Exchanging a foreign driving licence in the Netherlands: do you need the theory exam?

You only need to take the Dutch theory and practical exam again if you can’t exchange your foreign licence. According to the RDW, the Dutch vehicle and licence authority, you can always exchange a licence from the EU or EFTA. From outside the EU/EFTA it only works if the Netherlands has an agreement with that country, or through an exception such as the expat scheme.

How long you can keep driving on your own licence

You don’t have to exchange on day one. But the time you get differs a lot.

RDW fact, checked on 28 September 2026. Was your licence issued in an EU or EFTA country and do you live in the Netherlands? Then you can keep driving categories AM, A1, A2, A, B and BE for 15 years from the date of issue, as long as the licence is valid. Was it issued more than 15 years ago and has it not expired, then you can use it for 2 more years after you moved to the Netherlands. Source: rdw.nl.

RDW fact, checked on 28 September 2026. A valid licence from outside the EU/EFTA can be used for the first 185 days after you moved to the Netherlands. After that you may only drive here with a Dutch licence, even if your exchange application is already being processed. Source: rdw.nl.

Those 185 days go faster than you think, especially if you also need a health declaration. Don’t leave it to the last month.

From the EU or EFTA: you can exchange

You can always exchange an EU or EFTA licence, even an expired one, as long as you’re registered in the BRP.

RDW fact, checked on 28 September 2026. You can always exchange a valid EU/EFTA licence. An EU/EFTA licence may even have expired. You do need to be registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP). Source: rdw.nl.

From outside the EU: only with an agreement

Outside the EU/EFTA you can only exchange if the Netherlands has an agreement with the country that issued your licence. And often not for every category.

RDW fact, checked on 28 September 2026. From outside the EU/EFTA you can exchange a licence from: Andorra (B), the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Québec (B), Gibraltar (all categories), Great Britain (all categories, BE only if you took a separate exam for it), Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Monaco and Northern Ireland (all categories), Israel (B), Japan (A and B), Singapore (A and B), Chinese Taipei/Taiwan (B), South Korea (B) and the former Netherlands Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten (all categories). Is your country not on the list, for example the United States? Then you cannot exchange. Source: rdw.nl.

RDW fact, checked on 28 September 2026. For a licence from outside the EU/EFTA, you must also have lived in that country for 185 days in the year you got the licence. Without an EU/EFTA nationality you need, among other things, a temporary or permanent residence permit. While you are waiting for a (new) residence permit, you cannot exchange yet. Source: rdw.nl.

RDW fact, checked on 28 September 2026. Is your licence from outside the EU/EFTA about to expire? Start the exchange at your municipality now. The RDW cannot exchange an expired licence. Source: rdw.nl.

Two exceptions worth checking

If your country is not on the list, read on anyway.

RDW fact, checked on 28 September 2026. Did you ever have a Dutch driving licence that was still valid after 30 June 1985? Then you can exchange your foreign licence, even from a country without an agreement. You get the same categories you had on your Dutch licence. Source: rdw.nl.

RDW fact, checked on 28 September 2026. Are you in the Netherlands for work as a highly skilled migrant and does the expat scheme apply to you? Then you can exchange your licence, from any country. You bring a valid Decision on the Evidence Rule from the Dutch tax authority to the municipality. Source: rdw.nl.

If your employer arranged the expat scheme for you, check that you have that decision. The difference is big: a visit to the municipality, or two exams.

Arrange the health declaration in time

If you need a health declaration, fill it in 6 months before you can no longer drive on your foreign licence.

CBR fact, checked on 28 September 2026. The RDW tells you whether you need a health declaration to exchange. The CBR advises filling it in 6 months before you are no longer allowed to drive on your foreign licence. Source: cbr.nl.

RDW fact, checked on 28 September 2026. You apply for the exchange at your municipality. If everything is in order, you get a letter within 15 working days saying you can collect your Dutch licence at the municipality after 5 working days. You do not get your foreign licence back. Source: rdw.nl.

Can’t exchange? Then you start again

Then you take both the theory and the practical exam at the CBR.

RDW fact, checked on 28 September 2026. If you cannot exchange your foreign licence for a Dutch one, you need to take both the theory and the practical test at the CBR. Source: rdw.nl.

That feels unfair when you have driven safely for years. The good news: for the car, language doesn’t have to be a hurdle.

CBR fact, checked on 28 September 2026. The car theory exam is available in Dutch or English. Source: cbr.nl.

How the English exam works is in Can you take the CBR theory exam in English?. For a moped or motorcycle it works differently; that article covers it too. What to arrange next, and in what order, is in your Dutch theory exam step by step.

What an experienced driver mostly needs to learn are the Dutch rules and signs that differ from home. To practise them in English, see the online car theory course in English.