Driving within the Netherlands – what are the principles?

Flat landscapes, canals, windmills, fields of tulips and friendly people all make the Netherlands a good choice for a touring holiday. While it might not be top of everyone’s vacation destination list, it still attracts thousands of tourists from the UK and Europe every year.

But if you are one of the UK motorists who does choose the land of the ‘Dutchies’ when it comes to planning a holiday, you’ll need some careful planning before hitting the road there. The Dutch are friends of the British and the country is relatively close – enter France, head through Belgium and you’re there. It’s a decent European drive to enjoy.

But driving in the Netherlands (of which Holland is a province) is a completely different experience from doing so in the UK. And that isn’t just because the Dutch drive on a different side of the road from us.

It’s much more than that and planning a driving holiday, or taking your car to the Netherlands on business, requires careful planning and a good understanding of what you can, and can’t do behind the wheel while on Dutch roads.

This isn’t just for your safety and convenience. Getting on the wrong side of the Dutch police can mean on-the-spot fines and even confiscation of your car and its contents. So it’s well worth spending a couple of hours, while planning your trip, to make sure you have everything in place for your Northern Europe excursion.

Here The Car Expert looks at the most important elements to consider when driving in the Netherlands, and we’ve included a handy checklist. As each journey is unique, always check that you have everything covered for your particular visit.

Basic rules for driving in the Netherlands

You have to be 18 years or over to drive in the Netherlands and you must hold a full UK driving licence. Just the licence card will do, as the paper counterpart is no longer a requirement. An international driving permit is not necessary either.

You’ll need to prove that you have car insurance cover so take the certificate with you (but you don’t need a European ‘green card’) and you must carry with you documents that show the identity of the car, such as a V5 ‘logbook’. Always carry your personal ID or passport with you too.

The vehicle’s ‘home country’ must be shown on it. A ‘UK’ sticker is acceptable but a small UK badge on both number plates is also fine. The ‘GB’ badge is no longer allowed, even within the European ‘golden stars’ and the same goes for country badges such as the English, Scottish or Welsh flags.

Speed limits

As with most countries in the world, the Netherlands uses the meric system for speed and distance, so all road signs are shown in kilometres rather than miles, and speed limits are shown in km/h (kilometres per hour) rather than mph (miles per hour).

In built-up areas, the top speed is 50 km/h (approx. 30mph). This should be well signposted. Moving out of built-up areas and onto more open roads, the limits rise to between 80 km/h and 100 km/h (roughly 50mph to 60mph). These speeds differ regionally and are shown on roadside signs so keep a close eye out for them. Motorways have a blanket 130 km/h limit (about 80mph).

You are not allowed any kind of speed camera detection equipment when driving through the Netherlands and that includes satnav units with the camera detection built-in. If that’s the case, make sure yours is disabled before you go anywhere.

Dutch authorities don’t look kindly on speeders and fines are quite high. It depends on how far over the limit you are and on what road you were driving. But going 20 km/h above the permitted speed in a residential area could mean a €194 fine. And it rises to €263 if you’re 25 km/h over.

Serious speeding offences can result in a driving ban as well as a big fine.

Blood alcohol limits

We don’t condone any drinking of alcohol if you are going to drive, but it’s important to know the country’s limits.

The drink drive limit is 0.5 g/l (also expressed as 0.05%), although for new drivers with less than five years’ experience, it’s 0.2 g/l (0.02%). By comparison, it’s 0.8 g/l (0.08%) in England and Wales. If the Dutch police suspect you have been drinking you’ll be asked to take a breath test.

What to carry in the car

There is nothing that the authorities in the Netherlands will expect you to have in your car while motoring, as you have to in some European countries, but it’s sensible to take some items with you. These include a warning triangle because you must warn other drivers that your vehicle is stranded if you have to stop. Hazard warning lights are acceptable but, if these have also failed, the police would expect you to use a triangle.

The same goes for reflective jackets or bibs: while these are not mandatory in the Netherlands, they are a good idea in an emergency. You don’t have to carry spare bulbs but if the police stop you because one of your lights has blown you could avoid a fine by changing it there and then at the roadside. Make sure you have put headlamp converter stickers on your front lights, if required, to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.

Specialist suppliers, such as motoring organisations, sell ‘European driving kits’ for around £25, which contain everything you are likely to need, including a first aid kit which, again, is not mandatory.

Seatbelt and other rules

Seatbelt rules are the same as in the UK: if your car has them, they must be worn.

It’s the driver’s responsibility to make sure everyone is buckled up and there’s a €140 fine for failing to wear one. Children less than 135 cm in height must be in an approved child seat in the front or back of the car.

Driving

Keep to the right-hand lane as much as possible but if you are overtaking do so on the left. Trams operate more widely in the Netherlands than in the UK: if you want to pass one do so on the right where possible, although you can also use the left side if it does not impact on people boarding or leaving the tram.

Trams have priority at road intersections, while buses have priority when they are leaving a stop and pulling away. Emergency vehicles with blue lights showing have priority over everything, rather like in the UK.

Do not overtake anything that is moving or stopped near a pedestrian crossing. You are allowed to overtake moving traffic on the right if it is queued and moving slowly. Traffic signals are red, amber and green and follow a similar pattern to the UK. However a flashing amber light means that a red light is about to appear.

If you are towing a caravan ensure that your car and the ‘van don’t exceed 12 metres in length, 4 metres in height and 2.55 metres in width. Make sure you can see clearly behind you with the use of two wide rear-view mirrors. The Dutch police will hand out on-the-spot fines for traffic offences.

Unleaded and diesel fuel is widely available and many fuel stations on main roads and motorways stay open all night.

Parking regulations

Look for parking restriction signs before you pull up anywhere. In addition to these controls, parking is not allowed in tunnels, on cycle paths, along a solid yellow line, within 12 metres of a bus stop, within five metres of a junction and five metres before and after a pedestrian or cycle crossing.

You can park without vehicles lights on streets where public lighting illuminates vehicles. Many towns and cities will operate parking disc schemes allowing between 30 minutes and three hours parking at a time. Cars can be towed away if they are parked illegally.

Emergency assistance in the Netherlands

Dutch motorways have yellow emergency phones every two kilometres. In Europe you can also dial 112 and make contact with emergency services such as fire, ambulance or police, 24 hours a day. They will speak English as well as a number of other European languages.

Checklist for driving in the Netherlands

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