CBR Driving Tests Suspended: Updates & Rescheduling Info

Dutch Driving Tests Face Disruption as Interim Exam is Scrapped

The Netherlands’ Central Bureau for Driving Licences (CBR) is implementing changes to its testing procedures, including the temporary removal of the interim driving test, in an effort to address significant backlogs. The changes, announced by the CBR, are intended to alleviate pressure on staff and reduce waiting times for applicants.

Beginning April 1, 2025, the interim driving test – a practice run for the official practical exam – will be unavailable for a maximum of one year. This test allows applicants to practice with a CBR examiner and receive feedback, with the potential to gain exemptions for certain maneuvers, such as parking, on the actual exam. According to the CBR, scrapping the interim test will free up capacity to administer approximately 75,000 more practical exams.

The decision to suspend the interim test comes after waiting times for practical driving exams reached as long as 15 to 20 weeks, a situation exacerbated by backlogs stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The House of Representatives determined that eliminating the interim test was a necessary step to substantially reduce these waiting periods.

The CBR acknowledges ongoing staff shortages as a contributing factor to the delays. Alexander Pechtold, the general manager of CBR, stated that the organization is actively recruiting and training new examiners to meet the high demand. “Practical exams have to be caught up on one-on-one and the CBR has to recruit and train many new examiners to meet the high demand,” Pechtold said in a press release. “Despite the difficult labour market, this is going well, but not enough to reduce the reservation periods more quickly.”

Despite efforts to lessen the backlog, securing a practical exam booking within seven weeks remains a challenge. The CBR reports that all postponed exams, tests, and driving tests can be rescheduled free of charge and on short notice, as reservation periods for the car driving license are currently between one and five weeks across all locations. Overtime is also being utilized to address the backlog of motorcycle and scooter exams.

The CBR also outlined specific conditions related to exam scheduling and cancellation. Authorization created using DigiD at https://www.mijn.cbr.nl is valid for 12 months. A scheduled practical exam can be canceled within 48 hours of making the reservation, but only if the exam date is four weeks or more in the future. After 48 hours, the exam date is fixed and cancellation is not possible. Repeated cancellations may result in the expiration of authorization, requiring re-authorization for future bookings. Changing an exam date is permitted twice per candidate, after which the scheduled date becomes final.

Rules regarding retaking failed exams also apply. Following a first failed practical exam, a retake is permitted after a minimum of four weeks. A second failure requires a waiting period of at least ten weeks, reduced from a previous fifteen-week period as of December 1, 2022.

On February 4, 2026, the CBR announced that all practical exams for cars, motorcycles, and scooters were postponed due to extreme weather conditions. However, practical exams for professional drivers, such as taxi and truck drivers, were set to resume once the red weather code was lifted.

Individuals seeking to book theory exams for cars, scooters, and motorcycles are advised to use their DigiD to reserve a slot online. Those without DigiD can request a paper application form from the CBR.