Hi,

I'm thinking of buying one of those motor-scooters that you can ride on the cycle paths. A few people have asked about it before, but I've never seen any concise answers.

If you have successfully purchased and registered a motor-scooter (or even car), maybe you could help answer the following...

Do I need to be registered as a Dutch resident in order to register a motor-scooter in my name?
Do I need to be registered as a Dutch resident to get third-party insurance?
Do I need a Dutch drivers licence in order to register a motor-scooter in my name?
Do I need a Dutch drivers licence in order to get third-party insurance?

I am trying to avoid as much paper work as possible. I don't want to register as a resident. And I have just read how many forms are required to exchange my Australian drivers licence with a Dutch licence. I hate forms!

I know that I am technically required to register as a resident and exchange my licence after 180 days. But in reality, it was never a problem for the two years I was living in Amsterdam.

But now I need to know if not registering or having a dutch licence will prevent me from purchasing and registering a motor scooter.

Thanks for your help.

Oh no!

I'm a cyclist and I'm sick of those things on bike paths.
They should not be allowed on them at all, just take a look at the reckless scooter riding on Amstelveenseweg, talk about dangerous.

Why don't you get a decent bicycle instead, and burn some calories?
Scooters are for lazy people.

he he. I think they're great!

I have a bike, which I love. I live in central Amsterdam and work out in Bijlmer. I'm a slow rider, so it takes me around an hour on a push bike. In summer it gets very hot. I can get the Metro on lazy days, but I'm looking for an alternative.

I know what you mean about tossers riding those things on the cycle path. Some people are very aggressive and inconsiderate. Sometimes just outright dangerous. But just because a minority of people are acting like tossers, I don't think we should let them spoil it for everyone.

I've hired a scooter a couple of times and my boyfriend told me I was being dangerous for going too slow. I like to go slow! And I'm scared of crazy car drivers, so I don't want a fast scooter that has to go on the road. I wouldn't ride a scooter in any other country.

I would really love to have a scooter to get to and from work everyday.

I'm not getting much feedback at the moment though. I'm hoping for someone to write in and say "I bought a scooter a month ago. It take X days to get a new motor scooter registered. You do/dont need to be registered with the town hall first. A non EU drivers licence is/isn't a problem to start with."

Someone must know...

I will probably just take the risk, buy one and hope for the best.

I'm going to answer my own question, now I've been through the long and torturous process and finally have a motor scooter.

Step 1: Get an EU drivers license.
A non-eu drivers license is valid for three months from when you move to the country. You might be able to get away with it longer, but I was worried about insurance issues.
There's plenty of information on expatica about getting a Dutch drivers license. I thought it sounded way too hard. I have a British passport and found it much easier to exchange my non-eu license for a British one.

Step 2: Register with the town hall
If it's your first time, make an appointment first.

Step 3: Get some stupid form from the town hall.
You have to wait 3-4 days after registering for your details to be in the computer before you can get this form. Go to the town hall, tell them you are buying a scooter and that you need some form that proves your address. You won't be able to register without this form. It costs about 10 euro.

Step 4: Buy motor scooter
Buy your motor scooter from a shop. They will give you more paper work before you can drive the scooter away.

Step 5: Register scooter
Take the paper work from the scooter shop, your passport and your stupid form from the town hall to a post office and register your motor scooter. It cost me 9 euro. They will give you more paper work.

Step 6: Arrange insurance
Call an insurance company and get the minimum required insurance - WA. Mine costs 51 euro a year. I also got theft (diefstal) insurance, which was an extra 120 euro a year. You are covered provisionally for ten days when you first apply, so you don't have to wait for all the paper work to arrive before you can ride your scooter. Your scooter shop should be able to recommend some insurers.

Step 7: Collect motor scooter
Take your paper work from the post office back to the scooter shop and you can finally drive your scooter away!

@yaq

Quote "I have a British passport and found it much easier to exchange my non-eu license for a British one"

How did you manage that? since the UK authorities will not post the new licence outside the UK, you must give a UK address and be UK resident.

So how much do scooters cost? Do you know of any sources for used ones?

Far too much trouble, I'll stick with my bicycle.

As for getting a UK drivers license... when I was visiting friends in London, I just filled out the license exchange form at the post office. You only need a UK passport to do it.

You are probably supposed to live there, but I just gave my friend's address and they posted it there. My friend then just posted it on to me.

As for scooter prices...

I've seen new scooters with prices starting from 999 euro.
I got mine for 1750 euro.
I think a new Vespa is around 2500 euro.

Yes, it was a lot of work. But it was worth it for me.