I'm abroad and my Dutch driving licence has (almost) expired. What should I do?
Are you outside the Netherlands and has your Dutch driving licence (almost) expired? What you can do depends on where you live. Keep in mind that you can only drive with a valid driving licence. Driving with an expired driving licence is punishable. You are also not insured in that case.
Do you have a valid foreign driving licence in addition to your Dutch driving licence? Then it is not necessary to renew your Dutch driving licence. If you are visiting the Netherlands, you may drive with your valid foreign driving licence. Are you living in the Netherlands again? Then you can exchange your foreign driving licence back for a Dutch driving licence.
Choose your situation
If you live in the Netherlands but are currently abroad, you cannot renew your driving licence until you are back in the Netherlands. Then you can renew your licence in the municipality where you live. You will need to renew your licence in person, unless your municipality offers an online renewal service. Please note that you must be in the Netherlands to take your passport photo. And you must collect your driving licence in person.
Check which municipalities allow you to renew your driving licence online (RDW.nl, information in Dutch)
If your municipality is not listed, go to their website to find out how to renew your licence.
If you live in another European Union (EU) country or in Iceland,
Liechtenstein or Norway you cannot renew your Dutch driving licence. You can only exchange it for a driving licence issued by the country in which you live. This is required by European rules.
Find out how to exchange your Dutch driving licence
If you live in a country that is not part of the European Union (EU), you can renew your Dutch driving licence from abroad.
Contact
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.