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← Driving bans in Europe

Netherlands

No general weekend ban. The critical point is the urban zero-emission zones for delivery, expanding since 2025, and access restrictions to historic centres.

Applies to: No general ban; urban restrictions by emission class and vehicle size ·Updated on 26 September 2026

When you cannot drive

  • Heavy goods vehicles in general

    No national weekend ban

  • Urban delivery

    Time windows set by each municipality

    Many centres only allow loading and unloading during set morning periods.

Most common exemptions

  • Municipal permits (ontheffing) for specific vehicles and operations

Exemptions vary from country to country and almost always depend on paperwork on board proving what the load is.

Planning notes

In the Netherlands the problem is rarely being allowed to drive — it is being allowed to enter. The interurban network is open to lorries seven days a week, but access to city centres is being progressively closed to combustion vehicles through the zero-emission zones for delivery.

Each municipality sets its own timetable and transitional rules, usually staged by EURO standard and by date of first registration. For operators doing distribution in the Benelux, it is the factor that most quickly changes whether a service is still viable.

Off the main network, watch out for bridges, dykes and weight limits: ordinary navigation does not tell which routes lorries may use.

A case of its own is the Merwedebrug, on the A27 between Gorinchem and Sleeuwijk — one of the corridors used to link the Randstad with southern Germany. It has been closed to lorries and coaches since 18 July 2026, after the steel of the arch was confirmed to be weaker than expected. No reopening date: the compulsory diversion is A15-A16-A59 or A15-A2-A59, and dangerous goods may only use the A2.

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