Netherlands Traffic Fines 2026: CJIB, No Points, €440 Mobile

Overview: how Dutch fines work

The Dutch traffic-fines system is one of the most efficient and transparent in Europe. The Centraal Justitieel Incassobureau (CJIB) in Leeuwarden handles all fines nationally, both from camera enforcement and police stops. Its automated processing is famously fast: within days of a speed camera trigger, the registered owner receives a letter with the amount, the photo evidence link, and payment instructions.

Three characteristics make Dutch fines distinct:

1. No demerit-point system: unique in the EU. Fines are strictly monetary; the licence is only lost through court order after very serious offences
2. Speed fines are fixed-scale: no officer discretion, no bargaining. The excess speed times a fixed rate = your fine, plus a fixed administrative fee
3. Foreign enforcement is real: about 90 percent of foreign-plate fines are collected, mostly automatically via EU Cross-Border Enforcement Directive

Speed fines: the fixed-scale system

The following are the 2026 rates (WAHV) for passenger cars, verified against Boetebase OM per 1 January 2026 (all tariffs raised 3-4% from 2025). All amounts exclude €9 CJIB administrative fee. Note that the “excess” is the amount above the posted or matrix-displayed limit, with a 3 km/h calibration tolerance automatically applied. Dagvaardingsgrens (court summons threshold): >30 km/h in urban/50-zone, >35 km/h on motorway. Above 40 km/h in built-up areas: criminal charge possible.

On 30-zone or 50-zone urban roads

On 70 to 100 km/h zones (rural + expressways)

On 120 to 130 km/h motorway sections (matrix wins)

Special note on the 100 km/h daytime cap: since 16 March 2020, motorways are limited to 100 km/h from 06:00-19:00, then 120 or 130 km/h in the evening depending on the sign. Since 14 April 2025, three motorway stretches were reset to 130 km/h all day: A7 Afsluitdijk, A7 Winschoten to German border, A6 Lelystad-Ketelbrug. If you drive 130 on any other 100-zone stretch during the day, you incur a 30 km/h excess band which brings court-summons risk and licence confiscation.

Section control (trajectcontrole)

The Netherlands runs the largest section-control network in Europe. About 25 fixed trajectcontrole zones covering 250+ km of motorway measure your average speed between two ANPR cameras. Fines are calculated on the mean, not the peak, so tapping the brake at the second camera does not help.

Section-control zones:

• A2 Utrecht-Eindhoven (multiple stretches)
• A4 The Hague-Amsterdam-Antwerp
• A10 Amsterdam ring
• A12 The Hague-Utrecht-Arnhem
• A20 Rotterdam ring
• A27 Utrecht-Breda
• A50 Eindhoven-Zwolle
• A58 Eindhoven-Breda
• A67 Eindhoven-German border

Speed camera app data is legal and updated in real time. The ANWB app maps all fixed and mobile enforcement locations. Section controls are always signposted with a yellow warning triangle plus “Traject” text.

Mobile phone and hand-held device: €440

The Netherlands has one of the strictest mobile-phone-while-driving laws in the EU. Any hand-held device (phone, tablet, e-reader) triggers a fine of €440 + €9 admin = €449 (2026, feitcode R545). Amount raised annually: 2024 was ~€420, 2025 €430, 2026 €440. Hands-free Bluetooth is legal. A phone in a cradle is fine to view but not to touch unless the car is stationary. Even at a red light, if you tap the screen, you are fined.

Since 1 July 2019 the ban explicitly includes cyclists (fine €160+ for hand-held phone use while cycling) and moped riders. Pedestrian phone use is not illegal but police warn against it near cycle paths.

Alcohol and drugs

BAC limit is 0.5 g/L (0.22 mg/L breath). For drivers with a licence less than 5 years old, or on the alcohol interlock programme, the limit is 0.2 g/L.

Fine bands:

Refusing a breath test = treated as maximum BAC + criminal charge. Drug-driving (saliva positive for THC, amphetamine, cocaine, opiates) triggers 5-10 year licence loss even for a first offence, plus criminal record. Repeat drug-driving is a court matter.

Other common fines

Fixed rates for the most common non-speed offences:

For heavy goods vehicles, buses, and taxis, penalties escalate. Truck-specific offences (overweight, tachograph violation, cabotage breach) can reach €4,400 per infraction.

How camera enforcement works

Dutch cameras cover four enforcement categories:

• Fixed speed cameras (radarpaal): at accident hotspots, urban school zones, motorway overspeed zones. Marked by yellow-orange warning triangle
• Section control (trajectcontrole): 25 fixed corridors, average-speed measurement
• Red-light cameras: at high-traffic intersections. Photo triggers on light + car crossing the stop line
• Mobile speed enforcement: unmarked cars with laser (Politie SpeedGuard). Announced in advance by ANWB app for legal reasons

All cameras trigger to the vehicle owner via number plate. Contested (was not driving) is technically an option but rarely accepted: the letter states “held liable as vehicle keeper” (bestuurdersaansprakelijkheid). Only if the vehicle was reported stolen at the time can you escape liability.

Foreign plate handling: the camera fires, the image goes to CJIB, CJIB queries the EUCARIS network for the owner address, the letter is auto-translated to the owner’s country language, and posted. Time from infringement to letter: 1-3 weeks.

The CJIB collection process

Once a fine letter arrives, the process is:

1. Original fine amount + €9 CJIB administrative fee: pay within 8 weeks. There is NO early-payment discount (unlike France, Italy, Spain). The 20 percent claim that circulates online is incorrect.
2. Since 1 July 2026 (pilot to end 2027): CJIB introduces a free “gele kaart” (yellow-card) reminder before applying surcharges. 2 extra weeks to pay after the reminder.
3. First reminder after that: +50 percent surcharge
4. Second reminder: +100 percent surcharge (total 3x original amount)
5. Not paid: for foreign plates, EU-CBE escalation (only within EU; UK is out post-Brexit); for Dutch residents, debt collector / bailiff

Payment options: bank transfer (SEPA), credit card via cjib.nl, iDEAL for Dutch bank accounts. Cash payments at CJIB office in Leeuwarden.

Appeals: how, when, and success rates

You can file an objection (bezwaar) within 6 weeks of the fine date. Process:

• First stage: online via cjib.nl (Dutch or English) or by letter. Openbaar Ministerie reviews within 6 weeks
• Response: fine upheld, reduced, or annulled
• Second stage: if OM rejects, appeal to kantonrechter (magistrate) within 4 weeks. Court fee €55
• Third stage: appeal to hoger beroep (appellate court). Rarely used for traffic

Grounds that historically succeed:

• Sign was hidden by vegetation or vehicle at time of photo
• Camera not calibrated recently (technical evidence required)
• Wrong plate reading (photo evidence shows different plate)
• Emergency circumstances (ambulance call, hospital admission, breakdown)
• Vehicle was stolen or lent to a third party with proof

Grounds that rarely succeed:

• “I did not know the limit”
• “I was following the flow of traffic”
• “The camera is a revenue trap”
• “I am a foreigner and did not understand the sign”

The Dutch judiciary is systematic and requires documentary proof. For fines under €100, most drivers just pay; for anything over €200 with defensible grounds, appeal has a 15-25 percent success rate.

Impact for foreign drivers

The EU Cross-Border Enforcement Directive (2015/413) is enforced strictly by CJIB. About 90 percent of foreign-plate fines from Dutch cameras are collected within 12 weeks. The Netherlands is one of the most active EU states for cross-border enforcement, alongside Germany and Belgium.

Practical implications:

• Do not assume you can drive home and ignore Dutch fines: they follow you
• Foreign plates get billed at the same rate as Dutch plates
• Payment in EUR only. Currency conversion is your responsibility
• Communication happens in your registered-owner country’s language via CJIB translation
• Late payment triggers debt-collection procedures in your home country
• Very high fines (over €400) or repeat offences can flag you at Dutch border checkpoints on future entries

Tips for foreign drivers

Nine practical strategies distilled from recurring visitor mistakes:

1. Respect the 100 km/h day cap: 30 km/h over automatically triggers a €400+ penalty plus licence issues
2. Read the matrix, not the fixed sign: matrix wins for enforcement
3. Watch for trajectcontrole start markers: yellow “Traject” triangle. Once inside, average speed matters
4. No mobile phone touching, ever: €440 + €9 admin, one of the highest in the EU
5. Do not drive under a red X on the matrix: €250 + safety flag
6. Bumperkleven (tailgating): keep at minimum 2-second gap on motorways
7. Blue zone parking requires a disc: get one at ANWB or VVV for €2-3
8. Milieuzone / ZE-zone unauthorised entry is around €100: check wagenparkstatus.nl before you go (personal cars currently NOT affected by ZE-zones, only delivery vans)
9. Pay within 8 weeks to avoid surcharges: NL has no early-payment discount, but late payment adds +50% then +100%