How do you exchange a foreign driving licence in the Netherlands in 2026?

A licence issued by an EU country or an EFTA (European Free Trade Association) country, meaning Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland, can normally remain usable under Dutch recognition rules while it is valid. Category and issue-date limits can affect how long recognition lasts, so check the RDW calculator rather than assuming every European licence runs until the printed expiry.

For a licence issued outside that group, you can normally drive in the Netherlands for the first 185 days after you move there. After that, you need a Dutch licence. Filing an exchange request does not let you continue driving after the recognition period ends.

The separate 185-day residence test looks backwards. To exchange a foreign licence, you must normally show that you lived in the issuing country for at least 185 days during the year in which you obtained it. RDW may request evidence such as registration, employment, tax, education, or travel records.

A valid EU or EFTA licence is generally exchangeable if the Dutch conditions are met. For other countries, exchange without Dutch theory and practical tests is available only for licences and categories on RDW's designated-country list.

There is a separate exception for a person covered by the Dutch 30% facility, a tax arrangement granted by the tax authority to a qualifying employee recruited from abroad. A current approval can allow exchange of an eligible foreign licence even when the issuing country is not on the normal list. This is not available merely because you are an expatriate or applied for the facility. Submit the tax authority's approval and check whether your partner qualifies under RDW's stated conditions.

If no exchange route applies, register with CBR, the Dutch driving fitness and testing authority, and pass the required Dutch theory and practical tests. A foreign licence or international driving permit does not waive those tests.

First register in the BRP (municipal residents register). Take the municipality's required identity document, a compliant passport photograph, your original valid foreign licence, and any requested translation. Bring the 30% facility decision or proof of prior residence when your route depends on it.

The municipality sends the application and original licence to RDW. You cannot drive during the exchange because you no longer hold the foreign document. Do not plan a driving trip until the Dutch licence is collected.

Some exchanges require a Gezondheidsverklaring, meaning a health declaration submitted to CBR. CBR may ask for medical information or an examination before recording a certificate of fitness. This is common for certain licence categories, ages, or health conditions, and in specified foreign-exchange cases. Start early when RDW or CBR says it applies.