How do I exchange my driving licence with the 30% ruling, and what does it cost?

Who can use it

• You work in the Netherlands and have a valid “Beschikking expatregeling” (the 30% ruling decision) from the Belastingdienst, the Dutch tax office.
• Your foreign licence must still be valid: the RDW cannot exchange an expired licence from outside the EU/EFTA. If it is about to expire, start the exchange at once.
• It does not matter which country your licence is from: with the expat scheme the RDW lets you exchange a licence “from any country”.
• A licence from the EU or EFTA does not need the ruling: it can always be exchanged.
• The RDW’s pages do not say whether a partner or family member can use your ruling. Ask the RDW or your municipality before you go.

What to take to the municipality

• Your valid foreign driving licence. You hand it in and do not get it back.
• Your valid 30% ruling decision (Beschikking expatregeling) from the Belastingdienst.
• A health declaration (Gezondheidsverklaring) from the CBR: needed for a licence from outside the EU/EFTA. Apply for it at the CBR before you go (the RDW links to the application).
• A valid passport, ID card or residence permit, and a colour passport photo no older than 6 months.
• An old Dutch licence, if you have one.
• A licence in a script not used in the Netherlands (for example Japanese or Greek): a translation by a sworn translator (Amsterdam asks for this; the RDW also accepts one from the embassy or consulate).

What it costs in 2026

• Exchange at the municipality: the price differs per municipality; in Amsterdam €64.65.
• CBR health declaration: €46.90 for the medical assessment.
• Passport photo, and a sworn translation if your licence needs one: your own costs.
• In Amsterdam the total is about €111.55 plus the photo. Compare: taking the exams costs €194 in CBR fees alone (€200.50 with the theory exam in English), plus lessons (see the cost of a licence).

How long it takes

• You apply in person at the municipality; only the municipality can send the application to the RDW. In Amsterdam you can walk in at a Stadsloket without an appointment (Weesp: by appointment).
• The RDW sends a letter within 15 working days; Amsterdam says 2 to 4 weeks. Then you collect your Dutch licence at the municipality (after 5 working days, RDW).
• You hand in your foreign licence when you apply, so you cannot drive on it while you wait. Before that, a licence from outside the EU/EFTA may be used for up to 185 days after you start living in the Netherlands.

Before you drive on a Dutch licence

The rules here may differ from home: priority to the right at junctions without signs, shark teeth, cyclists in your blind spot when you turn right, trams. Read every rule, one at a time, or drive them in Voorrah!.