Driving Laws in the Netherlands: How Traffic Fines and Bans Work

A traffic fine in the Netherlands is not a single kind of penalty, and knowing which kind you have received changes almost everything that follows: how it is issued, how it is challenged, and whether it touches your criminal record at all. The country runs two parallel systems, and most misunderstandings about a Dutch fine come from mixing them up.

Dutch traffic enforcement runs on two separate tracks: most ordinary offences are administrative sanctions under the Wet Mulder (WAHV), collected by the CJIB with no criminal record, while serious conduct is prosecuted criminally under the Wegenverkeerswet 1994.

This page is the map. It sets out the two tracks, shows where an offence crosses from one to the other, and points to the detailed pages that own each part.

Information last verified on 22 July 2026. This page provides general legal information about Netherlands law and does not constitute legal advice in an individual case.

Two tracks, one road

The split matters because the two tracks have almost nothing in common. One is administrative and runs outside the criminal courts entirely; the other is criminal, with a prosecutor, a criminal court and, in the records, a criminal record (strafblad).

Track one is the Wet administratiefrechtelijke handhaving verkeersvoorschriften, universally called the Wet Mulder or the WAHV. It covers the everyday offences: speeding up to a set threshold, a red light caught on camera, a phone in the hand, no seatbelt. These are administrative sanctions (administratieve sancties), described in the annex to the Act (the bijlage bij de WAHV), each with a fixed code and amount, and they are imposed and collected by the Central Judicial Collection Agency (Centraal Justitieel Incassobureau, CJIB).

Track two is the Road Traffic Act 1994 (Wegenverkeerswet 1994, WVW 1994) together with the Criminal Code (Wetboek van Strafrecht). It covers serious conduct: drink-driving or drug-driving over the limit, dangerous driving, speeding well above the Wet Mulder threshold, and driving during a ban. These are prosecuted by the public prosecution service (Openbaar Ministerie, OM), either by a punishment order (strafbeschikking) or before the criminal court.

An ordinary traffic fine (verkeersboete) under the Wet Mulder is an administrative sanction, so it carries no criminal record and does not appear on a certificate of good conduct (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag). That is the single most reassuring fact for most people who receive one, and the reasons for it in the Act are set out in full on the traffic fines page. Because a Wet Mulder fine leaves no record, it also plays no part in a certificate of good conduct (VOG).

No points on a Dutch licence

One structural feature of the Dutch system surprises drivers who have moved from a country that runs a demerit-points scheme: there is no such thing here for ordinary fines. Points do not accumulate, and an administrative fine cannot on its own put a licence at risk.

Escalation works differently. Repeat offending in the criminal band raises the penalty and can add a driving ban through the prosecutor's sentencing guideline, and a driver whose fitness is in doubt can be sent into a separate track run by the driver-fitness authority (Centraal Bureau Rijvaardigheidsbewijzen, CBR). Neither is a points total. How each of those works is covered on the driving ban page.

• Drink-driving (alcohol in het verkeer), the criminal limits and the separate CBR fitness route.
• Red-light fines (boete door rood licht), the 2026 tariff and when it turns criminal.

Where an offence crosses from one track to the other

The two tracks are not sealed off from each other, and the crossing point is written into the law. Artikel 2 lid 2 WAHV states that a gedraging by which injury to a person is caused or damage to property is done is not a Wet Mulder gedraging. Injury or damage therefore pushes any offence out of the administrative track and into criminal handling.

Speeding crosses in a different way, by degree. Up to a threshold it is an administrative Wet Mulder offence with a fixed amount; above that threshold it becomes a criminal matter handled by the OM. Where exactly that line sits, and how the amount is set for every band, is on the speeding fines page.

Drink-driving sits entirely on the criminal track. Driving over the alcohol limit is an offence under artikel 8 WVW 1994 from the first euro of the fine, never a Wet Mulder matter, because the Act treats it as a criminal offence (misdrijf).

How each track is challenged

The route to dispute a fine depends on which track it is on, and the forums are different. An administrative Wet Mulder fine is challenged first by an objection to the public prosecutor (officier van justitie), and then, if needed, by an appeal to the subdistrict court (kantonrechter). No criminal court is involved.

A criminal fine or driving ban follows a different process: a punishment order is resisted by lodging opposition (verzet), and the case is then decided by the criminal court (strafrechter). The full administrative route, including the strict deadlines and the deposit that can be required, is set out on the traffic fines page.

What this section covers

Three pages carry the detail, split along the lines most questions fall on.

Traffic fines is the core of the administrative track: how a Wet Mulder fine is issued, why a camera fine lands on the registered keeper of the car, the objection route through the officier van justitie and the kantonrechter, and what happens to the amount when it is paid late.

Speeding fines works through the most common offence: how the amount is set for each band of speed and each road type, where speeding stops being administrative and becomes criminal, and what the criminal band can carry.

Driving ban covers losing the licence: the criminal driving ban (rijontzegging) imposed by the court, how it differs from a roadside seizure and from the CBR fitness track, and how long a ban can run.

Netherlands law sets out the wider legal structure around this section.

E-steps have their own dedicated guide: e-scooter laws in the Netherlands covers type approval, the kenteken plate, and why most retail e-steps cannot be ridden in public.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the two kinds of traffic fine in the Netherlands?

Dutch traffic enforcement runs on two tracks. Most everyday offences, such as moderate speeding or a red light caught on camera, are administrative sanctions under the Wet Mulder (WAHV), collected by the CJIB with no criminal record. Serious conduct, such as drink-driving or dangerous driving, is prosecuted as a criminal offence under the Wegenverkeerswet 1994. The two are handled by different bodies and in different forums.

Which page covers how a Dutch traffic fine is issued and challenged?

The traffic fines page owns the administrative Wet Mulder track in full: how a fine is issued as a coded decision (beschikking), why a camera fine lands on the registered keeper of the car, the objection route through the officier van justitie and the kantonrechter, and what happens when a fine is paid late. This overview page only sets the two enforcement tracks side by side.

Where do I find the rules on speeding fines and driving bans?

Speeding is covered on the speeding fines page, which works through the tariff by speed and road type and the point where speeding becomes criminal. Losing a licence is covered on the driving ban page, which explains the criminal driving ban (rijontzegging) and the separate ways a licence can be taken. This page sets the two enforcement tracks side by side and points to each.

When does a traffic offence become a criminal case in the Netherlands?

Two things move an offence onto the criminal track. Artikel 2 lid 2 WAHV takes any offence that causes injury to a person or damage to property out of the Wet Mulder, and speeding above a set threshold is handled by the prosecutor rather than as an administrative fine. Drink-driving is always criminal, under artikel 8 WVW 1994.

Which courts are involved in a Dutch traffic case?

It depends on the track. An administrative Wet Mulder fine is challenged first by objection to the public prosecutor (officier van justitie), and then, if needed, by appeal to the subdistrict court (kantonrechter). A criminal traffic case is decided instead by the criminal court (strafrechter) after opposition (verzet) to a punishment order (strafbeschikking). The full objection route is on the traffic fines page.

What is the difference between a traffic fine and a driving ban?

A fine is a sum of money. A driving ban is a separate criminal penalty that removes the right to drive for a fixed period, imposed by the court, not an administrative sanction. How it works, and how it differs from a roadside licence seizure and the CBR fitness track, is set out on the driving ban page.

Where can I check how much a Dutch traffic fine is?

Rijksoverheid, the central government portal, publishes an overview of fine levels, and the amount for each administrative offence is fixed in the annex to the Wet Mulder, which is re-set every year. Because the amounts change each year, any figure should be read as the amount for its stated year. The speeding fines page works through the current bands in detail.