hand in the foreign licence

   The exchange is not applied for at the RDW. You go to the counter of the municipality where you are registered, submit the documents and pay the fee, and the municipality passes the application to the RDW for assessment. Your foreign licence is surrendered as part of the application. The RDW states that you will not get it back.

   Do this: Book an appointment at your municipality for exchanging a foreign driving licence and attend it in person with the full document set.

   Documents needed

   • The full document set from the previous step

   Cost

   The fee varies by municipality, which sets the amount itself

   Processing time

   One counter appointment, usually under half an hour

   Common mistake: People plan a trip home on the strength of the old licence after applying. Once you have handed it over it is gone, and you have neither licence until the Dutch one is issued. Photograph both sides before the appointment for your own records.

   Official source

   RDW · Buitenlands rijbewijs omwisselen: documents, costs and timeline
6. 6

   Wait for the RDW decision letter, then collect the Dutch licence

   The RDW assesses the application and, if everything is in order, sends a letter within 15 working days. The letter tells you that the Dutch driving licence can be collected at the municipality 5 working days later. Collection is in person at the same municipal counter.

   Do this: Watch for the RDW letter and book the collection appointment at your municipality for the date it gives.

   Documents needed

   • The RDW letter
   • Valid identity document

   Processing time

   A letter within 15 working days, with collection 5 working days after it

   Common mistake: If your licence is from outside the EU/EFTA, the 185 days do not pause while the RDW assesses your file. Any gap between surrendering the old licence and collecting the new one is a period in which you cannot drive.

   Official source

   RDW · Exchanging a foreign driving licence
7. 7

   If exchange is not possible, sit the CBR theory and practical exams

   Where the issuing country is not on the RDW list and no exception applies, the RDW is direct about the alternative: you take both the theory exam and the practical exam at the CBR to obtain a Dutch driving licence. That is a full Dutch licence application rather than a conversion, and holding a foreign licence does not shorten it.

   Do this: Register with the CBR for the theory exam for the category you need, and arrange practical instruction towards the driving test.

   Documents needed

   • DigiD
   • Valid identity document
   • CBR Health Declaration where required

   Cost

   CBR exam fees are set and published by the CBR, and driving lessons are a separate private cost that varies

   Processing time

   Months rather than weeks, depending on exam availability and lessons

   Common mistake: Do not keep driving on the foreign licence while you work towards the exams. Once the 185 days have passed, only a Dutch licence is valid for driving in the Netherlands.

   Official source

   RDW · Exchanging a foreign driving licence

• Your foreign driving licence, with a translation by a sworn translator where the RDW requires one
• A recent colour passport photograph meeting the Dutch photo requirements
• A valid identity document or residence document
• A CBR Health Declaration (Gezondheidsverklaring): required for a licence issued outside the EU/EFTA, and sometimes also needed for an EU/EFTA licence
• The valid Belastingdienst decision on the expat scheme, if you are exchanging under that route
• Your old Dutch driving licence, if you have previously held one

• The exchange fee is charged by the municipality and differs per municipality, so ask yours for the current amount
• The CBR Health Declaration costs €46.90 (2026), paid by the applicant to the CBR
• Translation by a sworn translator, where required, is a private cost that varies
• CBR theory and practical exams, if you cannot exchange, are charged separately by the CBR at rates it publishes

You apply in person at the municipality. If everything is in order the RDW sends a letter within 15 working days, saying the Dutch licence can be collected at the municipality 5 working days later. If a CBR Health Declaration is needed, allow for that first: the RDW states that processing by the CBR can take up to 4 months, and the registration of an approved Certificate of Fitness to Drive is valid for 1 year.

Requirements depend on your situation. Check the latest requirements with the relevant authority.

• Assuming the 185-day limit applies to every newcomer. It applies to licences issued outside the EU/EFTA. An EU/EFTA licence for categories AM to BE stays usable for up to 15 years from its date of issue.
• Confusing the two 185-day figures. One is how long a non-EU/EFTA licence may still be used here after you come to live in the Netherlands. The other is a condition for exchange: you must have lived in the issuing country for 185 days in the year you obtained the licence.
• Applying in the final weeks before the 185 days expire, then having to stop driving because the RDW can take up to 15 working days to decide and the CBR Health Declaration can take up to 4 months.
• Counting the 15-year EU/EFTA window from your arrival date. It runs from the date the foreign licence was issued, and the heavy categories C and D are capped at 5 years from that same date.
• Expecting the foreign licence back. The RDW states plainly that you do not get it back, so make copies of anything you still need from it before you hand it in.

• Diarise the collection date from the RDW letter and collect the Dutch licence at the municipality in person
• Check the expiry date printed on the new Dutch licence and note when it must be renewed
• Tell your motor insurer and your employer's fleet administrator that your licence number has changed
• If exchange was refused, book the CBR theory exam and arrange lessons towards the practical exam