The Netherlands on a French Licence — Slower Motorways, More Cyclists

For a French driver the Netherlands removes every paperwork worry — your EU licence is valid, no IDP, you stay on the right, and the alcohol rule matches home at 0.05. Two real differences remain, and both run counter to French instincts: the motorways are slower than you expect, and the cyclist is king.

Take the speed first. The Netherlands imposes a national daytime motorway limit of just 100 km/h, between 6am and 7pm — a full 30 km/h below the 130 you are used to on French autoroutes. Some sections lift to 120 or 130 in the evening, but only where the overhead electronic signs say so, and the limit can change within a single journey. The Dutch enforce it heavily with average-speed cameras over long stretches, so the trick is to read the gantry signs and forget your home reflexes. Our Netherlands driving guide explains how the variable limits are signed.

The cultural shift is the bicycle. In Dutch towns cyclists are not occasional — they are constant, they have their own lanes and signals, and at most junctions they have priority over turning cars. The specific hazard for a visiting driver is the right turn across a cycle lane and the moment you open your door; locals do a “Dutch reach,” checking over the shoulder for an approaching bike before the door swings. Treat every junction as a place where a cyclist may have the right of way, and slow your turns accordingly.

The drink-drive limit is 0.05 as in France, though it drops to 0.02 for newly qualified drivers. A 10 km/h speeding overshoot is modest at €39–66 depending on the road, payable later by post — you can model it with the speeding fine calculator, and our guide to who pays driving fines abroad covers how a hire car passes the charge on. The emergency number is 112.