FAQ sul confine con Нідерланди

The Netherlands has 2 land borders — both with temporary controls!

🇧🇪 Belgium (south) — 840+ crossings!

• Antwerp → Breda (E19/A16): 10–40 min
• Maastricht (BE) → Maastricht (NL) (E25/A2): 10–35 min
• Turnhout → Tilburg (N140/A58): 10–30 min

🇩🇪 Germany (east)

• Aachen → Maastricht (A4/E40): 10–35 min
• Venlo (DE) → Venlo (NL) (A40/A67): 10–30 min
• Oldenzaal → Enschede (A1/A30): 10–25 min

⚠️ CRITICAL:

• 🔴 Netherlands: Controls until June 8, 2026
• 🔴 Germany: Controls on ALL 9 borders until March 15, 2026
• 🟡 840+ crossings — most in Europe relative to size!

The Netherlands has some of the HIGHEST fines in the EU!

Speeding fines:

• 1–4 km/h: €35
• 5–10 km/h: €80
• 11–15 km/h: €140
• 16–20 km/h: €220
• 21–25 km/h: €310
• 26+ km/h: €420–1,000+ (license suspension + court!)

Other fines:

• 🚦 Red light: €240
• 📱 Mobile phone: €350 (highest in EU!)
• 🚗 No seatbelt: €160
• 🍺 Alcohol 0.05–0.08%: €350 + license suspension
• 🍺 Alcohol 0.08%+: €900 + license suspension 6+ months

⚠️ NOTE: €350 for phone use is THE HIGHEST fine in the EU for this violation!

The Netherlands implements EES GRADUALLY — slowest in the EU!

Implementation timeline:

• 📅 October 12, 2025: Seaports (Eemshaven, IJmuiden)
• 📅 November 3, 2025: Small airports (Twente, Midden-Zeeland)
• 📅 December 12, 2025: Maastricht Aachen Airport
• 📅 December 2025 – June 2026: Schiphol (gradually!)
• 📅 By June 2026: Full activation

Current status (December 2025):

• ✅ Seaports: EES active
• 🟡 Small airports: EES active (partial)
• 🔴 Schiphol: ONLY small-scale!
• 🔴 Land borders: EES NOT active (passport stamping!)

Reason: "Controlled introduction to limit disruptions" — government minimizes queues.

⚠️ UNIQUE FEATURE: On Dutch motorways it's 100 km/h DAYTIME (06:00–19:00), 130 km/h AT NIGHT!

Speed limits:

• 🏙️ Cities: 50 km/h
• 🛣️ Roads outside cities: 80 km/h
• 🛣️ Motorways DAYTIME (06:00–19:00): 100 km/h
• 🌙 Motorways NIGHT (19:00–06:00): 130 km/h

Reason: Environmental policy! The government lowered the limit from 130 to 100 km/h in 2020 to reduce NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions. The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated EU countries.

Speeding fines:

• 5–10 km/h: €80
• 11–15 km/h: €140
• 16–20 km/h: €220
• 26+ km/h: €420–1,000+ (license suspension!)

YES! The Netherlands is one of the few countries with COMPLETELY FREE roads for passenger cars.

FREE:

• ✅ ALL motorways (Autosnelwegen) — FREE!
• ✅ ALL provincial roads — FREE!
• ✅ ALL local roads — FREE!

ONLY 2 tunnels are tolled:

• 💰 Westerschelde Tunnel: €6.00 (Zeeland, Holland→Belgium)
• 💰 Kiltunnel (Dordtse Kil): €2.80 (A24 Rotterdam)

History: The Netherlands planned kilometer-based tolling in 2010s, but parliament rejected it due to public opposition!

⚠️ NOTE: Fuel in the Netherlands is THE MOST EXPENSIVE in continental Europe (€1.85–1.95/L)!

The Netherlands — Schengen founding member (1985!) — introduced temporary controls from December 9, 2024 to June 8, 2026.

Reasons (Minister David van Weel):

• 🔴 Irregular migration: High levels of illegal immigration
• 🔴 Human trafficking: 230 arrests since December 2024!
• 🔴 Cross-border crime: Drugs, document fraud
• 🔴 Asylum pressure: Overwhelmed reception system

How controls work:

• ✅ Random checks by Royal Netherlands Marechaussee
• ✅ 840+ border crossings — all potentially checked!
• ✅ International trains from Belgium and Germany
• ⚠️ +5–20 minutes at border (unpredictable!)

ALWAYS carry ID/passport!