The Netherlands Car Rental Guide
This page gives you information about car rental in the Netherlands. The page also seeks to present an overview of the basic car rental and driving restrictions in the country.
Rental Restrictions
To rent a car in the Netherlands, you must be at least 19 years old and have held your license for 1 year. Drivers under the age of 25 may incur a young driver surcharge.
Cars rented in the Netherlands are not allowed into the following countries: Albania, Bosnia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the former Yugoslavian republics. Luxury cars are not allowed into Italy.
Driving Restrictions
In the Netherlands, traffic is on the right and overtaking on the left. The legal driving age is 18 years. Children must be at least 12 to sit in the front in a safety seat; younger children must sit in a child seat in the rear. Seatbelts must be worn by all passengers at all times. The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.5‰.
Priority roads are marked by a white-bordered, yellow-orange, diamond-shaped sign or by the international prioty sign. Where roads of equal importance intersect, trams have priority. Pedestrians on crosswalks always have priority.
Use the horn only when you present a risk to traffic. At night, flash your headlights instead.
You are not allowed to cross a continuous white line, even when turning. Trams must be passed on the right.
If you park your vehicle publicly overnight, you need to illuminate it somehow unless you are parking in a ramp or built-up area or within 30 metres of a street light. Do not park near a bus stop where the curb or pavement is painted black-and-white or yellow. Blue Zones exist in most towns and you have to obtain a parking disc to be allowed to park in these zones. Illegally parked vehicles will be wheel-clamped.
The police are authorised to collect fines on the spot.
Speed limits:| Area | Limit |
| Built-up areas | 50KM/H |
| Outside built-up areas | 80KM/H |
| Expressways | 100/120KM/H |
Emergency Numbers
Police/ambulance/fire: 112
Road Tolls
There are no tolls on the motorways in the Netherlands.
Some useful expressions for tourists visiting the Netherlands
Car rental agency – Huurauto’s
About the Netherlands
The Netherlands is known all over the world for its tulips and cheese as well as its tolerance. It is one of the world’s most prosperous countries due to advanced industries and agriculture.
Much of the Netherlands’ countryside suggests timeless calmness captured by many Dutch painters. The cities, however, provide another kind of harmony: traditional architecture is balanced with a modern point of view. In the capital, Amsterdam, there are beautiful gabled houses, priceless paintings and friendly, multilingual people. Artis Zoo in Amsterdam boasts the olest zoo in the Netherlands. Rotterdam is one of the world’s leading ports.
Population: 16,318,199
Area: 33,883 sq km
Capital City: Amsterdam
Language: Dutch
Time Zone: GMT + 1 (+2 in summer)
Monetary unit: Euro
