How to Get a Category D Driving Licence in the Netherlands?

The Netherlands lowered Category D’s minimum age to 18 in a recent update, provided it is combined with code 95. However, you’re restricted to Dutch territory and to scheduled routes within 50 km until you turn 24. This piece covers what Category D authorizes, the full tiered age structure, and current CBR costs.

What Category D covers

Category D authorizes vehicles designed to carry more than 8 people besides the driver, plus a trailer up to 750 kg, which is included automatically. Category D includes D1 rights automatically.

Minimum age without code 95

Without code 95 (professional competence), the minimum age is 24, and you must already hold Category B.

The tiered age structure with code 95

This is genuinely worth understanding in detail. With code 95, the minimum age drops to 18, but restrictions apply progressively: at 24, no restrictions apply. At 21, no restrictions apply. At 20, you’re limited to driving within Dutch territory only. At 18, you’re limited to Dutch territory and to scheduled passenger services on routes no longer than 50 km.

You need Category B first.

Category D requires you to already hold Category B, with a possible exemption for certain MBO (vocational) students.

The medical assessment

Before booking your practical exam, you’ll need to submit a Gezondheidsverklaring (health declaration) and be assessed by a company doctor or certified occupational health service. Once approved, a Verklaring van geschiktheid (fitness declaration) is sent to the RDW and is valid for 1 year.

The exam structure

You’ll need to pass the theory exam (RVM1-D), then the practical exam. If you’re also pursuing code 95, additional theory (V3D) and two practical assessments are required.

What it costs

A full Category D course typically costs €4,000 to €6,000, including medical assessment (€50-100), the Gezondheidsverklaring (€46.90), CBR theory exam modules (€44.80 each), practical lessons, the practical exam (€275), and code 95 training.

Automatic transmission

A pass on automatic transmission genuinely limits what you’re licensed to drive afterward, restricting you to automatic buses only.

Code 95: required separately for professional work

Without code 95, Category D doesn’t authorize professional passenger transport. Code 95 is valid for 5 years and requires 35 hours of continuing education (roughly one day per year) to maintain.

DE: adding a heavier trailer

DE authorizes Category D vehicles combined with a trailer exceeding 750 kg to share the same tiered age structure as D when combined with code 95.

Genuine demand for bus drivers

The Netherlands faces a genuine shortage of bus drivers, and companies including Connexxion, Arriva and Qbuzz regularly fund training for new drivers.

No strict maximum age

There’s no fixed maximum age for working as a bus driver in the Netherlands, provided you remain medically fit and your license remains valid. However, CBR can request additional assessments if health concerns arise.

Validity

A Category D license is valid for a maximum of 5 years and requires a fresh Gezondheidsverklaring at each renewal.

Tips that actually help

• Decide early whether you’re pursuing D with or without code 95, since that determines your minimum age and route restrictions.
• Check whether Connexxion, Arriva, Qbuzz or another operator might fund your training given the current driver shortage.
• Book your Gezondheidsverklaring assessment early, since it’s required before your practical exam.
• Budget for the full fee stack, not just one headline figure.

CBR fees genuinely rose recently

This is worth knowing if you’re comparing older published prices against what you’ll actually pay. Following a recent fee update, the CBR practical exam fee for trucks and buses (including Category D) rose from €265.45 to €275.00. The standard theory exam fee for car, motorcycle or moped categories also rose, from €48.75 to €50.50. According to the CBR, these increases reflect genuine increases in the costs of delivering the exams rather than any profit margin. The organization states its fees are designed to be cost-covering rather than revenue-generating.

What Category D genuinely costs in total

Real total costs for a full Category D course typically fall between €2,500 and €3,500, depending on how many lessons you personally need and your specific driving school’s rates. Most candidates need between 25 and 35 lessons, translating to roughly 30 to 50 hours of practical training, a genuinely wide range that reflects how much individual experience and confidence-building vary from person to person.

The medical exam must be independent; your GP can’t do it.

This is genuinely important and easy to miss. Your regular GP cannot conduct your medical fitness assessment for Category D; it must be performed by an independent examining doctor (keuringsarts) or a company doctor (bedrijfsarts). The process starts with completing an online Gezondheidsverklaring (health declaration) through the CBR, costing € 46, which covers various health checks, including hearing, heart fitness, and general fitness, and is your responsibility for potentially dozens of passengers. Once completed, you take that report to your independent examining doctor, who charges a separate fee of €50 to €100 for the actual physical examination.

Extra charges for evening or weekend lessons

Some Dutch driving schools charge a premium for lessons scheduled outside standard weekday hours, specifically evening or weekend sessions. If your work schedule means you can only realistically train outside typical business hours, it’s genuinely worth asking upfront whether your chosen school applies any such surcharge, since this can meaningfully affect your total cost if you need many lessons at premium times.

D1 as a genuinely faster, more accessible alternative

If you don’t specifically need Category D’s unlimited passenger capacity, D1, covering buses up to 16 passengers and 8 meters in length, like a taxi bus, school bus, or VIP transport vehicle, is available from 21 rather than 24, with a genuinely shorter training program overall. For many passenger transport roles, D1 alone is entirely sufficient, making it worth seriously considering if your career plans don’t specifically require full-size buses.

Real employer demand often covers your training cost

Given genuine, ongoing demand for bus drivers across the Netherlands, many transport companies actively pay for new drivers’ Category D training as part of their recruitment strategy, a real, practical route worth investigating directly with operators in your region before assuming you’ll need to fund the full cost yourself.

What happens if you fail and need a retest

If you don’t pass your practical exam on the first attempt, you’ll need to pay the €275 CBR fee again for your retest, on top of whatever additional lessons your driving school recommends before you try again. Given this genuinely significant retest cost, thorough preparation before your first attempt is a worthwhile investment, both financially and in terms of confidence going into the test itself.

Applying for your physical license after passing

Once you’ve passed your practical exam, you apply for your physical driving license at your local gemeente (municipality) rather than directly through the CBR. The application fee is fixed nationwide, typically around €52, excluding any urgency surcharge, plus roughly €10 for passport-style photographs if you don’t already have suitable ones on file.

Regular versus intensive training tracks

As with Category B, Category D candidates can typically choose between a regular training track, spreading lessons over several months at a manageable pace, or an intensive (speed) track, compressing many lessons into a short period, sometimes multiple sessions per day, to be exam-ready within just a few weeks. The intensive route generally costs more per hour but can significantly shorten your overall timeline if you need to qualify quickly, worth discussing directly with your driving school based on your specific circumstances and urgency.

Where this fits going forward

Category D in the Netherlands offers a genuinely accessible route into professional bus driving, with a meaningful early-entry route for code 95 candidates. If your plans extend toward professional driving down the line, take a look at the driver section, browse current vacancies, or see who’s hiring among employers on FastDriver.eu, alongside our broader jobs guides. Our driving license in the Netherlands and license eligibility pages provide the broader picture.

Comparing quotes before committing

Given the genuinely wide range in Category D total costs, anywhere from €2,500 to €3,500 depending on lessons needed and specific school rates, requesting detailed quotes from a few different driving schools, and asking specifically how many lessons are included in any headline price before extra charges apply, is a genuinely worthwhile step before enrolling anywhere.

Why the medical exam requirement genuinely matters

The requirement for an independent doctor rather than your own GP reflects the genuine seriousness with which the Netherlands treats fitness assessments for professional passenger transport. An independent assessment removes any potential conflict of interest and ensures a consistent standard is applied across all Category D candidates nationwide, rather than varying based on how well your regular doctor happens to know you.

Declaration

This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Fees, training requirements, and administrative rules can change and may vary by driving school in the Netherlands. Always confirm current requirements with the official Dutch sources before making decisions: the CBR and RDW. FastDriver.eu accepts no liability for decisions made based on this information.