{ "version": "1.2.0", "last_verified": "2026-09-13", "followup": "https://github.com/reede-web/drivingschools/issues/133", "comment": "Each entry's `open_points` states, on the page, what is our judgement and which source may be superseded (Reede, 8 September 2026: be transparent); every one of them is tracked in the `followup` issue and stays on the page until closed there and re-verified. Tier-1 category tables for the country pages (Reede, 7 September 2026): what each category on the foreign licence covers at home, read from that country's own licensing authority, and the closest Dutch category next to it. 'Closest' is our reading, not an official equivalence; the RDW decides on exchange. Foreign-side facts cite the foreign authority in `sources` (a separate field from the Dutch `source` of the rules files, never counted among the site's rule sources); the Dutch side of the table cites the RDW category page and the CBR page on code 78 in `dutch_sources`. A country with no entry renders nothing. Batch 1 (8 September 2026): India, United States, China, Türkiye, Brazil. Batch 2 (13 September 2026): United Kingdom (the GB entry serves GB-GBN and GB-NIR through the parent lookup) and Morocco. Batch 3 (13 September 2026): South Africa, Australia, Canada (one CA entry for Ontario and Alberta, serving CA-AB, CA-QC and CA-OTHER through the parent lookup; Québec's pages could not be read), Japan, South Korea. Morocco was planned for batch 1; every official Moroccan licensing site refused the connection on 8 September and again on 13 September, so its entry is read from NARSA's road-safety portal, the one NARSA host that answers, and says on the page what it could not read.", "foreign_domains": [ "parivahan.gov.in", "dmv.ca.gov", "dmv.ny.gov", "gov.cn", "nvi.gov.tr", "planalto.gov.br", "gov.br", "gov.uk", "narsa-securiteroutiere.ma", "gov.za", "nsw.gov.au", "qld.gov.au", "ontario.ca", "alberta.ca", "npa.go.jp", "keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp", "police.pref.hyogo.lg.jp", "police.pref.osaka.lg.jp", "safedriving.or.kr" ], "dutch_categories": [ "AM", "A1", "A2", "A", "B", "BE", "C1", "C1E", "C", "CE", "D1", "D1E", "D", "DE", "T" ], "dutch_sources": { "categories": { "label": "RDW, rijbewijscategorieën", "url": "https://www.rdw.nl/het-rijbewijs/over-het-rijbewijs/rijbewijscategorieen", "verified": "2026-09-08" }, "code_78": { "label": "CBR, wat betekent code 78", "url": "https://www.cbr.nl/nl/veelgestelde-vragen/wat-betekent-code-78", "verified": "2026-09-08" } }, "countries": { "IN": { "authority": "Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Parivahan Sewa", "sources": { "form2": { "label": "Parivahan, Form 2 (Central Motor Vehicles Rules): classes of vehicle", "url": "https://mparivahan.parivahan.gov.in/docs/Form-2.pdf", "verified": "2026-09-08" }, "faq": { "label": "Parivahan Sewa, frequently asked questions", "url": "https://parivahan.gov.in/en/content/faq", "verified": "2026-09-08" } }, "reading_note": { "text": "Indian classes are abbreviations (MCWG, LMV), not the letters A, B, C, D, E. That is the case in which the RDW advises an International Driving Permit, so that the classes can be read.", "source": "form2" }, "categories": [ { "code": "MC50CC", "means": "Motor vehicle with an engine under 50 cc.", "dutch": [ "AM" ], "source": "faq" }, { "code": "MCWOG", "means": "Motor cycle without gear: scooters and other gearless two-wheelers, any engine size.", "dutch": [ "A" ], "note": "A1 if the scooter is 125 cc or less.", "source": "form2" }, { "code": "MCWG", "means": "Motor cycle with gear: any motorcycle.", "dutch": [ "A" ], "source": "form2" }, { "code": "LMV (NTV)", "means": "Light motor vehicle, non-transport: a car, jeep or van for personal use, up to 7,500 kg.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "Dutch B stops at 3,500 kg; heavier vans fall under Dutch C1.", "source": "form2" }, { "code": "LMV (TV)", "means": "Light motor vehicle, transport: taxis, goods carriages and other commercial vehicles up to 7,500 kg.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "The Netherlands has no taxi class on the licence.", "source": "form2" }, { "code": "Medium or heavy goods or passenger vehicle", "means": "Trucks and buses above 7,500 kg, as transport vehicles.", "dutch": [ "C", "D" ], "note": "C for goods, D for passengers.", "source": "form2" }, { "code": "E-Rickshaw, E-Cart", "means": "Battery-powered three-wheelers for passengers or goods.", "dutch": [], "source": "form2" } ], "document": [ { "text": "How long an Indian non-transport licence runs depends on your age when it was issued or renewed: under 30, until your 40th birthday; 30 to 49, ten years; 50 to 54, until your 60th birthday; 55 and over, five years.", "source": "faq" } ], "open_points": [ "The Dutch column is our judgement: MCWOG (gearless, any engine size) to A, MC50CC to AM, and E-Rickshaw or E-Cart to none. Parivahan notes that the vehicle categories follow the state's own rules, so your licence may show other class names.", "No automatic-only restriction is listed by Parivahan; we state none rather than assume one." ] }, "US": { "authority": "State departments of motor vehicles (California DMV, New York DMV)", "sources": { "ca": { "label": "California DMV, driver's licenses (Class C, M1, M2, noncommercial A and B)", "url": "https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/driver-licenses-identification-cards/driver-licenses-dl/", "verified": "2026-09-08" }, "ny": { "label": "New York DMV, learner permit and driver license class descriptions", "url": "https://dmv.ny.gov/driver-license/new-york-state-learner-permit-and-driver-license-class-descriptions", "verified": "2026-09-08" }, "ny500": { "label": "New York DMV, form MV-500C: license class descriptions and restriction codes", "url": "https://dmv.ny.gov/forms/mv500c.pdf", "verified": "2026-09-08" } }, "reading_note": { "text": "There is no national US licence: each state issues its own and the class letters differ. The ordinary car licence is Class C in California and Class D in New York, while a Class C in New York is a commercial licence.", "source": "ny" }, "categories": [ { "code": "Class C (California), Class D (New York)", "means": "The ordinary car licence. California: a standard car or truck for personal use, towing up to 10,000 lb. New York: cars and trucks up to 26,000 lb (11,793 kg) GVWR, towing up to 10,000 lb.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "Dutch B stops at 3,500 kg and 9 people; a US car licence covers far heavier vehicles at home.", "source": "ny" }, { "code": "Class M (New York), M1 (California)", "means": "Any motorcycle.", "dutch": [ "A" ], "source": "ca" }, { "code": "M2 (California)", "means": "Motorized bicycle, moped or motorized scooter.", "dutch": [ "AM" ], "source": "ca" }, { "code": "Noncommercial Class A (California)", "means": "Towing a trailer over 10,000 lb GVWR or a fifth-wheel, not for pay.", "dutch": [ "BE" ], "source": "ca" }, { "code": "CDL Class A", "means": "Commercial: combinations over 26,000 lb (11,793 kg) GCWR towing a unit over 10,000 lb, such as a tractor-trailer.", "dutch": [ "CE" ], "source": "ny" }, { "code": "CDL Class B", "means": "Commercial: a single vehicle over 26,000 lb (11,793 kg) GVWR, such as a straight truck or a bus.", "dutch": [ "C", "D" ], "note": "C for goods, D with a passenger endorsement.", "source": "ny" }, { "code": "CDL Class C", "means": "Commercial: a vehicle of 26,000 lb or less carrying 15 or more passengers or hazardous materials.", "dutch": [ "D1" ], "source": "ny" } ], "automatic_only": { "text": "New York's list of licence restriction codes includes E1, \"Automatic Transmission\". The form names the code and does not spell out its effect; we read it as automatic-only, like Dutch code 78. Codes differ per state; check the \"R\" line on your own licence.", "source": "ny500" }, "document": [], "open_points": [ "The Dutch column is our judgement: Class C or D covers vehicles up to 26,000 lb at home, far beyond Dutch B; CDL Class B to C or D and CDL Class C to D1 are approximate.", "The reading of restriction E1 as automatic-only is ours; the New York form only names the code." ] }, "CN": { "authority": "Ministry of Public Security (公安部), traffic management bureaus", "sources": { "bj": { "label": "Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, 准驾车型及代号 (vehicle types and codes)", "url": "https://jtgl.beijing.gov.cn/jgj/93950/bszn/117864/index.html", "verified": "2026-09-08" }, "gov": { "label": "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)", "url": "https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2022/content_5679696.htm", "verified": "2026-09-08" } }, "reading_note": { "text": "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.", "source": "bj" }, "categories": [ { "code": "C1 小型汽车", "means": "Small car: small and mini passenger cars, light and mini trucks. Includes C2, C3 and C4.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "A Chinese C1 is a car licence; the Dutch C1 is a light-truck licence.", "source": "bj" }, { "code": "C2 小型自动挡汽车", "means": "Small automatic car: the same vehicles as C1, automatic transmission only.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "With code 78: automatic only.", "source": "bj" }, { "code": "C6 轻型牵引挂车", "means": "Light trailer combination: car-and-trailer combinations under 4,500 kg.", "dutch": [ "BE" ], "source": "bj" }, { "code": "B1 中型客车", "means": "Medium bus, including city buses with 10 to 19 seats.", "dutch": [ "D1" ], "source": "bj" }, { "code": "B2 大型货车", "means": "Large truck: heavy and medium trucks and special-purpose vehicles.", "dutch": [ "C" ], "source": "bj" }, { "code": "A1 大型客车, A3 城市公交车", "means": "Large bus (A1) and city bus with 10 or more seats (A3).", "dutch": [ "D" ], "note": "A Chinese A1 is a bus; a Dutch A1 is a 125 cc motorcycle.", "source": "bj" }, { "code": "A2 重型牵引挂车", "means": "Heavy tractor-trailer combinations over 4,500 kg.", "dutch": [ "CE" ], "source": "bj" }, { "code": "D, E 摩托车", "means": "Motorcycles over 50 ml or faster than 50 km/h: three-wheel (D) and two-wheel (E).", "dutch": [ "A" ], "source": "bj" }, { "code": "F 轻便摩托车", "means": "Mopeds up to 50 ml and 50 km/h.", "dutch": [ "AM" ], "source": "bj" } ], "automatic_only": { "text": "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.", "source": "bj" }, "document": [ { "text": "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.", "source": "gov" } ], "open_points": [ "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." ] }, "TR": { "authority": "Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü (General Directorate of Civil Registration and Nationality)", "sources": { "talimat": { "label": "NVİ, Sürücü Belgesi İşlemlerine Dair Talimat (instruction on driving licence procedures): licence classes", "url": "https://www.nvi.gov.tr/kurumlar/nvi.gov.tr/mevzuat/nufusmevzuat/talimat/pasaportvesurucuislemleri/09032018_31712_surucu_belgesi_islemlerine_dair_talimat.pdf", "verified": "2026-09-08" }, "sss": { "label": "NVİ, sürücü belgeleri: sıkça sorulan sorular (frequently asked questions)", "url": "https://www.nvi.gov.tr/sss-surucu-belgeleri-hizmetleri", "verified": "2026-09-08" }, "kod": { "label": "NVİ, sürücü belgesi kod tablosu (licence code table, 1 January 2016)", "url": "https://www.nvi.gov.tr/kurumlar/nvi.gov.tr/Projeler/kodtablosu.pdf", "verified": "2026-09-08" } }, "reading_note": { "text": "Turkish classes use the same letters as Dutch categories, and the motorcycle, car, truck and bus classes carry the same limits. The RDW's advice to carry an International Driving Permit is for licences whose categories are not labelled A, B, C, D, E, so it does not apply here.", "source": "talimat" }, "categories": [ { "code": "M", "means": "Mopeds with two, three or four wheels.", "dutch": [ "AM" ], "source": "talimat" }, { "code": "A1", "means": "Motorcycles up to 125 cc and 11 kW.", "dutch": [ "A1" ], "source": "talimat" }, { "code": "A2", "means": "Motorcycles up to 35 kW.", "dutch": [ "A2" ], "source": "talimat" }, { "code": "A", "means": "Motorcycles without a power limit; three-wheelers over 15 kW.", "dutch": [ "A" ], "source": "talimat" }, { "code": "B1", "means": "Four-wheeled motorcycles (quadricycles) up to 15 kW and 400 kg.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "The Netherlands has no B1; Dutch B covers vehicles on four or more wheels up to 3,500 kg.", "source": "talimat" }, { "code": "B, BE", "means": "Cars and vans (otomobil ve kamyonet); BE adds a trailer up to 3,500 kg.", "dutch": [ "B", "BE" ], "source": "talimat" }, { "code": "C1, C1E", "means": "Trucks from 3,500 to 7,500 kg; C1E adds a trailer over 750 kg, up to 12,000 kg in all.", "dutch": [ "C1", "C1E" ], "source": "talimat" }, { "code": "C, CE", "means": "Trucks and tractor units; CE adds a trailer over 750 kg.", "dutch": [ "C", "CE" ], "source": "talimat" }, { "code": "D1, D1E", "means": "Minibuses; D1E adds a trailer over 750 kg.", "dutch": [ "D1", "D1E" ], "source": "talimat" }, { "code": "D, DE", "means": "Minibuses and buses; DE adds a trailer over 750 kg.", "dutch": [ "D", "DE" ], "source": "talimat" }, { "code": "F", "means": "Tractors on rubber tyres.", "dutch": [ "T" ], "source": "talimat" }, { "code": "G", "means": "Construction machinery (iş makinesi).", "dutch": [], "source": "talimat" } ], "automatic_only": { "text": "A Turkish licence for automatics only carries code 78 (\"may drive only automatic vehicles\") or the national code 104 (certificate obtained on an automatic at the driving school). Both mean what Dutch code 78 means.", "source": "kod" }, "document": [ { "text": "A Turkish licence is valid for 10 years for M, A1, A2, A, B1, B, BE, F and G, and 5 years for C1, C1E, C, CE, D1, D1E, D and DE.", "source": "sss" } ], "open_points": [ "The Netherlands has no B1 category; we put the Turkish B1 (light quadricycle) under Dutch B because the RDW defines B as vehicles on four or more wheels up to 3,500 kg. G (construction machinery) has no Dutch counterpart.", "The class definitions are read from the NVİ instruction of 2018, which restates the Karayolları Trafik Yönetmeliği; the regulation itself could not be read on 8 September 2026." ] }, "BR": { "authority": "Conselho Nacional de Trânsito (CONTRAN) and the state DETRANs, under the Código de Trânsito Brasileiro", "sources": { "ctb": { "label": "Planalto, Lei 9.503/1997 (Código de Trânsito Brasileiro), articles 143, 147, 148 and 159", "url": "https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l9503compilado.htm", "verified": "2026-09-08" }, "contran": { "label": "CONTRAN, Resolução 789/2020 (consolidated): driver training, ACC and CNH", "url": "https://www.gov.br/transportes/pt-br/assuntos/transito/conteudo-contran/resolucoes/resolucao7892020_consolidada2.pdf", "verified": "2026-09-08" } }, "reading_note": { "text": "Brazilian categories use the letters A to E, but a Brazilian C or D is a truck or bus licence that includes B, and E is any heavy combination.", "source": "ctb" }, "categories": [ { "code": "ACC", "means": "Autorização para Conduzir Ciclomotor: mopeds (ciclomotores).", "dutch": [ "AM" ], "source": "contran" }, { "code": "A", "means": "Two- or three-wheeled motor vehicles, with or without a sidecar.", "dutch": [ "A" ], "source": "ctb" }, { "code": "B", "means": "Vehicles not in A, up to 3,500 kg gross weight and 8 seats besides the driver; also motorhomes up to 6,000 kg.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "source": "ctb" }, { "code": "C", "means": "Everything in B, plus goods vehicles over 3,500 kg.", "dutch": [ "C" ], "source": "ctb" }, { "code": "D", "means": "Everything in B and C, plus passenger vehicles with more than 8 seats.", "dutch": [ "D" ], "source": "ctb" }, { "code": "E", "means": "Combinations where the towing vehicle is B, C or D and the trailer weighs 6,000 kg or more, or seats more than 8.", "dutch": [ "BE", "CE", "DE" ], "note": "Depending on the towing vehicle.", "source": "ctb" } ], "document": [ { "text": "The first Brazilian licence is a Permissão para Dirigir (provisional permit) valid for one year; the CNH follows after a year without serious offences.", "source": "ctb" }, { "text": "A CNH is valid as long as its medical exam: renewed every 10 years under 50, every 5 years from 50 to 69, every 3 years from 70.", "source": "ctb" } ], "open_points": [ "The Dutch column is our judgement: category E to BE, CE or DE depends on the towing vehicle, and the Brazilian C and D include B where the Dutch ones do not.", "No automatic-only restriction appears in the traffic code or the CONTRAN resolution; we state none rather than assume one." ] }, "GB": { "authority": "Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) for Great Britain; Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) for Northern Ireland", "sources": { "cats": { "label": "GOV.UK (DVLA), driving licence categories", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/driving-licence-categories", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "codes": { "label": "GOV.UK (DVLA), driving licence codes: 78 and 106, automatic transmission", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/driving-licence-codes", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "towing": { "label": "GOV.UK (DVLA), towing with a car: what category B may tow, BE added at renewal, licences from before 1997", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/licences-issued-from-19-january-2013", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "renew": { "label": "GOV.UK (DVLA), renew your driving licence: the photocard runs 10 years", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "at70": { "label": "GOV.UK (DVLA), renew your driving licence at 70: every 3 years from then", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence-at-70", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "lorry": { "label": "GOV.UK (DVLA), become a qualified lorry or bus driver: renew every 5 years, every year from 65", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/become-lorry-bus-driver/getting-qualified", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "ni_cats": { "label": "nidirect (DVA, Northern Ireland), buses and lorries you can drive and minimum ages", "url": "https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/buses-and-lorries-you-can-drive-and-minimum-ages", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "ni_renew": { "label": "nidirect (DVA, Northern Ireland), renew your driving licence: 10 years; lorry and bus 5 years to 65, then 1 year", "url": "https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/renew-your-driving-licence", "verified": "2026-09-13" } }, "reading_note": { "text": "UK categories use the same letters as the Dutch categories, with the same limits for motorcycles, cars, lorries and buses, so the RDW's advice to carry an International Driving Permit (for licences whose categories are not labelled A, B, C, D, E) does not apply. Three things differ: a UK category B may tow a trailer up to 3,500 kg and BE is added to the licence at renewal without a test, a licence issued before 1 January 1997 carries extra entitlements, and the lower-case letters (f, g, h, k, l, p, q) are national categories.", "source": "cats" }, "categories": [ { "code": "AM", "means": "Mopeds: 2- or 3-wheeled vehicles with a design speed over 25 km/h and not over 45 km/h, and light quad bikes up to 425 kg.", "dutch": [ "AM" ], "source": "cats" }, { "code": "p, q", "means": "National moped categories: p is a 2-wheeled vehicle over 45 km/h and up to 50 km/h with an engine up to 50 cc; q is a 2- or 3-wheeled vehicle without pedals, up to 50 cc and 25 km/h.", "dutch": [ "AM" ], "note": "Dutch AM stops at 45 km/h.", "source": "cats" }, { "code": "A1", "means": "Light motorbikes up to 125 cc and 11 kW; motor tricycles up to 15 kW.", "dutch": [ "A1" ], "source": "cats" }, { "code": "A2", "means": "Motorbikes up to 35 kW.", "dutch": [ "A2" ], "source": "cats" }, { "code": "A", "means": "Motorbikes over 35 kW; motor tricycles over 15 kW.", "dutch": [ "A" ], "source": "cats" }, { "code": "B1", "means": "Motor vehicles with 4 wheels up to 400 kg unladen, or 550 kg if built to carry goods.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "The Netherlands has no B1; Dutch B covers vehicles on four or more wheels up to 3,500 kg.", "source": "cats" }, { "code": "B", "means": "Cars and vans up to 3,500 kg (4,250 kg if electric or hydrogen) with up to 8 passenger seats, towing a trailer up to 3,500 kg.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "Dutch B allows a trailer only up to 750 kg, or heavier if car and trailer together stay under 3,500 kg; beyond that the Netherlands needs BE.", "source": "cats" }, { "code": "B auto", "means": "A category B vehicle, but only an automatic one.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "With code 78: automatic only.", "source": "cats" }, { "code": "B, licence issued before 1 January 1997", "means": "Also vehicle-and-trailer combinations up to 8,250 kg, and a minibus with a trailer over 750 kg.", "dutch": [ "B", "BE" ], "note": "Extra entitlements of an old licence; the RDW decides what comes across.", "source": "towing" }, { "code": "BE", "means": "A vehicle up to 3,500 kg with a trailer; the trailer limit depends on the BE \"valid from\" date on the licence.", "dutch": [ "BE" ], "source": "cats" }, { "code": "C1, C1E", "means": "Vehicles between 3,500 and 7,500 kg with a trailer up to 750 kg; C1E adds a trailer over 750 kg, up to 12,000 kg in all.", "dutch": [ "C1", "C1E" ], "source": "cats" }, { "code": "C, CE", "means": "Vehicles over 3,500 kg with a trailer up to 750 kg; CE adds a trailer over 750 kg.", "dutch": [ "C", "CE" ], "source": "cats" }, { "code": "D1, D1E", "means": "Minibuses with up to 16 passenger seats and up to 8 metres long, with a trailer up to 750 kg; D1E adds a trailer over 750 kg, up to 12,000 kg in all.", "dutch": [ "D1", "D1E" ], "source": "cats" }, { "code": "D, DE", "means": "Any bus with more than 8 passenger seats with a trailer up to 750 kg; DE adds a trailer over 750 kg.", "dutch": [ "D", "DE" ], "source": "cats" }, { "code": "f", "means": "Agricultural tractor.", "dutch": [ "T" ], "source": "cats" }, { "code": "g, h, k, l", "means": "Road roller (g), tracked vehicles (h), mowing machines or pedestrian-controlled vehicles (k), electrically propelled vehicles (l).", "dutch": [], "source": "cats" } ], "automatic_only": { "text": "A UK licence for automatics only carries code 78, \"restricted to vehicles with automatic transmission\"; older licences show the national code 106 with the same wording. Both mean what Dutch code 78 means. Northern Ireland licences use the same two codes.", "source": "codes" }, "document": [ { "text": "A UK photocard licence must be renewed every 10 years.", "source": "renew" }, { "text": "From age 70 the licence is renewed every 3 years.", "source": "at70" }, { "text": "Lorry and bus entitlements (C and D categories) are renewed every 5 years, and every year from 65.", "source": "lorry" }, { "text": "Northern Ireland licences are issued by the DVA, not the DVLA. A car or motorcycle licence also runs 10 years; lorry, bus and minibus categories run at most 5 years up to 65 and one year from then.", "source": "ni_renew" }, { "text": "Northern Ireland uses the same categories with the same limits: C1 is 3,500 to 7,500 kg, D1 up to 16 passenger seats and 8 metres, D any bus with more than 8 passenger seats.", "source": "ni_cats" } ], "open_points": [ "Category BE: a UK category B holder may tow a trailer up to 3,500 kg, and the DVLA adds BE to the licence at the next renewal without a test. The RDW exchanges BE only if a separate BE exam was taken (see the facts above); we do not know how the RDW treats a BE that was added at renewal. Ask the RDW before counting on BE.", "A licence issued before 1 January 1997 carries entitlements (combinations up to 8,250 kg, minibuses) that the Dutch B does not; the RDW decides what comes across, and we put the row under B and BE as our judgement.", "The Dutch column is our judgement: B1 (quadricycles) to B, the national moped categories p and q (up to 50 km/h) to AM, f (agricultural tractor) to T; g, h, k and l have no Dutch counterpart.", "Paper licences from before the photocard: GOV.UK says a paper licence that is still valid need not be exchanged; we do not state when they expire.", "The category limits are read from the DVLA's pages for Great Britain; the DVA's Northern Ireland pages were read for the lorry and bus categories and the renewal terms, and state the same limits." ] }, "MA": { "authority": "Agence Nationale de la Sécurité Routière (NARSA)", "sources": { "exam": { "label": "NARSA road-safety portal (narsa-securiteroutiere.ma), l'examen du permis de conduire: the categories and minimum ages", "url": "https://www.narsa-securiteroutiere.ma/fr/examen-du-permis-de-conduire/", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "exchange": { "label": "NARSA road-safety portal (narsa-securiteroutiere.ma), échange du permis de conduire: the 10-year validity and the electronic licence", "url": "https://www.narsa-securiteroutiere.ma/fr/echange-du-permis-de-conduire/", "verified": "2026-09-13" } }, "reading_note": { "text": "Moroccan categories use the letters of the Dutch categories (AM, A1, A, B, C, D); the trailer categories are written EB, EC and ED where the Dutch licence says BE, CE and DE. The RDW's advice to carry an International Driving Permit is for licences whose categories are not labelled A, B, C, D, E, so it does not apply. The page we could read states the categories and the minimum ages, not the weight and seat limits of B, C and D; see the open points.", "source": "exam" }, "categories": [ { "code": "AM", "means": "From 14: mopeds with a motor up to 4 kW, or an engine up to 50 cc, and a design speed up to 50 km/h; light quadricycles with the same motor limits, up to 350 kg empty and 200 kg of payload.", "dutch": [ "AM" ], "note": "Dutch AM stops at 45 km/h.", "source": "exam" }, { "code": "A1", "means": "From 16: light motorcycles up to 125 cc and/or up to 15 kW.", "dutch": [ "A1" ], "note": "Dutch A1 stops at 11 kW.", "source": "exam" }, { "code": "A", "means": "From 18: motorcycles over 125 cc.", "dutch": [ "A" ], "source": "exam" }, { "code": "B", "means": "From 18: motor vehicles, and vehicles used to carry goods; the page gives no weight or seat limit.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "The weight limit of the Moroccan B could not be read from an official page; see the open points.", "source": "exam" }, { "code": "EB", "means": "From 18: a vehicle with a trailer.", "dutch": [ "BE" ], "source": "exam" }, { "code": "C", "means": "From 21; the page lists C among the other categories without saying what it covers.", "dutch": [ "C" ], "note": "By letter; see the open points.", "source": "exam" }, { "code": "D", "means": "From 21; the page lists D among the other categories without saying what it covers.", "dutch": [ "D" ], "note": "By letter; see the open points.", "source": "exam" }, { "code": "EC, ED", "means": "From 21; C or D with a trailer, listed without a definition.", "dutch": [ "CE", "DE" ], "note": "By letter; see the open points.", "source": "exam" } ], "document": [ { "text": "A Moroccan licence expires after 10 years and must then be renewed. The code de la route in force since 1 October 2010 replaced the old licences with an electronic licence; a paper licence must be exchanged for it.", "source": "exchange" } ], "open_points": [ "Every official Moroccan licensing site refused the connection on 8 September and again on 13 September 2026: narsa.ma, khadamatnarsa.ma (NARSA services), transport.gov.ma, equipement.gov.ma and adala.justice.gov.ma (the Bulletin officiel). The table is read from NARSA's road-safety portal, the one NARSA host that answered. It states the categories and minimum ages but not the weight and seat limits of B, C and D, which are in loi 52-05 (the code de la route, article 8) and décret 2-10-311. Re-read those when the sites answer.", "The Dutch column is our judgement by letter: EB to BE, EC to CE, ED to DE, and the Moroccan C and D to the Dutch C and D, without having read their Moroccan definitions.", "The probationary period of a new Moroccan licence is not on the pages we could read; we state none. No automatic-only restriction is listed there either; none rather than assumed.", "The Moroccan AM (up to 4 kW and 50 km/h) and A1 (up to 15 kW) reach above the Dutch AM (45 km/h) and A1 (11 kW); the RDW decides what an exchange gives." ] }, "ZA": { "authority": "Department of Transport, through the provincial licensing authorities", "sources": { "apply": { "label": "South African Government (gov.za), apply for a driving licence: the codes and what each covers", "url": "https://www.gov.za/services/driving-licence/apply-driving-licence", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "wc": { "label": "Western Cape Government, driving licence: the card expires 5 years after issue", "url": "https://www.westerncape.gov.za/mobility/service/driving-licence", "verified": "2026-09-13" } }, "reading_note": { "text": "South African codes are letters like the Dutch categories, but the trailer codes are written EB, EC1 and EC, and the truck codes turn on 3,500 kg and 16,000 kg where the Dutch C1 stops at 7,500 kg. The RDW's advice to carry an International Driving Permit is for licences whose categories are not labelled A, B, C, D, E, so it does not apply.", "source": "apply" }, "categories": [ { "code": "A1", "means": "Motorcycle, with or without a sidecar, with an engine up to 125 cc.", "dutch": [ "A1" ], "source": "apply" }, { "code": "A", "means": "Motorcycle, with or without a sidecar, with an engine over 125 cc.", "dutch": [ "A" ], "source": "apply" }, { "code": "B", "means": "Motor vehicle, including a minibus, bus or goods vehicle, with a gross vehicle mass up to 3,500 kg.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "source": "apply" }, { "code": "C1", "means": "Bus, minibus or goods vehicle with a gross vehicle mass between 3,500 and 16,000 kg.", "dutch": [ "C1", "D1" ], "note": "Dutch C1 stops at 7,500 kg and D1 at 16 passengers; a heavier truck or a bigger bus is Dutch C or D.", "source": "apply" }, { "code": "C", "means": "Bus or goods vehicle with a gross vehicle mass over 16,000 kg.", "dutch": [ "C", "D" ], "note": "C for goods, D for a bus.", "source": "apply" }, { "code": "EB", "means": "A light motor vehicle drawing a trailer, with a gross combination mass up to 3,500 kg.", "dutch": [ "BE" ], "source": "apply" }, { "code": "EC1", "means": "A heavy motor vehicle drawing a trailer, with a gross combination mass between 3,500 and 16,000 kg.", "dutch": [ "C1E", "D1E" ], "note": "Dutch C1E stops at 12,000 kg in all.", "source": "apply" }, { "code": "EC", "means": "A heavy motor vehicle drawing a trailer, with a gross combination mass over 16,000 kg.", "dutch": [ "CE", "DE" ], "note": "CE for goods, DE for a bus.", "source": "apply" } ], "document": [ { "text": "The card driving licence expires 5 years after the date of issue and must then be renewed; a restriction such as glasses can be added at renewal after the eye test.", "source": "wc" } ], "open_points": [ "The Dutch column is our judgement: the South African C1 and EC1 run to 16,000 kg, past the Dutch C1 and C1E at 7,500 and 12,000 kg, and cover buses as well as goods vehicles, so we list C1 or D1 and C1E or D1E; C and EC likewise C or D and CE or DE.", "No automatic-only restriction is listed on the gov.za page; none rather than assumed. The card carries coded driver and vehicle restrictions that we could not read from an official page.", "The codes are read from the gov.za service page, which restates the National Road Traffic Regulations; the regulation itself was not read." ] }, "AU": { "authority": "State and territory transport departments (Transport for NSW; Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads)", "sources": { "nsw_cls": { "label": "NSW Government (Transport for NSW), licence classes", "url": "https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/driver-and-rider-licences/licence-classes-and-conditions/classes", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "nsw_cond": { "label": "NSW Government, licence conditions: condition A, automatic transmission", "url": "https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/driver-and-rider-licences/licence-classes-and-conditions/conditions", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "nsw_renew": { "label": "Service NSW, renew or upgrade a NSW driver licence: 1, 3, 5 or 10 years", "url": "https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/renew-or-upgrade-a-nsw-driver-licence", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "qld": { "label": "Queensland Government, licence types, classes and conditions: class CA and condition A", "url": "https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/licensing/driver-licensing/types", "verified": "2026-09-13" } }, "reading_note": { "text": "There is no national Australian licence: each state and territory issues its own. The classes are the same in New South Wales and Queensland, the two states read here (C, R, LR, MR, HR, HC, MC), and none of them is a letter the Dutch licence uses in the same way: a class C car licence reaches 4.5 tonnes and 12 seats, past the Dutch B. That is the case in which the RDW advises an International Driving Permit, so the classes can be read.", "source": "nsw_cls" }, "categories": [ { "code": "C (car)", "means": "Cars, utes, vans, some light trucks and car-based motor tricycles up to 4.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass, seating up to 12 adults including the driver; also tractors.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "Dutch B stops at 3,500 kg and 8 passengers; a 12-seat minibus or a 4.5-tonne truck needs D1 or C1 here.", "source": "nsw_cls" }, { "code": "CA (Queensland)", "means": "A class C vehicle with an automatic transmission only.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "With code 78: automatic only.", "source": "qld" }, { "code": "R (rider)", "means": "Motorcycles and scooters of any engine size.", "dutch": [ "A" ], "source": "nsw_cls" }, { "code": "RE (Queensland)", "means": "Mopeds and learner-approved motorcycles with 2 or 3 wheels, with or without a trailer.", "dutch": [ "A2" ], "note": "Our judgement: the learner-approved list is set by power to weight, the Dutch A2 by a 35 kW cap.", "source": "qld" }, { "code": "LR (light rigid)", "means": "Rigid vehicles over 4.5 and up to 8 tonnes gross vehicle mass, any number of axles, with a trailer up to 9 tonnes; vehicles up to 8 tonnes carrying more than 12 adults; everything in C except motorcycles.", "dutch": [ "C1", "D1" ], "note": "C1 for goods, D1 for a bus.", "source": "nsw_cls" }, { "code": "MR (medium rigid)", "means": "Rigid vehicles with 2 axles over 8 tonnes gross vehicle mass, with a trailer up to 9 tonnes; everything in LR.", "dutch": [ "C", "D" ], "source": "nsw_cls" }, { "code": "HR (heavy rigid)", "means": "Rigid vehicles with 3 or more axles over 8 tonnes gross vehicle mass, with a trailer up to 9 tonnes; articulated buses; everything in MR.", "dutch": [ "C", "D" ], "source": "nsw_cls" }, { "code": "HC (heavy combination)", "means": "Articulated vehicles with 3 or more axles, and towing combinations with a trailer over 9 tonnes gross vehicle mass; everything in HR.", "dutch": [ "CE", "DE" ], "source": "nsw_cls" }, { "code": "MC (multi combination)", "means": "Road trains, B-doubles and low-loader combinations; everything in HC.", "dutch": [ "CE" ], "note": "The Netherlands has no class above CE.", "source": "nsw_cls" } ], "automatic_only": { "text": "An Australian licence for automatics only carries condition A: \"the holder must drive only a motor vehicle fitted with an automatic transmission\" (New South Wales). Queensland prints the car class as CA instead of C. Both mean what Dutch code 78 means.", "source": "nsw_cond" }, "document": [ { "text": "A full New South Wales licence is issued for 1, 3 or 5 years; drivers aged 21 to 44 may take a 10-year licence, in person at a Service NSW centre.", "source": "nsw_renew" } ], "open_points": [ "The Dutch column is our judgement: class C (4.5 tonnes, 12 seats) to B; LR to C1 or D1; MR and HR to C or D; HC to CE or DE; MC to CE; Queensland RE to A2. Australian classes turn on gross vehicle mass and axles, Dutch ones on mass and seats, so none is an equivalence.", "Only New South Wales and Queensland were read; the other states and territories use the same class letters, but their conditions, codes and licence terms may differ.", "Learner and provisional licences (L, P1, P2) are not covered by the table." ] }, "CA": { "authority": "The provinces: Ontario Ministry of Transportation; Alberta (Service Alberta); Québec SAAQ", "sources": { "on_cls": { "label": "Ontario.ca (Ministry of Transportation), bus handbook: licence classes and combinations (A to G, M)", "url": "https://www.ontario.ca/document/official-ministry-transportation-mto-bus-handbook/licence-classes-and-combinations", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "on_renew": { "label": "Ontario.ca, renew your driver's licence: valid for 5 years", "url": "https://www.ontario.ca/page/renew-drivers-licence", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "ab5": { "label": "Alberta.ca, get a Class 5 driver's licence: what Class 5 and Class 5-GDL allow", "url": "https://www.alberta.ca/class-5-drivers-licence", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "ab6": { "label": "Alberta.ca, get a Class 6 motorcycle licence", "url": "https://www.alberta.ca/class-6-motorcycle-licence", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "ab_comm": { "label": "Alberta.ca, obtaining a commercial licence: Class 1, 2, 3 and 4", "url": "https://www.alberta.ca/upgrade-commercial-licence", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "ab_renew": { "label": "Alberta.ca, renew or replace a driver's licence: valid one to 5 years", "url": "https://www.alberta.ca/renew-replace-drivers-licence", "verified": "2026-09-13" } }, "reading_note": { "text": "There is no national Canadian licence: each province issues its own, and the same class name means different things. Ontario uses letters (G is the car licence, A the tractor-trailer licence); Alberta and Québec use numbers (Class 5 is the car licence in both, and those two are the ones the RDW lists, see the facts above). Québec's own pages could not be read; see the open points. That is the case in which the RDW advises an International Driving Permit, so the classes can be read.", "source": "on_cls" }, "categories": [ { "code": "Class G (Ontario)", "means": "Any car, van, small truck, or combination of vehicle and towed vehicle up to 11,000 kg, provided the towed vehicle is not over 4,600 kg; G1 and G2 are the graduated stages.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "Dutch B stops at 3,500 kg and a 750 kg trailer; an Ontario G reaches into Dutch C1 and BE.", "source": "on_cls" }, { "code": "Class M (Ontario)", "means": "Any motorcycle, including motor tricycles, limited-speed motorcycles (scooters) and mopeds; with the L condition, limited-speed motorcycles and mopeds only.", "dutch": [ "A" ], "note": "M with the L condition: AM.", "source": "on_cls" }, { "code": "Class D (Ontario)", "means": "A motor vehicle over 11,000 kg gross weight, or any truck or combination where the towed vehicle is not over 4,600 kg.", "dutch": [ "C" ], "source": "on_cls" }, { "code": "Class A (Ontario)", "means": "Any tractor-trailer combination; also class D and G vehicles.", "dutch": [ "CE" ], "source": "on_cls" }, { "code": "Class B, C, E, F (Ontario)", "means": "Buses: B any school-purposes bus, C any regular bus, E a school bus up to 24 passengers, F a regular bus up to 24 passengers and ambulances.", "dutch": [ "D" ], "note": "Dutch D1 stops at 16 passengers, so all four sit under D.", "source": "on_cls" }, { "code": "Class 5 (Alberta)", "means": "A 2-axle single motor vehicle, towing a trailer without air brakes; a motorhome without air brakes. Class 5-GDL is the probationary stage, held for at least 2 years.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "Set by axles, not mass: a 2-axle truck over 3,500 kg is still Class 5 in Alberta and Dutch C1 here.", "source": "ab5" }, { "code": "Class 6 (Alberta)", "means": "A motorcycle or moped; Class 5 vehicles as a learner only. A road test on a three-wheeler limits the licence to three-wheelers.", "dutch": [ "A" ], "source": "ab6" }, { "code": "Class 4 (Alberta)", "means": "A taxi, ambulance or bus seating fewer than 25 people including the driver; everything in Class 5.", "dutch": [ "D1" ], "note": "Dutch D1 stops at 16 passengers; a 24-seat bus is Dutch D.", "source": "ab_comm" }, { "code": "Class 3 (Alberta)", "means": "A single motor vehicle with 3 or more axles, towing a trailer without air brakes; everything in Class 5.", "dutch": [ "C" ], "source": "ab_comm" }, { "code": "Class 2 (Alberta)", "means": "A bus; everything in Class 3, 4 and 5.", "dutch": [ "D" ], "source": "ab_comm" }, { "code": "Class 1 (Alberta)", "means": "Any motor vehicle other than a motorcycle.", "dutch": [ "CE", "DE" ], "note": "Every combination; CE for goods, DE for a bus.", "source": "ab_comm" }, { "code": "Class 7 (Alberta)", "means": "The learner's licence: Class 5 vehicles and motorcycles with a supervisor, held for at least a year before the probationary Class 5.", "dutch": [], "note": "A learner's licence is not a full licence.", "source": "ab5" } ], "document": [ { "text": "An Ontario licence is valid for 5 years and renewed every 5 years.", "source": "on_renew" }, { "text": "An Alberta licence is valid for one to 5 years, depending on the class, medical status and age.", "source": "ab_renew" } ], "open_points": [ "Québec: the SAAQ site answers requests from outside Canada with a block page, and the Québec statute portal (LégisQuébec, the regulation on the classes of driver's licences) returned 403 on 13 September 2026. The Québec classes are not in the table; the RDW's own line (Classe 5, véhicule de promenade) is in the facts above. Re-read the SAAQ page on the classes of driver's licence when reachable.", "The Dutch column is our judgement: Ontario G (11,000 kg) and Alberta Class 5 (any 2-axle vehicle) to B; Ontario D and Alberta Class 3 to C; Ontario A and Alberta Class 1 to CE; the bus classes to D or D1 by seats; Alberta Class 7 (learner) to none.", "No automatic-only condition appears on the Ontario and Alberta pages read; none rather than assumed. The other provinces and territories were not read.", "Alberta's Class 1 to 4 definitions are read from the commercial-licence page, which summarises the Operator Licensing and Vehicle Control Regulation; the regulation itself was not read." ] }, "JP": { "authority": "National Police Agency (警察庁) and the prefectural public safety commissions", "sources": { "hyogo": { "label": "Hyōgo Prefectural Police, 運転できる自動車の範囲: weight, load and seat limits by licence and by the date it was obtained", "url": "https://www.police.pref.hyogo.lg.jp/traffic/license/hani/index.htm", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "osaka": { "label": "Osaka Prefectural Police, 免許の種類と運転できる自動車など: licence types and the vehicles they cover", "url": "https://www.police.pref.osaka.lg.jp/kotsu/untenmenkyo/shurui/5969.html", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "npa_semi": { "label": "警察庁 (National Police Agency), 準中型免許: what the semi-medium and ordinary licences may drive", "url": "https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/traffic/menkyo/junchuu/semimedium.pdf", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "npa_at": { "label": "警察庁, AT大型免許等の導入: AT-limited large, medium and semi-medium licences from 2026", "url": "https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/traffic/menkyo/menkyo_atogata.html", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "npa_gentsuki": { "label": "警察庁, 原動機付自転車の車両区分の見直し: the wider moped class from 1 April 2025", "url": "https://www.npa.go.jp/bureau/traffic/menkyo/menkyo_nirinsha.html", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "keishicho_at": { "label": "警視庁 (Tokyo Metropolitan Police), AT二輪免許試験について: the AT limitation on motorcycle licences", "url": "https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/menkyo/menkyo/annai/nirin/tekisei05.html", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "keishicho_renew": { "label": "警視庁, 更新手続一覧: validity by driving record and age", "url": "https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/menkyo/koshin/koshin/kousin00.html", "verified": "2026-09-13" } }, "reading_note": { "text": "Japanese licences are named by vehicle size, not by letter: 普通 (ordinary), 準中型 (semi-medium), 中型 (medium) and 大型 (large), the motorcycle licences 原付, 普通二輪 and 大型二輪, and けん引 (towing). What an older licence covers depends on when it was obtained: the ordinary licence shrank on 2 June 2007 and again on 12 March 2017, and an older licence keeps its old range, shown on the card as a limited medium (8 t) or semi-medium (5 t) licence. That is the case in which the RDW advises an International Driving Permit, so the licence can be read.", "source": "hyogo" }, "categories": [ { "code": "原付 (moped)", "means": "Mopeds up to 50 cc, and since 1 April 2025 also two-wheelers up to 125 cc with an output of at most 4.0 kW.", "dutch": [ "AM" ], "note": "Dutch AM is set by speed (45 km/h), the Japanese class by engine size and output.", "source": "npa_gentsuki" }, { "code": "普通二輪 (ordinary motorcycle)", "means": "Motorcycles up to 400 cc; with the 小型限定 (small) limitation, up to 125 cc. Also small special vehicles and mopeds.", "dutch": [ "A2" ], "note": "A1 with the 小型限定 limitation. The Dutch classes turn on power (11 and 35 kW), the Japanese on engine size; our judgement.", "source": "osaka" }, { "code": "大型二輪 (large motorcycle)", "means": "Motorcycles of any engine size; also ordinary motorcycles.", "dutch": [ "A" ], "source": "keishicho_at" }, { "code": "普通 (ordinary), obtained on or after 12 March 2017", "means": "Vehicles under 3.5 tonnes gross weight and under 2 tonnes load, up to 10 seats; also small special vehicles and mopeds.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "source": "hyogo" }, { "code": "準中型 (semi-medium)", "means": "Vehicles from 3.5 to under 7.5 tonnes gross weight and 2 to under 4.5 tonnes load, up to 10 seats; also ordinary vehicles.", "dutch": [ "C1" ], "source": "npa_semi" }, { "code": "中型 (medium)", "means": "Vehicles from 7.5 to under 11 tonnes gross weight, 4.5 to under 6.5 tonnes load, 11 to 29 seats.", "dutch": [ "C", "D" ], "note": "The Dutch C1 stops at 7,500 kg; D1 for a bus up to 16 passengers, D beyond.", "source": "hyogo" }, { "code": "大型 (large)", "means": "Vehicles of 11 tonnes gross weight or more, 6.5 tonnes load or more, 30 seats or more.", "dutch": [ "C", "D" ], "source": "hyogo" }, { "code": "普通 obtained before 12 March 2017 (shown as 準中型, 5 t limited)", "means": "Vehicles under 5 tonnes gross weight and under 3 tonnes load, up to 10 seats.", "dutch": [ "B", "C1" ], "note": "Beyond 3,500 kg the Dutch licence needs C1.", "source": "hyogo" }, { "code": "普通 obtained before 2 June 2007 (shown as 中型, 8 t limited)", "means": "Vehicles under 8 tonnes gross weight and under 5 tonnes load, up to 10 seats.", "dutch": [ "B", "C1" ], "note": "Beyond 7,500 kg even the Dutch C1 stops.", "source": "hyogo" }, { "code": "けん引 (towing)", "means": "Towing a trailer over 750 kg; below that, and for a broken-down vehicle on a rope or crane, no towing licence is needed.", "dutch": [ "BE", "CE", "DE" ], "note": "Depending on the towing vehicle's own licence.", "source": "osaka" }, { "code": "大型特殊, 小型特殊 (special vehicles)", "means": "Large and small special vehicles (construction and agricultural machinery); the small special licence also covers mopeds.", "dutch": [ "T" ], "note": "T for tractors; construction machinery has no Dutch counterpart.", "source": "osaka" }, { "code": "第二種 (second class)", "means": "The passenger-carrying versions of the large, medium, ordinary and towing licences, for driving taxis and buses for hire.", "dutch": [], "note": "The Netherlands has no taxi class on the licence.", "source": "osaka" } ], "automatic_only": { "text": "A Japanese licence for automatics is AT限定 (AT limited): the motorcycle licences say (ATに限る) behind the class, and the ordinary licence has had an AT-limited form for years. From 1 April 2026 the semi-medium and medium licences, and from 1 April 2027 the large licence, also come in an AT-limited form; before that they were manual-only. It means what Dutch code 78 means.", "source": "npa_at" }, "document": [ { "text": "A Japanese licence runs 5 years for a driver with a clean record or one minor violation in the last 5 years (優良, 一般), and 3 years after violations or for a first renewal (licence held under 5 years). At 70 it still runs 5 years, at 71 four years, from 72 three years; 3 years in every case after violations.", "source": "keishicho_renew" } ], "open_points": [ "The Dutch column is our judgement: 普通二輪 (up to 400 cc) to A2 and its 小型限定 form (125 cc) to A1, although the Dutch classes turn on power; 準中型 to C1; 中型 and 大型 to C or D; the pre-2007 and pre-2017 ordinary licences to B and C1; けん引 to BE, CE or DE by towing vehicle; the special-vehicle licences to T; 第二種 to none.", "The weight table is read from the Hyōgo and Osaka prefectural police pages and a National Police Agency leaflet, not from the Road Traffic Act (道路交通法) and its ordinance themselves.", "The validity terms are the Tokyo police's summary of the national rule; the 第二種 row is read from the Osaka page's list of licence types.", "The RDW lists Japan's exchangeable categories as A and B (see the facts above); how it reads 準中型 or 中型 on exchange is not stated." ] }, "KR": { "authority": "Korea Road Traffic Authority (한국도로교통공단), under the National Police Agency", "sources": { "types": { "label": "Korea Road Traffic Authority (safedriving.or.kr), 운전면허의 종류: licence types and the vehicles they cover", "url": "https://www.safedriving.or.kr/dtGuide/selectDtGuide16.do", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "renew": { "label": "Korea Road Traffic Authority, 정기적성검사/면허갱신: the 10-year renewal cycle", "url": "https://www.safedriving.or.kr/guide/larGuide011.do?menuCode=MN-PO-1211", "verified": "2026-09-13" }, "eng": { "label": "Korea Road Traffic Authority, 영문운전면허증: the bilingual English licence", "url": "https://www.safedriving.or.kr/guide/larGuide09.do?menuCode=MN-PO-1219", "verified": "2026-09-13" } }, "reading_note": { "text": "Korean licences are 1st class (제1종) and 2nd class (제2종), each with sub-types. The 1st class ordinary (보통) licence covers cars, vans up to 15 seats and trucks under 12 tonnes; the 2nd class ordinary licence covers cars, vans up to 10 seats and trucks up to 4 tonnes. The RDW lists both ordinary licences as exchangeable for B (see the facts above). The classes are not letters, which is the case in which the RDW advises an International Driving Permit; the bilingual English licence (영문운전면허증) is the same licence with an English side.", "source": "types" }, "categories": [ { "code": "제1종 대형 (1st class, large)", "means": "Passenger cars, vans and buses, trucks, construction machinery, special vehicles, mopeds.", "dutch": [ "C", "D" ], "source": "types" }, { "code": "제1종 보통 (1st class, ordinary)", "means": "Passenger cars, vans up to 15 seats, trucks under 12 tonnes load, forklifts under 3 tonnes, special vehicles under 10 tonnes gross weight, mopeds.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "Dutch B stops at 3,500 kg and 8 passengers; a 12-tonne truck is Dutch C and a 15-seat van D1 here.", "source": "types" }, { "code": "제1종 소형 (1st class, small)", "means": "Three-wheeled trucks and three-wheeled cars, mopeds.", "dutch": [], "note": "No Dutch category is built around three-wheeled cars.", "source": "types" }, { "code": "제1종 특수 (1st class, special): 대형견인, 소형견인, 구난", "means": "Towing tractors (large: any; small: up to 3.5 tonnes gross weight) and recovery vehicles, plus everything a 2nd class ordinary licence covers.", "dutch": [ "CE", "BE" ], "note": "Large towing to CE, small towing to BE; our judgement.", "source": "types" }, { "code": "제2종 보통 (2nd class, ordinary)", "means": "Passenger cars, vans up to 10 seats, trucks up to 4 tonnes load, special vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes gross weight, mopeds.", "dutch": [ "B" ], "note": "Dutch B stops at 3,500 kg and 8 passengers; a 10-seat van is Dutch D1 here.", "source": "types" }, { "code": "제2종 소형 (2nd class, small)", "means": "Motorcycles, with or without a sidecar, and mopeds.", "dutch": [ "A" ], "source": "types" }, { "code": "원동기장치자전거 (moped)", "means": "Mopeds (motorised bicycles).", "dutch": [ "AM" ], "source": "types" } ], "document": [ { "text": "A Korean licence is renewed, with an aptitude test, every 10 years for licences obtained or renewed since 9 December 2011; every 5 years from age 65 and every 3 years from 75. The renewal window is 6 months either side of the birthday in the 10th year.", "source": "renew" }, { "text": "The bilingual English licence (영문운전면허증) is the Korean licence with an English side, accepted in the countries on the Authority's list without a translation; each country sets its own driving period, mostly about 3 months.", "source": "eng" } ], "open_points": [ "Korea also issues a 2nd class ordinary licence limited to automatics (제2종 보통, 자동); the Authority's pages we could read mention automatics only as an exemption in the skills test, so we do not describe the condition or how it is printed.", "The Dutch column is our judgement: the 1st class ordinary licence (trucks under 12 tonnes, 15-seat vans) and the 2nd class ordinary licence (4 tonnes, 10 seats) both to B, which is also what the RDW exchanges; 1st class large to C or D; the special licences to CE or BE; 1st class small (three-wheelers) to none.", "Vehicle definitions are read from the Authority's summary of 도로교통법 시행규칙 별표 18; the table itself on the statute portal loads as an image we could not read." ] } } }