Beginner driving license

Everyone who gets a driving license for the first time is a novice driver. It doesn’t matter how old you are. Or what type of vehicle the license is for.

The duration for which you can keep a beginner’s driving license depends on your age and the type of license.

• Are you 16 when you get your license? Then you will be a novice driver for 7 years.
• Are you 17 or older? Then you will be a novice driver for 5 years.
• Do you first get your AM or T license at 16 or 17 years old? Then you are a novice driver for 7 years. If you also obtain a B license at the age of 17, you will be considered a novice driver for 5 years. This starts from the moment the B license is issued.
• Do you obtain a driving license AM or T before you turn 18? And do you get your B license after you turn 18? Then you remain a novice driver for 7 years. This applies from the moment the driving license AM or T is issued.

Lower alcohol limits apply to novice drivers than to experienced drivers.

A novice driver is not allowed to drive with more than 0.2 promille alcohol in the blood. For an experienced driver, the limit is 0.5 promille.

With a beginner driver’s license, you can get penalty points if the police stop you for a traffic violation. The officer who stops you must have personally established that you were the driver of the vehicle.

You can get penalty points if:

• You cause danger or nuisance in traffic.
• You have caused a traffic accident, killing another person, or causing grievous bodily harm.
• You tailgate at a speed of more than 80 kilometers per hour.
• You drive more than 40 kilometers per hour faster than permitted on motorways. Or on other roads, you drive more than 30 kilometers per hour faster than permitted.
• You fail to observe the traffic rules properly, resulting in a collision with physical injury or material damage.