Where to exchange a foreign driving licence in the Netherlands

Applications start at your municipality, so pick your city

Only your municipality can send an exchange application to the RDW, so you apply where you are registered. Where you book, whether you phone first and when you collect the new licence once the RDW has checked your application all depend on the municipality.

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1 office in Apeldoorn

  • Apeldoorn

    Huis van de Stad Apeldoorn

    Marktplein 1, 7311 LG Apeldoorn

    Collect your new licence without an appointment once you get the ready notice, and start before the old one expires.

    Book an appointmentOffice website+31555801555

    Bring the original foreign licence, a valid passport, identity card or residence document, and a compliant unedited colour photo. The city asks for a sworn translation when the licence uses unfamiliar characters; confirm the accepted translation route before paying. Check the CBR (Dutch driving test and medical fitness assessor) health-declaration requirement and any RDW (Dutch vehicle and driving licence authority) evidence for an expat ruling, previous Dutch licence or expired eligible document as applicable. Arrange eligibility and driving-status advice before surrendering the licence. Check current municipal fees; medical and translation costs can be separate. If relying on the Ukrainian temporary-protection driving exception, check your status and RDW’s current guidance before applying ordinary driving deadlines. For an exchange, check the tax ruling and document-validity requirements separately: permission to drive with an expired Ukrainian licence does not guarantee that it can be exchanged.

Guides

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Netherlands

Driving license

Netherlands Foreign Licence Exchange

Validity, RDW exchange, and CBR tests

Find out if you can exchange your foreign driving licence in the Netherlands, calculate your validity deadlines, and prepare your municipal application.

Driving LicenceRDWCBR
14 min readRead guide

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Exchange a foreign driving licence

For newcomers with a licence from another country: who can exchange, what to bring and what happens if an exchange is not possible.

Exchange a licence in the Netherlands

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