Before you start

BRP registration at a Nijmegen address and a BSN — the exchange cannot be lodged before this
A foreign licence that is currently valid, not expired and not suspended
For the test-free route: an active expat ruling decision, yours or that of the family member you live with
For most non-EU exchanges: a CBR Certificate of Fitness obtained through the online Gezondheidsverklaring

Step-by-step

1
Register first, then count 185 days
For a non-EU/EEA licence the grace period runs from your municipal registration date. People who spend their first months in a sublet or a temporary room before registering often assume the clock started when they landed and lose weeks. Note the registration date somewhere you will see it and work backwards — the RDW cannot expedite an exchange.
In personWho: You, at gemeente NijmegenWeek 1Free
2
Check your licence's status on the RDW exchange list
The RDW publishes exactly which countries are designated and which categories transfer. Many designated countries transfer car category B only, so motorcycle or trailer entitlements are quietly dropped. Check the category detail, not just whether your country appears.
OnlineWho: YouSame dayFree
3
Complete the CBR health declaration if your route needs one
Buy and complete the Gezondheidsverklaring through Mijn CBR. A clean declaration is normally approved quickly; declaring a condition can trigger a medical review that takes months. Start it before you book the gemeente appointment rather than after, because the certificate is what the counter asks for.
OnlineWho: You, via Mijn CBRDays if clean; up to several months if reviewedCBR fee, €46.90 in 2026
4
Lodge the exchange at gemeente Nijmegen and surrender the old licence
Take your foreign licence, ID or residence permit, a passport photo to the Dutch matrix standard, the CBR certificate and, if using it, the expat ruling decision. The gemeente forwards it to the RDW and keeps your foreign licence. You collect the Dutch card about a week after the notification letter.
In personWho: You, at gemeente Nijmegen; decided by the RDWRDW needs at least 15 working days, then collectionGemeente issuing fee, capped nationally at €53.65 in 2026
5
Think about the bridges and the hills before you buy anything with wheels
Everything from the north bank crosses the Waal on the Waalbrug or the Oversteek, and both congest at peak. Central resident parking is zoned and paid. The more Nijmegen-specific point is the gradient: this is the one Dutch city built on real hills, and the ride home from the centre up to Heijendaal or Groesbeekseweg defeats a lot of people on a standard bike. An e-bike is a more defensible purchase here than anywhere else in the country.
OnlineWho: YouBefore buying a car or a bikePermit priced by zone

Documents you’ll need

Valid foreign driving licence, with a sworn translation if it is not in Latin script
Passport or residence permit, plus BSN and BRP registration
Passport photo to the Dutch photo-matrix standard
CBR Certificate of Fitness, for most non-EU exchanges
Expat ruling decision letter, for the test-free route

Things most newcomers don’t know

The 185-day clock runs from municipal registration, and it is the single most common way people end up unable to drive legally.

Newcomers reasonably assume the grace period starts on arrival or on the licence's own expiry date. It starts on the day the gemeente registers you, and it applies to non-EU/EEA licences. Someone who lands in March, lives in a sublet and registers in May is off the road from roughly November unless the Dutch licence has actually been issued — the RDW is explicit that you may not keep driving while an application is in progress, and it does not offer an expedited route.

Source: RDW; Rijksoverheid

The expat ruling turns a non-exchangeable licence into a paperwork exercise, and the benefit extends to your household.

A US, Canadian, Indian, Chinese or Brazilian licence is normally not exchangeable and means sitting the Dutch tests from scratch. Holders of the expat ruling, together with a partner and adult children registered at the same address, may exchange any valid foreign licence without a test. It is the most valuable and least advertised element of the scheme, and it expires with the ruling — so do it early, not in year five.

Source: RDW

A designated country often buys you category B only, and the lost categories are not obvious until the card arrives.

The RDW list sets transferable categories country by country. Motorcycle entitlements in particular are frequently dropped. People discover this when the Dutch licence turns up without the category they had held for twenty years, by which point the original has already been surrendered and the only route back is a Dutch test.

Source: RDW

German registration does not follow you across a border that is twenty minutes away.

Nijmegen's proximity to Kleve makes cross-border life normal, and people quite reasonably keep a German-registered car, or bring one from a posting in Germany. Once you are registered in the BRP as a Dutch resident, the vehicle generally has to be imported and registered with the RDW, with BPM due — and driving a foreign-plated car as a Dutch resident is a customs and tax problem rather than a licensing one. Check the RDW import rules before you move the car, not after.

Source: RDW

Common mistakes to avoid

Counting the 185 days from arrival rather than from the BRP registration date, and being off the road before the Dutch licence arrives.
Surrendering a licence with motorcycle entitlements without first checking which categories your country actually transfers.
Leaving the CBR health declaration until after booking the gemeente appointment and turning up without the certificate.
Assuming a US, Canadian, Indian or Chinese licence is exchangeable without the expat ruling — it is not.
Keeping a foreign-plated car after registering as a Dutch resident, which is an import and tax problem rather than a licensing one.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.