What do you need to arrange for the Dutch theory exam, and in what order?

Choose your vehicle and language, study and practise until your practice exams go well consistently, only then book your CBR exam, and arrange your driving lessons after that. In that order you save time and money. If you book a date first and only then start studying, you might sit the exam too early or have to move it.

Already have a licence from another country?

Check this first. Depending on where your licence is from, you may be able to exchange it and skip the Dutch theory exam altogether. Read when you can exchange your foreign licence before you buy or book anything.

1. Choose your vehicle and your language

Car (B), motorcycle (A) and moped (AM) each have their own exam, so each needs its own course. Traffic rules and signs come back in all three, but every category also has material of its own. Want a second category later? That is a new course and a new exam.

For expats, the language matters as much as the vehicle.

CBR fact, checked on 6 October 2026. You can take the regular car theory exam in Dutch or in English. For another language, you choose a theory exam with an interpreter. Source: cbr.nl.

CBR fact, checked on 6 October 2026. For a vehicle other than the car, such as a moped or motorcycle, you also take the theory exam with an interpreter. You arrange an official interpreter through one of the approved interpreter services, at least 14 days before your exam. Source: cbr.nl.

Pick your study language before you buy, because each language is a separate course. More on the English exam in Can you take the CBR theory exam in English?

Going for the car? The exam also asks about driver assistance systems. Here is what you need to know about ADAS.

2. Start studying, not planning

Work through the topics in order and do the practice questions after each one. They show you whether the material sticks, or whether you have only read it.

Two things that save time:

• Finish one topic per session. Stopping halfway and coming back later costs you the context.
• Write down where you get stuck. Almost everyone has one or two topics that don’t click right away. Repeat those on purpose later, instead of going through everything again.

Really stuck on a topic? Inside the course you can ask a theory teacher. That is quicker than puzzling on your own for an hour.

3. Book your exam once your practice exams go well

Don’t book while your scores still jump up and down. Have you passed a few practice exams in a row? Then it’s time to pick a date!

You book the theory exam with the CBR yourself, or a driving school books it for you. We don’t book your exam, so the date and location are your choice.

CBR fact, checked on 6 October 2026. You request the theory exam from the CBR and log in with your personal DigiD. If you can’t get a DigiD, use the CBR’s application form for the theory exam. Source: cbr.nl.

CBR fact, checked on 6 October 2026. You can reserve a theory exam yourself through Mijn CBR, or have a driving school reserve it for you. Source: cbr.nl.

CBR fact, checked on 6 October 2026. In 2026 the theory exam for the motorcycle (A), car (B) and moped (AM) costs € 50.50. Source: cbr.nl, tarieven 2026.

CBR fact, checked on 6 October 2026. Up to 7 days before your exam, you can move it to an earlier or later moment, at most 3 times. Within those 7 days you can only move it to an earlier moment, if there is still a spot. You cannot cancel a reserved theory exam. Source: cbr.nl.

CBR fact, checked on 6 October 2026. The minimum age for the theory exam is 15.5 for the moped, 16 for the car and 17 for the motorcycle. You can book from 20 weeks before you reach that age, as long as you have reached it on the day of the exam. Source: cbr.nl.

Also look at the travel time to the exam centre. A location half an hour further away at a quiet time is often nicer than the closest one in rush hour.

4. Then arrange your driving lessons

Your theory result stays valid for 1.5 years, so you can start your driving lessons straight away.

CBR fact, checked on 6 October 2026. A passed theory exam is valid for one and a half years, counted from the date you passed it. Source: cbr.nl, examenvoorwaarden article 2.4.

Just don’t wait too long, because you need to pass your practical exam within that year and a half. What happens if your result runs out.

Where people lose time

• Picking a date too early. See step 3.
• Doing every practice exam in one week. You start recognising the questions instead of the situations.
• Only reading, not practising. Recognising a rule is not the same as applying it. You only notice that in the practice questions.
• Studying in the wrong language. If you are fighting the wording, you spend your time on the question instead of the answer.

Remember this

1. Check whether you can exchange your foreign licence
2. Choose your vehicle and language
3. Study and practise until your practice exams go well every time
4. Only then book your exam with the CBR
5. Arrange your driving lessons

See the courses in English.