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.

About this serviceBrowse offices by city
1 office in Rotterdam

  • Rotterdam

    Publiekslocatie Centrum — Gemeente Rotterdam

    Coolsingel 40, 3011 AD Rotterdam

    Choose the licence exchange option in the booking menu, or phone for help, and collect at the same location.

    Book an appointmentOffice website+31 10 267 1625

    Bring valid ID, your foreign licence, a compliant colour photo, any former Dutch licence and situation-specific RDW (Dutch vehicle and driving licence authority) documents, including required health evidence, translation or expat ruling. The foreign licence is surrendered and not returned. Municipal information on driving meanwhile conflicts: check current RDW guidance before driving; inability to show the licence can lead to a fine. If your licence was issued outside the EU/EFTA and is nearing expiry, start the exchange process with the municipality before it expires. RDW says supplementary documents such as CBR (Dutch driving test and medical fitness assessor) health clearance can follow later; confirm submission arrangements with the municipality. 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

Guides that help with this

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

Related services

Other everyday services in Netherlands

Passports in the Netherlands

For Dutch citizens renewing a passport and for residents without a passport from their own country: who can apply and what to prepare.

205 offices · 81 cities

Help with DigiD and online government

Get a hand with applying for or activating DigiD, and with the online forms, messages and allowances that depend on it.

149 offices · 77 cities

Social assistance for basic living costs

See who can apply for income support, what a municipality takes into account and where to get advice if the application is difficult.

148 offices · 77 cities

Applying for a Dutch ID card

For Dutch citizens who need a new or replacement ID card: who can apply, what to bring and how collection works.

109 offices · 80 cities

Renew or replace a driving licence

For holders of a Dutch licence: how renewal works online or at the counter, how to replace a lost licence and where to collect it.

101 offices · 80 cities

Register after moving to the Netherlands

For newcomers and returning residents: what registering at the town hall means, who it applies to and what to prepare before your appointment.

99 offices · 79 cities
Browse services

Other countries

The same task in other countries

Moving on, or comparing before you decide? See how this works elsewhere.

Where to next

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

Explore more

Jump straight to another part of the manual.