Exchanging your driving licence in the Netherlands with the 30% ruling

The 30% ruling driving licence route lets you swap a licence from any country for a Dutch one, without a driving test. It applies if you work in the Netherlands and the Belastingdienst (Dutch Tax Administration) has granted you the 30% ruling, which the RDW calls the expatregeling (expat scheme). You apply at your municipality with the tax decision and your foreign licence.

Without the ruling, a licence from outside the EU and EFTA can only be exchanged if the RDW (the Netherlands Vehicle Authority) has an agreement for that country and licence class. The 30% ruling removes that limit. The steps below follow the RDW, Rijksoverheid and Belastingdienst pages as they stood on 28 October 2026.

Who can use the 30% ruling exchange

The RDW says that if you work in the Netherlands as a highly skilled migrant and the expat scheme applies to you, "you can exchange your driving licence (from any country)."

The same right covers your family. The RDW's page for municipalities states that a licence can be exchanged from any country, and that this "also applies to partners and children who live at the same address" (our translation).

You must also meet the general conditions for every exchange:

• You are registered at a Dutch address in the BRP, the municipal personal records database.
• You have EU or EFTA nationality, or a Dutch residence permit. The RDW says exchanging "is not possible if you are waiting for a (new) residence permit".
• Your licence is still valid. "We cannot exchange an expired driving licence," the RDW says.

The 185-day rule in the year your licence was issued

You must have lived in the country that issued your licence for at least 185 days in the year it was issued.

This is easy to miss if your licence was issued or renewed after you left that country. Say you moved to Amsterdam in March and your home country posted you a renewed card in June. You lived there for fewer than 185 days of that year, so the RDW's condition is not met for that card.

The RDW's page for municipalities lists examples of proof you can use:

• a copy of your passport, including the blank pages
• proof of registration or deregistration from the country that issued the licence
• an employer's statement together with salary or tax documents

Check the issue date on your card before you book an appointment. If the date falls in a year when you spent most of your time outside the issuing country, gather this proof first.

The documents your municipality asks for

Bring these to the appointment:

• your valid foreign driving licence
• a valid identity document
• a colour passport photo that meets the Dutch photo rules
• a valid Beschikking expatregeling (expat scheme decision) from the Belastingdienst, if you work here and your licence is from outside the EU or EFTA
• proof of 185 days' residence in the year of issue, where the municipality asks for it
• a translation of your licence if it is not written in the Latin alphabet

The RDW's English page calls the tax document "a valid Decision on the Evidence Rule from the Dutch tax authority". Its Dutch page for municipalities calls the same letter the Beschikking expatregeling. A partner or child uses the worker's decision and must live at the same address.

Translations must come from a certified translator, the embassy or the consulate, according to the RDW. A health declaration from the CBR (the Dutch driving test and medical fitness agency) is needed in some cases. The RDW says it "can be submitted later".

Getting the Belastingdienst decision

You cannot use this route until the Belastingdienst has decided you qualify for the expat scheme. You complete the application form together with your employer.

In 2026 the conditions listed by the Belastingdienst include:

• a taxable salary above €48,013 a year, or above €36,497 if you are under 30 and have a master's degree
• having lived more than 150 km from the Dutch border for more than 16 of the 24 months before your first working day

The Belastingdienst says it will reply within 8 weeks, and a decision lasts up to 5 years. Apply as soon as your contract allows, because the licence exchange waits on this letter.

Your employer may be able to pay the exchange costs on top of the tax-free allowance. The Belastingdienst lists "fees for applying for or converting official personal papers, such as residence permits, visas and driving licences" among the extraterritorial costs an employer can reimburse. Ask your employer's payroll team how it handles this.

How long you can drive on your foreign licence

Rijksoverheid, the central government information site, says: "If you are going to live in the Netherlands, you may continue to drive with the licence for another 185 days. After that you need a Dutch driving licence" (our translation).

The 185 days start when you come to live here. If the Belastingdienst decision takes 8 weeks, that leaves you about four months to book and attend the municipal appointment. An International Driving Permit does not extend this period, as our guide on why an International Driving Permit is not a licence explains.

The application, step by step

1. Wait for your expat scheme decision from the Belastingdienst.
2. Check that your licence is valid and that you meet the 185-day rule for its year of issue.
3. Book an appointment at your municipality. "Only the municipality can submit the application," the RDW says.
4. Bring your documents and pay the municipal fee. The RDW notes that "the fee may vary per municipality."
5. Hand in your foreign licence. "You will not get your licence back," according to the RDW.
6. Wait for the RDW letter. It arrives within 15 working days and tells you that you can collect your Dutch licence at the municipality after 5 working days.

Keep a copy of your foreign licence before you hand it in. If you need to drive in your home country later, ask the issuing authority what it accepts.

For the general route, including countries with an exchange agreement, see our Netherlands licence exchange page.

Want someone to check your documents before the appointment? Get a route check and we will look at your licence, its issue date and your tax decision. Our application preparation pack puts the document list in order for your municipality.

Independent, private help with the official process. You can also apply to the authority yourself; its fees are paid to it, separately from ours.

Our prices are on the fees page, and how it works shows each step of our service. Nobody can sell you a Dutch licence outside the municipality process; our guide to driving licence scams shows what to watch for.