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I applied for a permit (purely knowledge/eyesight test), and that allows you to drive any normal vehicle (class-A) as long as there is someone in the passenger

I applied for a permit (purely knowledge/eyesight test), and that allows you to drive any normal vehicle (class-A) as long as there is someone in the passenger seat over 25/at least 5 years possessing a driver's license (or something like that). I went home and took the family car out on public streets with my Dad. 6 months later, I applied for my license. Simple 15 minute public roads driving test in the same family car. Driving for the first time was scary -- one of the first streets I went down was one lane with cars parked on each side. Doing that without being used to the car's physical space (it was a large Suburban) is a little crazy.

mcv 10y ago
That's quite a bit different from the Dutch situation. I've paid thousands of euros for lessons, with a professional instructor, teaching me from working the pedals and the clutch all the way through navigating complex double merges on the motorway, sending me from the motorway straight into a low-speed zone, and through every imaginable traffic situation. Before you get lessons in the car, you first need to get your theory exam (which was easy for me, but can apparently be very hard for less academically inclined people), and I think I failed the practical exam about 5 times (which is excessive; some do manage to pass the first time, though it's not unusual to fail). I felt fairly well prepared for Amsterdam traffic, but still managed to send my car into a spin on a slippery onramp that I underestimated.
- kbutler 10y ago
  My experience as a teenager and parent is similar to the GP - and my US license is valid in the Netherlands. Note that we have the added complication that we live in areas with snow, and thus are driving on icy/snowpacked roads for a good portion of the year. I wondered if it would be cheaper (or more fun!) for dutch residents to take a trip to the US, get a valid drivers license, and bring that back to Europe rather than pay directly for a license there.
  - mcv 10y ago
    I'm not sure if it's still true, but a few decades ago, the easiest way to get a Dutch license was on Saba, one of the Dutch Antilles. Apparently, if you managed to drive around the central square on the island without any major accidents, you got your license, and it was perfectly valid as a Dutch driver's license. I knew one guy who got his license there, and he didn't dare to drive in continental Netherland. He did have a Dutch motor bike license, but he didn't feel qualified to drive a car in real traffic.

mcv 10y ago

That's quite a bit different from the Dutch situation. I've paid thousands of euros for lessons, with a professional instructor, teaching me from working the pedals and the clutch all the way through navigating complex double merges on the motorway, sending me from the motorway straight into a low-speed zone, and through every imaginable traffic situation. Before you get lessons in the car, you first need to get your theory exam (which was easy for me, but can apparently be very hard for less academically inclined people), and I think I failed the practical exam about 5 times (which is excessive; some do manage to pass the first time, though it's not unusual to fail). I felt fairly well prepared for Amsterdam traffic, but still managed to send my car into a spin on a slippery onramp that I underestimated.

kbutler 10y ago
My experience as a teenager and parent is similar to the GP - and my US license is valid in the Netherlands. Note that we have the added complication that we live in areas with snow, and thus are driving on icy/snowpacked roads for a good portion of the year. I wondered if it would be cheaper (or more fun!) for dutch residents to take a trip to the US, get a valid drivers license, and bring that back to Europe rather than pay directly for a license there.
- mcv 10y ago
  I'm not sure if it's still true, but a few decades ago, the easiest way to get a Dutch license was on Saba, one of the Dutch Antilles. Apparently, if you managed to drive around the central square on the island without any major accidents, you got your license, and it was perfectly valid as a Dutch driver's license. I knew one guy who got his license there, and he didn't dare to drive in continental Netherland. He did have a Dutch motor bike license, but he didn't feel qualified to drive a car in real traffic.