ADR certificate of professional competence for drivers

Do you transport dangerous goods? The European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) prescribes that a driver transporting dangerous goods needs a basic certificate: the ADR certificate of professional competence. In some cases you will need supplementary certificates.

ADR basic certificate

If you want to obtain the ADR certificate (in Dutch) for the first time in the Netherlands, you must take a training course at an institute that is recognised by the Central Office for Motor Vehicle Driver Testing (Centraal Bureau Rijvaardigheidsbewijzen, CBR, in Dutch). 

Supplementary certificates are required for the carriage of some specific dangerous goods. These supplementary requirements apply to:

• carriage by tanker lorries or tank containers (in Dutch)
• carriage of explosives (class 1, in Dutch)
• carriage of radioactive substances (class 7, in Dutch)

When you have passed your exam, you can apply to the CBR for your ADR certificate (in Dutch). If you do not have DigiD, for example because you do not live in the Netherlands, you can use the Dutch-language application form.

Extension of ADR certificate

An ADR certificate is valid for 5 years. To extend your certificate you need take the extension exam for the basic certificate and for the supplementary certificate (in Dutch). If your certificate has expired, you need to take the initial exam again.

Foreign ADR certificate

Do you have a foreign ADR certificate from a country that has signed the ADR agreement (in Dutch)? Then this certificate is valid in all ADR countries, including the Netherlands. You cannot exchange it for a Dutch ADR certificate. You can extend your valid foreign ADR basic certificate with supplements (tanks, class 1, and class 7). If your foreign certificate has almost expired you can have it extended in the Netherlands.