car and driving

This post has:
- Licence requirements to drive in the Netherlands
- How to get a license in Netherlands
- Driving rules book in English (driving-license-traffic-regulations)
- The major road rules in the Netherlands
- To Rent/Lease/Own a car in Netherlands
You can drive in The Netherlands if either of the below is true:

• You have a foreign license in English (or IDP) and you have resided in The Netherlands less than 6 months yet.
• You have a Dutch driving licence (obviously :) )

Note: Since Jan 2014, I have transferred this blog to http://indiansinnetherlands.com due to better features. So for latest (and correct) notes, kindly click here: http://indiansinnetherlands.com.

To get a Dutch driving license:

1. Certain country nationals can just exchange their foreign license for a nominal fee at the local town hall (Indian national is not one of these).
2. If you have 30% ruling, irrespective of the nationality, you can exchange your foreign license (original license, not IDP) to a Dutch license. You will have to surrender your Indian license in exchange for a Dutch license. It will be sent to the Indian embassy in about a month. You can collect it from there if you go in the afternoon. You can collect personally or authorize someone with a hand written letter.
3. Exchanging your license is a multi step process: 
• Buy an application form at the townhall paying about €25. 
• Fill it (scroll to the bottom of this page for guidelines on how to fill this form) and send it to the address mentioned in the application form.
• In about 2-3 weeks you will get an approval letter
• Go to the townhall again with the approval letter, original license, 30% ruling approval letter and photo. Submit them and pay (about €25). 
• In about 2-3 weeks you will get a letter saying your Dutch license is ready and can be collected at the townhall
• Go to the townhall and collect it.
4. If you can exchange your license, your spouse will also be able to exchange in the same way.
5. If you are not eligible for exchange, you will have to go thru a theory and driving test. For info, go to http://www.expatica.com/nl/leisure/travel_tourism/how-to-get-a-dutch-drivers-licence-1672.html

Book on driving rules in English:

1. Click the link: driving-license-traffic-regulations

Major Road Rules to remember:

1. Give way to ambulance (when flashing lights are on). Drive to the side or even stop at the side. 
2. Driving is on the right hand side of the road (opposite to India).
3. Other than that, most of the rules are the same as in India....only that you need to follow them more strictly.
4. People expect nobody to make mistakes and they do not take much caution. So if you make a mistake it could prove costly to you.
5. Most important rules to remember are: 
• Most times you are on 'priority road' (a yellow rhombus sign post just before or at the intersection) and you have the right of way at an intersection. When you are not, at an intersection, vehicle approaching the same intersection from your right hand side has the right of way. You need to stop until your right hand side road is clear. 
• At an intersection, an inverted White triangle with Red border means 'Yield'.  You have the lower priority.  The other road is a priority road and so you need to give way to vehicles in the other road. 
• In a round about (circle), the vehicle approaching from the left has the right of way.  
• When turning at an intersection/signal-light, cyclists and pedestrians could be crossing the road. Give way to them. 
• A full green light will mean opposite traffic also has green light. So if you want to turn left, proceed only if the opposing traffic is clear.
• Do not honk unless you see a risk of accident. It is considered rude/insult and could get other drivers crazy at you.
6. For personal cars, a child must travel in a child-seat appropriate for the age/height/weight.
7. Golden rule: Do not hit pedestrians and cyclists at any time irrespective of your right of way! It could prove very expensive.
8. Last but not the least.....driving is on the right side of the road (opposite to India). It is not very difficult to adjust if you remember one thing....'the driver is always in the middle of the road'!
9. If you know driving, I suggest you take 1 or 2 driving classes with clear intention of knowing the rules and getting used to civilized driving.  

To Rent/Lease/Own a car in Netherlands:

1. Renting: You can rent a car if your license is in English / also-in-English. Else you need an IDP. You will also need a credit card. http://www.sternrent.nl, http://www.hertz.nl are some of the places you can rent. Watchout if there is a mileage restriction when you are making the reservation. Rental price may vary by location even within a city. So check out prices in all nearby places. I generally book in autoeurope.nl. It searches the best price and also generally comes with unlimited mileage.
2. Company car: Depending on your yearly driving mileage, it might be cheaper to go for a company car from your employer (if they provide). If you intend to use company car for personal use, 1/4 the price of the car is costed to you annually. In net result it amounts to over €400 in taxes per month. But on the other hand you do not have any expenses including fuel, maintenance and depreciation. 
3. If you are using your own car for business purpose, depending on your contract with your employer, you might get reimbursed @ 19cents/km for business kilometers.
4. Compare the costs from the above 2 points before you decide to buy or go for company car.
5. If you decide to go for a company car, your employer can provide you the details. To buy a car, read on....
6. I think Dutch license is mandatory to own a car....not sure.
7. You can buy a used car from a dealer (called Occasion in Dutch) or from private owner. Buying from a dealer is popular since you can ask for guarantee.
8. Price varies largely based on the Age, Mileage and the condition of the car (other than model of course). Range can be €500 (five hundred) to thousands.
9. autotrader.nl is a good website to search for cars. You will get an idea of the price. 
10. If you do not have a trade-in car, you can bargain for a good discount (start with € 1500/- less than sticker price)
11. Two things to look for when buying from a dealer: 
• 'BOVAG gaurantee' - 3 months for low priced cars (depends on the dealer, but generally below €4500 ); 6 months for higher priced cars. Covers almost everything in the car. 
• NAP - a monitoring system that guarantees the odometer mileage is not tampered.
12. Open the bonet and look for new engine parts. If parts are new, it probably means that part was replaced recently. May not be good sign especially if the mileage is low.
13. Some type of cars will need their belt to be replaced once they have run certain distance (~ 100,000 Kms) or certain years (~10 years). This will cost about €400/- depending on the car. Ask the dealer about it to know what you are buying.
14. You will need to pay a monthly road tax for the car depending on its weight. Larger and heavier the car, the more expensive (diesel cars are heavier than petrol versions). In Netherlands like in India, on one hand the petrol cars are cheaper than diesel version while on the other hand diesel is cheaper than petrol. Even then, the difference in road tax is significant enough to influence your decision to go for petrol or diesel car.
15. Every year you need to get your car APK certified....a check that your car is in safe condition. Your dealer most likely will have this facility to check. Costs around €25.
16. Most cars will need a yearly servicing or service after certain mileage. This could cost from about 100 to 400.
17. 24x7 Roadside assistance is very important. In case of a breakdown, you just need to call them and they will come to the location of the car and either fix the problem (ex: puncture, battery down, no fuel, locked out etc) or tow your vehicle to the nearest garage. You can opt coverage for even entire Western Europe. If it is rental or lease car, most likely the car agency will provide you 24x7 roadside assistance. If you buy a car, ANWB is the most popular roadside assistance. Another one is Route Mobiel. It costs about €100 per year and is worth it.
18. GPS is essential. If you are lost, it is very difficult to locate you destination even if you are within very close range. The reason is, every road has its own name and the name of road will likely change at an intersection! Also even very small streets are named and so you do not have a clue what to look for. 

Filling the first form after you buy from the Gemeente: 

There are a list of questions all in Dutch. To save you some time typing it into 'google translate', below are the questions and the google translation as of May 2012:

omwisseling buitenlands rijbewijs = foreign exchange licenseUndo edits

1. Hebt u last van of last gehad van epileptische aanvallen, flauwvallen, aanvallen van abnormale slaperigheid overdag of andere bewustzijnsstoornissen? = 
• Do you suffer or suffered from epileptic seizures, fainting, seizures of abnormal daytime sleepiness or other disturbances of consciousness?
2. Hebt u last van of last gehad van evenwichtsstoornissen of ernstige duizelingen?  = 
• Do you suffer or suffered from severe vertigo or balance disorders?
3. Bent u onder behandeling of onder behandeling geweest voor een psychiatrische stoornis, een hersenziekte - zoals een beroerte - of een ziekte van het zenuwstelsel? = 
• Are you being treated or been treated for a psychiatric disorder, a brain disease - such as a stroke - or a disease of the nervous system?
4. Maakt u misbruik van of hebt u misbruik gemaakt van alcohol, geneesmiddelen, drugs of andere geestverruimende of bedwelmende middelen of bent u daarvoor ooit medisch onderzocht of onder behandeling geweest? =
•  Do you abuse or abuse made ​​of alcohol, drugs, or hallucinogenic drugs or other intoxicants before or are you ever been medically examined or treated?
5. Wordt of werd u behandeld voor inwendige ziekten als suikerziekte, hart- en vaatziekten, verhoogde bloeddruk, nierziekte of longziekte? Of hebt u een hart- of vaatoperatie ondergaan?  = 
• Is or was receiving treatment for internal diseases as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, kidney or lung disease? Whether you need a heart or vascular surgery?
6. Kunt u een arm, een hand of uw vingers niet of slechts beperkt gebruiken?  = 
• Can you give an arm, a hand or fingers have limited or no use?
7. Kunt u een been of voet niet of slechts beperkt gebruiken? = 
• Can a leg or foot have limited or no use?
8. Ziet u minder goed met één of beide ogen, zelfs als u gebruik maakt van een bril of contactlenzen? = 
• You see less with one or both eyes even when using glasses or contact lenses?
9. Wordt of werd u behandeld door een oogarts? Of hebt u een oogoperatie of een laserbehandeling van de ogen ondergaan? = 
• Are or were you treated by an ophthalmologist? Whether you need an eye operation or of laser eye surgery? 
10. Gebruikt u medicijnen die volgens de bijsluiter de rijvaardigheid kunnen beïnvloeden, zoals slaapmiddelen, kalmeringsmiddelen, antidepressieve middelen, antipsychotische middelen of opwekmiddelen? = 
• Are you taking medication according to the leaflet the ability to drive influence, such as sedatives, tranquilizers, antidepressants, antipsychotic drugs or generating means?

Hebt u nog andere aandoeningen, ziekten of functiebeperkingen die het besturen 

van motorrijtuigen moeilijker maken? = Do you have other diseases, illnesses or disabilities who are driving of motor vehicles more difficult?

Disclaimer: The is my best effort and no responsibility will be taken for any inaccuracy