Van life in the Netherlands: rules, registration and stays

Since 1 January 2025, a national framework has let Dutch municipalities set zero-emission zones (zero-emissiezones, ZEZ-F) for vans and lorries, and 18 cities — including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Eindhoven and Groningen — have done so. Inside a zone, new vans (up to 3.5 t) and lorries first registered on or after 1 January 2025 must be zero-emission (battery or fuel-cell); vehicles already on the road get a transition period running to 2030, and a national six-month grace period held back fines while the rule bedded in. Amsterdam layers this on top of its existing Milieuzone: diesel cars and vans of Euro 5 or above may still enter within the wider A10 ring road, but the zero-emission zone for vans and lorries applies within the smaller S100 ring, and an older, non-compliant van loses access there regardless of what the wider Milieuzone otherwise allows. Because zone boundaries, dates and vehicle-category rules differ by city, checking a specific registration number against a given city's own checker before travelling is the only reliable approach — clearance for Amsterdam does not automatically clear Rotterdam or Utrecht.

Converting a van into a legal 'kampeerauto' is not optional paperwork: the RDW (Rijksdienst voor het Wegverkeer) requires an inspection before the vehicle can carry the camper designation, typically costing upward of €675 and taking about 45 minutes; a van driven on public roads mid-conversion is technically unregistered for its new state. Once approved, the vehicle is reclassified into the M1 (passenger car) category regardless of its original van category, and BPM (passenger-vehicle purchase tax) becomes payable on approval — a Dutch-specific step that does not apply the same way in most neighbouring markets. On overnight stays, there is no national wild-camping allowance: every Dutch municipality's Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening (APV, local bylaw) governs 'kamperen buiten kampeerterreinen' (camping outside official campsites), and none is known to permit it outright. A practical distinction exists between plainly parking and sleeping in a legally parked vehicle without deploying camping equipment, and 'camping behaviour' (awning, chairs, table) — but several municipalities' APVs ban overnight vehicle-dwelling specifically regardless of that distinction, so the specific municipality's own bylaw is the only reliable check.