Dutch driver’s license online renewal, Digi Mart USA News (Netherlands): Renewing your driver’s license in the Netherlands will soon become much easier across the country. Even so, there is one step you still cannot skip.
The Dutch House of Representatives and Senate have approved the Digital Driver’s License Application Act. It will allow people to permanently apply online for a renewal or replacement of their driver’s license through the RDW, the Netherlands Vehicle Authority, which also manages the driver’s license register.
Until now, this was a pilot that only worked if your municipality participated.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management had aimed for January 1, 2027, but a final start date has not yet been announced. Online renewal will be a choice rather than a requirement: people who prefer to visit the municipal office counter can continue to do so.
Applying for your very first driver’s license still requires a visit to the counter.
To apply online, you need a Dutch driver’s license issued after October 1, 2006, a registration at a Dutch address, and DigiD with identity verification. Logging in with an SMS code alone is not sufficient, but you can also use your identity card or a driver’s license with a PIN code.
Note that even if your license has already expired, you can still renew it online. If it has been lost or stolen, you will need to visit the municipal office.
Before submitting your renewal application, you must have a digital passport photo taken at a photo shop or photo booth approved by the RDW. A regular passport photo will not work.
Your photo and signature are then transmitted, after which you receive an application code valid for six months.
With that code, you request the license and pay 53.65 euros, plus the cost of the passport photo. That amount applies for this year.
From January 1, municipalities may charge up to 40.40 euros for their share, 1.10 euros more than now. How much the RDW will charge in 2027 is not yet known.
If you are over 75 years old, you may sometimes also need a health declaration from the CBR, the Central Office for Driving Aptitude Certificates.
Although the application can be made digitally everywhere, you still need to travel to the municipal office, because you must collect your new driver’s license in person. It is not delivered to your home but sent to the municipality where you are registered.
You usually receive an email after two working days saying it is ready. At the counter, your identity is checked once more and you hand in your old license.
If you do not pick it up within three months, you must submit a new application.
Driving without a physical card is not possible for now. A driver’s license on your phone is planned, but in the Netherlands it will likely take years before it becomes available.
