Rules of the road
Driving in the Netherlands
Every value below links to the official source it was checked against, with the date it was checked. What is not verified yet says so.
Often called Holland in English. Holland is really only two of the twelve provinces, but the rules here are national and apply across the whole country.
Quick answers about driving in the Netherlands
- Which side of the road do you drive on in the Netherlands?
- In the Netherlands you drive on the right.
- How old do you have to be to drive in the Netherlands?
- You must be at least 17 years old to drive in the Netherlands. Under 18 you may only drive with a registered coach beside you, and you must carry the coach pass. On your own, 18.
- What is the speed limit in the Netherlands?
- 100 km/h on motorways, 100 km/h on dual carriageways, 80 km/h on country roads and 50 km/h in towns and cities. Those are the national default limits, which apply where no sign says otherwise.
- What is the drink driving limit in the Netherlands?
- The legal limit in the Netherlands is 0.5 g/l. Drivers who passed their test recently are held to 0.2 g/l.
Which side of the road
Speed limits
Speed limit on the motorway
100 km/h
During the day, 06:00 to 19:00, on nearly all motorways. In the evening and at night most rise to 120 or 130, and a few routes are 130 all day. The overhead matrix signs always show the limit that applies — follow them, not the clock.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Speed limit on a dual carriageway
100 km/h
The autoweg — a main road signed with a white car on a blue rectangle, not the red-bordered motorway sign. It stays 100 all day, so in the daytime it runs at the same speed as the motorway.
Checked 16 Aug 2026 · official source
Speed limit on country roads
80 km/h
Ordinary roads outside built-up areas, below the autoweg class.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Speed limit in towns and cities
50 km/h
Many streets are signed 30.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
Alcohol
Alcohol limit for drivers who passed their test recently
0.2 g/l
For the first five years of holding a licence.
Checked 14 Sep 2026 · official source
Your licence and age
Youngest age you may drive
17 years
Under 18 you may only drive with a registered coach beside you, and you must carry the coach pass. On your own, 18.
Checked 16 Aug 2026 · official source
Looking to rent a car? The minimum age to drive is 17, but most car rental agencies have their own minimum rental age. Remember to check with your car rental agency before you book. We earn a commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we make money.
Whether you need an International Driving Permit
Depends on where your licence is from
An EU or EEA licence is enough on its own. A licence from anywhere else is accepted while you are visiting, as long as its categories are the standard A, B, C, D and E. If yours uses different names for them, carry an International Driving Permit alongside it.
Checked 20 Aug 2026 · official source
What you must carry in the car
What you must carry in the car
Nothing — no equipment is legally required
Nothing is legally required. The government says so in as many words: you do not have to carry a warning triangle, and you do not have to carry a safety vest. You must still warn approaching traffic if your stopped car is an obstruction, but hazard lights satisfy that — which is why a triangle is useful here rather than compulsory.
Checked 19 Aug 2026 · official source
Phones at the wheel
Who goes first
Who has priority at a roundabout
Traffic already on the roundabout goes first
Nearly every Dutch roundabout has give-way triangles — shark's teeth — on the approach, so traffic already going round goes first. On the rare unsigned one the priority-to-the-right rule takes over and the reverse is true, so check the road surface as you approach.
Checked 16 Aug 2026 · official source
Priority to traffic coming from the right
Yes — traffic from the right goes first at unmarked junctions
Article 15 of the RVV 1990: at a junction you give way to drivers coming from your right. It applies wherever there are no priority signs, shark's teeth or lights — which is most residential streets.
Checked 16 Aug 2026 · official source
Seatbelts and children
Motorbikes and scooters
Helmets on a motorbike or scooter
Required for rider and passenger
Rider and passenger must wear an approved helmet on a motorbike, a moped, a snorfiets (light moped) and a speed pedelec. There are no exceptions.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Largest motorbike or scooter you may ride on a car licence
- Engine up to 50 cc
- Top speed up to 45 km/h
A Dutch car licence (B) gets category AM added automatically, with no extra exam — that rule is on the Rijksoverheid licence page. AM covers mopeds, scooters, light mopeds, speed pedelecs and microcars. The RDW defines the light two-wheeler class they belong to by both limits at once: an engine of at most 50 cc and a top speed of 45 km/h. Nothing larger is covered. The RDW page on foreign licences does not say whether a foreign B licence gets the same allowance.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Youngest age you may ride the smallest class of scooter
16 years
Theory test from 15 and a half, practical test and licence from 16.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
What a rider must wear or carry
Nothing beyond a helmet
The government says protective clothing is not compulsory, only important. Nothing beyond the helmet is legally required on the road.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Riding between lanes of slow traffic
Allowed
Riding between the cars in a traffic jam is allowed. The law does not regulate it; a code of conduct does. Keep to the gap between the two left-hand lanes and ride no more than 10 km/h faster than the cars.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Smallest motorbike allowed on the motorway
- Top speed at least 60 km/h
Article 42 of the RVV 1990: the motorway is open only to drivers of a motor vehicle that may and can be driven at 60 km/h or more, so exactly 60 is enough. The autoweg has the same rule at 50 km/h. That shuts out mopeds (45 km/h), light mopeds and speed pedelecs; they ride on the moped path or, where there is none, on the road.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Headlights on a motorbike in daytime
Only in poor visibility
Article 32 of the RVV 1990: dipped headlights at night, and by day only when visibility is seriously reduced. The same rule as for cars. Riding with the headlight on all day is advised but not required.
Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source
Tolls and city charges
Low-emission zones
In some cities
Zones in Amsterdam, Arnhem, The Hague and Utrecht apply to DIESEL cars only, by emission class — petrol and electric cars always enter. Check a diesel's plate on the government's milieuzones.nl before driving in.
Checked 6 Aug 2026 · official source
If something goes wrong
More questions about driving in the Netherlands
- What do you have to carry in your car in the Netherlands?
- Nothing. The Netherlands requires no equipment by law.
- Do you need an International Driving Permit for the Netherlands?
- Depends on where your licence is from.
- Can you use your phone while driving in the Netherlands?
- No. Holding a phone while driving is against the law in the Netherlands. Hands-free: allowed.
- Can you ride a scooter or small motorbike on a car licence in the Netherlands?
- Yes, engine up to 50 cc and top speed up to 45 km/h.
Each answer comes from the rules above, where you can also see the official source and the date it was checked.
27 rules not yet verified for the Netherlands
These rules exist, but no value has been checked against an official source yet. Missing beats wrong.
- Which side you overtake on
- Speed limit in living and residential zones
- Speed limit in rain or snow
- Speed limit for drivers who passed their test recently
- Speed limit when towing a trailer or caravan
- Alcohol limit for professional drivers
- How long you may drive on your own licence
- What you should carry, but do not have to
- When you must switch your headlights on
- Headlights in tunnels
- Turning at a red light
- Age below which a child needs a child seat
- Height below which a child needs a child seat
- Youngest age a child may sit in the front
- What the lines and painted kerbs mean
- How you pay to park
- Parking on the pavement
- Parking facing against the traffic
- How far you must park from a junction or crossing
- What happens if you park wrongly
- Winter tyres
- When winter tyre rules apply
- Snow chains
- How you pay for motorways
- Congestion charges
- Typical fines
- Whether police can fine you on the spot