Parking Permits in Dutch Cities 2026: Costs and Waiting Lists

Parking permits are easy to overlook when you sign a lease. Yet the permit for that street may cost about €677 a year (central Amsterdam), or there may be a waiting list, or the building may not qualify for a permit at all.

The Dutch permit system is not a single national scheme. Every municipality sets its own tariffs, zones, caps and visitor arrangements. In 2026 a first resident permit in the four largest cities costs anywhere from about €37 a year (Amsterdam Nieuw-West-6) to about €677 a year (Amsterdam Centrum-1 to Centrum-3), and a second permit in central Amsterdam costs €1,693.50 a year. This guide sets out what the four largest cities charge in 2026, how waiting lists work, and what to check before you decide whether to keep a car.

All figures are the 2026 amounts published by the municipalities (checked 31 October 2026) and change every year. Check your own city and your own address before budgeting.

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💡 Related: car insurance for expats, car leasing options, Amsterdam vs Rotterdam cost of living.

Quick answer: The Hague charges €99.20 a year for a first permit (€346.65 for a second, €693.25 for a third, plus a €17.70 application fee). Rotterdam charges €9.50 a month for a first permit and €25.70 for each further permit, with a visitor allowance of 500 hours a year at €0.13 per 10 minutes. Utrecht prices by zone: €164.34 per quarter in A1, €97.11 in A2 and €42.27 in zone BC for a first permit. Amsterdam prices per permit area per six months, from €18.47 to €338.70 for a first permit; permits renew automatically every six months, the city caps permits at zero, one or two per address, and runs waiting lists in permit areas where no permits are available. A second permit costs 2.5 to 3.5 times the first in these four cities (in Amsterdam’s Weesp area about 1.6 times).

How the Dutch Permit System Is Structured

Four features come back in the cities covered here.

Permits are tied to a licence plate. You register the plate of your car with the municipality. Rotterdam checks plates with scan cars and lets you add up to three plates to one permit, but you may park only one car at a time with it. If the wrong plate is active, you can get a parking assessment. When you change car, change the plate on the permit.

Eligibility runs on the population register plus vehicle ownership. You must be registered in the BRP (in Amsterdam and The Hague at the address itself), and the car must normally be in your name. Amsterdam’s regulation states the condition directly: the resident must be the houder of the motor vehicle. Lease, rental and company cars need extra documents (see the FAQ below). In Amsterdam and The Hague a car with a foreign licence plate can qualify; The Hague asks for a copy of the proof of ownership.

Supply is capped, not only priced. Amsterdam’s parking regulation lets the city set the number of permits per residential address at zero, one or two. Zero is a real setting. Where no permits are available in a permit area, applications are processed in order of receipt and a first resident permit application goes on the waiting list. Rotterdam sets a maximum number of permits per parking sector; once it is reached, a waiting list starts. Rotterdam issues no resident permits for new-build homes, in The Hague the building must allow resident permits (often not the case in new builds), and The Hague lists areas such as the Binckhorst and CS-Oost where you cannot get one.

Second permits cost much more. In The Hague a second permit costs about three and a half times the first. In Rotterdam it is about 2.7 times. In Utrecht zones A2 and BC and in Amsterdam outside Weesp a second permit costs two and a half times the first: in Utrecht’s zone A2 that is €242.76 against €97.11 per quarter. In Weesp it is €45.16 against €28.22 per six months, about 1.6 times.

What It Costs in 2026: The Big Four

The Hague

You can apply for up to three resident permits per address. The application fee is a one-off on top of the first year. When you apply, you pay only for the period until your permit area’s renewal date, so the first payment can be lower or higher than the annual amount. A permit is not automatic simply because you live in a paid-parking zone: the building must allow resident permits, and you cannot get one if you can park on your own property.

Rotterdam

Priced monthly, which makes it easy to compare against a garage space.

You can get at most two resident permits per address, depending on the neighbourhood. Some parking sectors have a waiting list, and applicants for a first permit get priority over applicants for a second. Rotterdam does not publish a waiting time: according to the city, the length of the list depends on factors such as people moving and cancelling permits. The visitor permit (one per address) gives 3,000 units of 10 minutes per calendar year; when they are used up you cannot buy more.

Utrecht

Utrecht prices by zone, set in the Verordening parkeerbelastingen gemeente Utrecht 2026.

Visitor rates are set at half the short-stay tariff and capped at 70 hours per quarter in zones A1 and A2, and 120 hours per quarter in zone BC. A first permit in zone A1 works out at €657.36 a year, about six and a half times the first-permit price in The Hague. In zone BC it is €169.08 a year.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam sets the tariff per permit area, in an annex to the Parkeerverordening Amsterdam 2025. The mechanics that matter:

• Permits run for six months and are renewed automatically for another six as long as you still meet the conditions. The amounts in the regulation are per six months, so double them to compare with other cities.
• First resident permit, per six months (2026): €338.70 in Centrum-1 to Centrum-3; €199.93 in Centrum-4, Haven, Oost-1 to Oost-18, most of West and Zuid-1 to Zuid-5 and Zuid-8; €59.10 in Nieuw-West-3 to -5, Oost-19, West-6, West-12, Zuid-6 and Zuid-7; €40.02 in most other Nieuw-West areas, Noord and Zuidoost; €28.22 in Weesp; €18.47 in Nieuw-West-6. Outside Weesp a second permit costs two and a half times the first, for example €846.75 per six months in Centrum-1 to Centrum-3; in Weesp it costs €45.16.
• Per-address caps of zero, one or two are set by the city. You get at most one permit with one car and at most two with two or more cars, and a private parking space at your address counts against that number.
• Waiting lists operate by date and time of application. Owners of an electric car get priority on the waiting list; this “milieuparkeervergunning” costs the same as a normal resident permit but has extra conditions. While you wait you can sometimes get an overflow permit (overloopvergunning) for a nearby area.
• Emission standards apply outside Weesp: a diesel car must be Euro 5 or higher and a petrol car Euro 4 or higher.
• 2027 increase proposed. On 26 October 2026 the city announced a proposal to raise first resident permits by €10 to €15 a month in Centrum, Oost, Zuid, West, parts of Nieuw-West and Weesp from 1 January 2027. The city council still has to decide on it in December.

Amsterdam shows the permit area, the cost and an estimated waiting time for each address in its address checker (Adreszoeker) on amsterdam.nl. Look it up before you sign the lease, not after.

Other cities

Other municipalities with paid parking set their own zones, tariffs and visitor arrangements in their own parking tax regulation (verordening parkeerbelastingen). Leiden, for example, has waiting-list areas in its zone A, and Haarlem has five parking zones, each with its own rules and tariffs. These regulations are published on lokaleregelgeving.overheid.nl; searching for your city’s name plus “verordening parkeerbelastingen 2026” finds the official amounts.

The Housing Decision Hiding Inside the Parking Question

If you arrive with a car, or plan to buy one, check permit availability while you are still house-hunting. Three questions to ask about a specific address:

1. Can you get a permit at this address at all? Not “in this city” or “in this neighbourhood”, but at this address: some buildings and areas get no permits, and in Amsterdam the cap can be zero.
2. Is there a waiting list? Amsterdam’s address checker gives an estimated waiting time; Rotterdam does not publish one.
3. What is the tariff here? A permit of about €677 a year (central Amsterdam) works out at about €56 a month.

If the answers are unattractive, look at the alternatives. A rented garage space or a subscription in a car park is not tied to the permit queue, so compare its monthly cost with the permit. In some Amsterdam areas a resident permit also lets you park in certain garages at no extra cost. Rotterdam points residents on a waiting list to its P+R sites, where you can park for free in combination with public transport. The cost-of-living comparison between Amsterdam and Rotterdam helps you see where a car fits in a city budget.

The Other Costs of Parking a Car on a Dutch Street

The permit is not the whole bill.

Insurance can depend on your address. OHRA lists place of residence among the factors behind a car insurance premium, next to coverage, age, car type and claim-free years (schadevrije jaren), and says you often pay more in a busy city because the chance of damage or theft is higher. A 2022 Consumentenbond study of the same driver and car at different addresses found differences of hundreds of euros, and insurers did not all weigh the address the same way. Ask several insurers for a quote for your new postcode, and ask whether they will count claim-free years from your previous country. For what the coverage levels mean, see car insurance in the Netherlands for expats.

A foreign licence plate is temporary. According to the RDW you may drive with foreign number plates for only a short period after moving here; after that the car needs a Dutch registration, which requires an RDW inspection and BRP registration. Moving residents can apply to the Belastingdienst for a BPM exemption, but must still file a BPM declaration. See importing your car.

Paying municipal charges. Permits and visitor parking are paid through the municipality’s own payment options; Rotterdam, for example, collects visitor parking costs every three months by direct debit. Under the EU SEPA Regulation, a payer or payee may not accept only Dutch IBANs for transfers and direct debits; euro IBANs from other EU/EEA countries must also be accepted (De Nederlandsche Bank). An account from Wise, a payment institution authorised in Belgium, is one option; Wise converts at the mid-market rate if your income still arrives in another currency.

Parking without a permit or paid session. You get a naheffingsaanslag parkeerbelasting: the unpaid parking tax plus a cost charge. The national government sets the maximum cost charge (€82.00 in 2026) and each municipality sets its own amount, for example €77.70 in Utrecht and €79.10 in Amsterdam in 2026. You can object if an assessment is wrong.

Practical Steps When You Arrive

1. Register at your address in the BRP first. Amsterdam and The Hague require registration at the address for a resident permit, and Rotterdam requires registration in the municipality.
2. Check the permit area, tariff and waiting list for your exact address on the municipality’s own site. Do this while house-hunting if you can.
3. Apply as soon as you can. Amsterdam handles applications in order of the date and time the complete application is received.
4. Register the right plate. Update it whenever the car changes, including a replacement lease vehicle.
5. Apply for the visitor permit if your city has one. In Rotterdam it is free to apply for, with one per address.
6. Compare the alternatives. Garage rental, P+R plus public transport, or no car: include the permit tariff and the insurance quote for your address in the comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a resident parking permit cost in the Netherlands in 2026?

It depends on the city and the zone. The Hague: €99.20 a year for a first permit, €346.65 for a second, plus a €17.70 application fee. Rotterdam: €9.50 a month, €25.70 for each further permit. Utrecht: €164.34 per quarter in zone A1, €97.11 in A2, €42.27 in BC. Amsterdam: €18.47 to €338.70 per six months for a first permit, depending on the permit area.

Is there a waiting list in Amsterdam?

In some permit areas, yes. The city can cap permits at zero, one or two per residential address, and applications are handled in order of receipt; electric cars get priority. The Adreszoeker on amsterdam.nl gives an estimated waiting time for your address.

Can I get a permit for a lease or company car?

Yes, with extra documents. Amsterdam asks for extra documents for a car that is not in your name, such as a lease, rental or company car. The Hague asks for a lease contract in your name, or a statement from your employer for an employer’s car. Rotterdam requires the car to be registered to or leased by the company you work for.

Why is a second permit so much more expensive?

The cities set it that way in their tariff tables: in 2026 a second permit costs 2.5 times the first in Amsterdam (outside Weesp, where it is about 1.6 times) and in Utrecht zones A2 and BC, about 2.7 times in Rotterdam and about 3.5 times in The Hague.

Is a visitor permit worth it?

That depends on how often you have visitors who come by car. Rotterdam gives 500 hours a year at €0.13 per 10 minutes; Utrecht sets visitor rates at half the short-stay tariff with a quarterly cap; Amsterdam sets a reduced visitor rate per area.

What if no permit is available at my address?

Then your options are the waiting list (in Amsterdam possibly with an overflow permit for a nearby area), a rented private space, a car park subscription, a P+R arrangement, or no car. Compare the monthly costs before you decide.

Does city parking change what car insurance I should buy?

It can change the price: insurers such as OHRA price in your place of residence, and the Consumentenbond found large differences between addresses. Compare several insurers for your new postcode.

Final Thoughts

A first resident permit in the four largest Dutch cities costs between about €37 and €677 a year in 2026, depending on the city and the area, and some addresses get no permit at all. So check the tariff and the waiting list for the exact address while you are still choosing, apply as soon as your registration is done, apply for the visitor permit, and price the garage and P+R alternatives. Then get an insurance quote for your new postcode with your claim-free years counted, so you know the full running cost.

Related reading: car insurance for expats | car leasing options | importing your car | exchanging your driving licence | Amsterdam vs Rotterdam cost of living

External sources: Gemeente Den Haag — parking permit for residents · Gemeente Rotterdam — parking permit for residents · Gemeente Rotterdam — visitor permit · Verordening parkeerbelastingen gemeente Utrecht 2026 · Parkeerverordening Amsterdam 2025 · Gemeente Amsterdam — resident permit · Besluit gemeentelijke parkeerbelastingen · RDW — moving to the Netherlands with your vehicle