Parking rules: where may you park?

Parking rules in the Netherlands: where may you park?

You may park anywhere it is not forbidden. That applies inside and outside built-up areas. You may park:

• on the carriageway, if no ban applies;
• in a parking bay: park within the lines, so you do not take up two spaces;
• on the verge, except along a motorway or autoweg;
• on an advisory cycle lane (fietssuggestiestrook), because it is part of the carriageway. Never on a cycle lane. Read about the difference in stopping.

On a one-way street without a parking ban you may park on the right and on the left. There is no oncoming traffic anyway.

With a trailer, your car often does not fit in one bay. Unhitch the trailer and put it in its own bay. Read more about parking with a trailer in driving with a trailer.

Is a space only for a specific group, such as permit holders or taxis? The parking sign tells you.

Can you park on the verge, inside and outside built-up areas?

Yes. You may park on the verge (berm), inside and outside built-up areas. Only along a motorway or autoweg is it never allowed.

Do watch out for other rules. A sign can ban parking. And some municipalities ban parking on grass or green strips. Park so that you do not block anyone and others can pass easily.

Can you park outside built-up areas?

Yes, anywhere it is not forbidden. There is one rule the CBR likes to ask about: outside built-up areas you may not park on the carriageway of a priority road. Use the verge instead.

Stopping on that carriageway is allowed. So you may let someone get in or out there.

Can you park on a priority road inside built-up areas?

Yes. Inside built-up areas you may park on the carriageway of a priority road, if no ban applies. The ban only applies outside built-up areas.

Motorway and autoweg

You never park there, not on the verge or the hard shoulder either. You may only stop if you break down or in an emergency. See stopping.

Parked on the carriageway outside built-up areas in the dark? Then you need lights on. Read how in parking lights.

Where are you not allowed to park in built-up areas?

Even without a sign, you may not park in these places, inside and outside built-up areas:

Example	No parking here
	In front of a driveway, exit or garage door. Not even if you stay in the car.
	Within 5 metres of a junction.
	On the pavement, unless a sign says you may park half on it (E8b). Then park half on it, not fully.
	Double parked, next to a car that is already parked at the side.
	Along a broken yellow line, the dashed line on the kerb.
	At a bus stop: along the block markings, or without markings within 12 metres before and after the bus stop sign.
	Anywhere you may not stop either, such as on a cycle lane, at a zebra crossing or at sign E2.

Read more about yellow lines in yellow lines on the road.

Parking on an erf

On an erf you only park in the bays or in places with a P. Are all bays full? Then look for a space further on. Letting someone get in or out, or loading and unloading, is allowed outside a bay. More about the erf is under woonerf (residential zone).

White cross or NP on the road

A white cross or the letters NP ask you to keep that space free, for example for a garage. It is not an official traffic sign. Parking in front of a driveway is never allowed, though. Stopping to let someone get in is allowed.

Work van or camper in a residential area

Many municipalities have their own rules for large vehicles, such as a work van, camper or small lorry. These are in the local bylaws of the municipality (the APV), not in the traffic rules. They are not part of the CBR exam. Check your municipality’s website for what applies there.