Driving in the Netherlands on a licence from China (buitenlands rijbewijs)
The Dutch CBR exams. Unless you hold a 30% ruling (expat scheme) decision, which allows an exchange from any country.
From the RDW rules, verified 2 September 2026. The details, sources and costs are below.
The facts for a licence from China
- How long you may drive on it: 185 days from the date you register at a Dutch address (BRP registration). After that, you need a Dutch licence to drive here.
- Exchange: Not directly. China is not on the RDW agreement list, so the standard route is the Dutch exams: CBR theory (available in English) and a practical exam. Exception: holders of a 30%-ruling (expat scheme) decision can exchange a licence from any country.
- The 30% ruling (expat scheme): a valid decision lets you exchange a licence from any country, with all its categories, if the licence is still valid and you hold a residence permit.
- Translation: Not in Latin script: for an exchange you need a translation by a certified translator, the embassy or the consulate.
- International Driving Permit: recommended by the RDW when the categories on your licence are not labelled A, B, C, D, E; never required for the 185 days.
- Health declaration: needed before an exchange or the practical exam (Gezondheidsverklaring, €47 via Mijn CBR).
Sources: RDW exchange checklist, RDW, driving with a foreign licence, RDW, exchanging a foreign licence; verified 2 September 2026.
Which International Driving Permit can China issue, and do I need one?
- The RDW never requires an International Driving Permit for your 185 days; it advises one when the categories on your licence are not labelled A, B, C, D, E, so that they can be read.
- The permit is a translation of your licence, obtained in the issuing country, and it never extends the 185 days.
- The UN Treaty Collection lists China as a party to neither the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic nor the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.
- There is no convention International Driving Permit for China to issue.
- What you carry is your licence, with a certified translation if it is not in Latin script.
Sources: RDW, driving with a foreign driving licence (read 7 September 2026), UN Treaty Collection, 1968 Convention on Road Traffic: status (read 7 September 2026), UN Treaty Collection, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic: status (read 7 September 2026).
What the categories on a China licence mean here
The Chinese codes use the same letters as Dutch categories but mean something else: a Chinese C1 is a car licence and a Dutch C1 a light-truck licence; a Chinese A1 is a large bus and a Dutch A1 a 125 cc motorcycle.
| On your licence | What it covers at home | Closest Dutch category |
|---|---|---|
| C1 小型汽车 | Small car: small and mini passenger cars, light and mini trucks. Includes C2, C3 and C4. | BA Chinese C1 is a car licence; the Dutch C1 is a light-truck licence. |
| C2 小型自动挡汽车 | Small automatic car: the same vehicles as C1, automatic transmission only. | BWith code 78: automatic only. |
| C6 轻型牵引挂车 | Light trailer combination: car-and-trailer combinations under 4,500 kg. | BE |
| B1 中型客车 | Medium bus, including city buses with 10 to 19 seats. | D1 |
| B2 大型货车 | Large truck: heavy and medium trucks and special-purpose vehicles. | C |
| A1 大型客车, A3 城市公交车 | Large bus (A1) and city bus with 10 or more seats (A3). | DA Chinese A1 is a bus; a Dutch A1 is a 125 cc motorcycle. |
| A2 重型牵引挂车 | Heavy tractor-trailer combinations over 4,500 kg. | CE |
| D, E 摩托车 | Motorcycles over 50 ml or faster than 50 km/h: three-wheel (D) and two-wheel (E). | A |
| F 轻便摩托车 | Mopeds up to 50 ml and 50 km/h. | AM |
- Automatic only: C2 is automatic-only (小型自动挡汽车, small automatic car). A C1 holder may drive both; a C2 holder may not drive a manual. The Dutch equivalent of C2 is B with code 78.
- Dutch code 78: If you take the Dutch practical exam in an automatic, the Dutch licence gets code 78: automatic only. Removing it means a new practical exam in a manual car.
- Your licence document: A first Chinese licence is valid for six years, then ten years, then long-term; each longer term follows a period without a full 12-point deduction.
The Dutch column is the closest Dutch category, not an official equivalence: the RDW decides on exchange what a category becomes, and via the 30% ruling only the categories on the licence come across. During your 185 days, your own licence and its own categories are what count.
What is our judgement here, and what may be out of date
- Our source for the validity terms is Ministry of Public Security order 162 of 2022. A later version of the same regulation (order 172) is referred to on Chinese government pages we could not read on 8 September 2026; the terms may have been renumbered or changed.
- The Dutch column is our judgement: B1 (a bus with 10 to 19 seats) to D1, A1 and A3 to D, C6 (combinations under 4,500 kg) to BE.
Sources: Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, 准驾车型及代号 (vehicle types and codes) (read 8 September 2026); gov.cn, 机动车驾驶证申领和使用规定 (Ministry of Public Security order 162, in force 1 April 2022) (read 8 September 2026); RDW, rijbewijscategorieën (read 8 September 2026); CBR, wat betekent code 78 (read 8 September 2026).
Specific to licences from China
- A Chinese licence is in Chinese characters: for an exchange (only via the 30% ruling) it must be translated by a certified translator, the embassy or the consulate. source
- The category codes on a Chinese licence (C1, C2 and so on) do not follow the European A, B, C, D, E meanings, so the RDW's advice to carry an International Driving Permit applies while you drive on it. source
A worked example
Registered at a Dutch address on 1 September 2026: you may drive here until 4 March 2027 (185 days). After that you need a Dutch licence.
Computed by the same rules engine as the checker; your own dates give your own deadline. Get yours →
What it costs: the CBR exams route
about €1,408(€947–€1,917)
| Item | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Health declaration (Gezondheidsverklaring) | €47 | |
| Theory course (English, online or one-day class)estimate | €50 | €30–€129 |
| Theory exam B (English), budgeted for 1.6 attempts on average | €91 | €57–€114 |
| Driving lessons (10–20 × €67.00)estimate | €1,005 | €670–€1,340 |
| Practical exam B, budgeted for 1.5 attempts on average | €215 | €144–€287 |
CBR fees: CBR tariff table 2026; estimates are labelled. Adjust lessons, city and attempts in the checker. Compare the routes →
Timeline
About 8–16 weeks (estimate), in 6 steps:
- Mijn CBR account + health declaration(~4 weeks (CBR processing))
- Book and pass the theory exam
- Prepare with a theory course
- Choose a driving school
- Lessons, then the practical exam(lessons over several weeks; theory certificate stays valid 18 months, estimate)
- Experienced? Plan fewer lessons
Common mistakes with non-EU licences
- Thinking the 185 days start when you arrive. They run from the day you register at a Dutch address (BRP), and after them a Dutch licence is required. source
- Expecting an International Driving Permit to extend the 185 days. It does not; the RDW advises one only so that the categories on your licence can be read. source
- Waiting for the 30% ruling before doing anything. The ruling lets you exchange from any country, but only while the foreign licence is still valid and you hold a residence permit, and the 185 days keep running meanwhile. source
- Letting the licence expire at home. An expired non-EU licence cannot be exchanged on any route; you would take the exams from scratch. source
Why this is confusing
A China licence is not "invalid" here. It is valid for exactly 185 days from your registration and then not at all, unless a 30%-ruling decision opens the exchange door. Many people only find out after day 185.
Exams in your language
The CBR car theory exam exists in English; every other language uses an interpreter, booked 14 days ahead. The practical exam allows a sworn interpreter or your own instructor to translate.
Which exams do I need? · Theory exam in English · Theory exam with an interpreter · Interpreter at the practical exam · Do you need Dutch?
Rules version 1.2.2, verified 2 September 2026. Source: RDW. This is guidance, not legal advice. Confirm with the official RDW checklist. Municipal licence fee: at most €54 in 2026. This page as data: JSON; all rules: rules index.