Driving in the Netherlands on a licence from Ukraine (buitenlands rijbewijs)
The Dutch CBR exams, unless you hold a 30% ruling. Under temporary protection you may keep driving meanwhile, even on an expired licence.
From the RDW rules, verified 2 September 2026. The details, sources and costs are below.
The facts for a licence from Ukraine
- How long you may drive on it: If you are covered by the Temporary Protection Directive (residence document 46), you may keep driving, even on an expired licence, for as long as the protection applies. Otherwise the normal non-EU rule applies: 185 days from your BRP registration.
- Exchange: Usually not directly: a Ukrainian licence can only be exchanged with a 30%-ruling (expat scheme) decision, and it must still be valid. But if you are covered by the Temporary Protection Directive (residence document 46), you may keep driving on it, even if it has expired.
- 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).
- Note on the document: Holders covered by the Temporary Protection Directive (residence title 46) may keep driving, even on an expired licence.
Sources: RDW exchange checklist, RDW, driving with a foreign licence, RDW, exchanging a foreign licence; verified 2 September 2026.
Which International Driving Permit can Ukraine 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.
- Ukraine is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (since 12 July 1974), not to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic.
- Its permit follows the 1968 model: valid for three years after the date of issue or until your Ukraine licence expires, whichever comes first.
- The Netherlands is a party to both conventions.
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), 1968 Convention on Road Traffic, Annex 7 (validity of the permit) (read 7 September 2026).
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
Three things must all be true for the exchange: the licence is still valid, the category is on the list, and you lived in the issuing country 185 days in the year of issue. The exchange returns only the listed categories.
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.