Motor Vehicles and Driving License

If you have owned your car for at least half a year before your move, you can possibly save considerable amounts of tax money by bringing your car with you to the Netherlands.

For more information on importing your car from another country to the Netherlands, please visit our website for detailed guidelines. 

You can temporarily drive using a foreign licence; either for 185 days OR for 15 years if your licence is from within the EU/EFTA.

However, whether you can keep your foreign licence depends on the country of issue. If your licence is from an approved country or you qualify for the 30% ruling, it is possible to exchange your licence for a Dutch licence without taking a Dutch driving test. This must be done in the first 185 days of being in the country, and can be done by booking an appointment with your local municipality. While you wait for your new licence to arrive, you will not be allowed to drive.

If you have a non-EU/EFTA licence which you do not exchange before the 185 day deadline, you will have to pass the Dutch driving exam to be allowed to drive in the Netherlands.

Check the Dutch Vehicle Authority's website for more information.

Cars that are registered for the first time in the Netherlands pay a specific vehicle tax, the Tax on Passenger Cars and Motorcycles (Belasting van Personenauto’s en Motorrijwielen, BPM).   

Number plates are linked to the car, not to the owner.   

This has consequences for acquiring and selling a car/motorcycle in the Netherlands.   

The Netherlands Vehicle Authority (Rijksdienst voor het Wegverkeer, RDW) is the institution that issues and validates the documents that are necessary to have for driving a vehicle. Taxes related to motor vehicles are collected by the Tax Authority (Belastingdienst).