Dutch Road Signs: The Complete Visual Guide (With Pictures)

Dutch road signs (verkeersborden) follow the RVV 1990 — the Dutch Road Traffic Regulation. Every sign on the CBR theory exam falls into one of seven categories, and once you know the shape and colour code, you can read a sign you've never seen before. This guide walks through each category with pictures, explains what every sign means to you as a road user, and points out the ones expats most often misread.

All images below are official RVV 1990 sign artwork (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons).

How to read any Dutch sign

• Red triangle, point up → warning. Something dangerous is ahead.
• Red circle → prohibition. You may NOT do this.
• Blue circle → mandatory. You MUST do this.
• Blue square → information or a facility (parking, motorway, woonerf).
• Yellow diamond → priority road. You have right of way.
• Inverted red-bordered triangle (B6) → give way. Stop only if needed.
• Octagonal red 'STOP' (B7) → always come to a full stop.

A — Speed limit signs

Red-bordered white circles with a number show the maximum legal speed in km/h. The same sign with a grey diagonal bar means the limit ends and the default for that road type applies again.

B — Priority signs

Priority signs tell you who must yield. If you remember nothing else: yellow diamond = you have priority, upside-down red triangle = you give way, octagon = stop.

Often paired with road markings: shark teeth (haaientanden) pointing at you = you must give way, even without a sign.

C — Closed / no-entry signs

Red circles, sometimes with a red bar. They tell you 'this road is closed to you'. The pictogram inside shows which road users are excluded.

Watch for the word 'uitgezonderd' (except) on a sub-plate underneath — e.g. 'C2 uitgezonderd fietsers' means cars cannot enter but cyclists can.

D — Mandatory direction signs

Blue circles with a white arrow. They don't suggest — they order. You must follow the arrow.

E — Parking and stopping signs

These define where you may stop (stilstaan), where you may park (parkeren), and for whom. The Dutch make a strict legal distinction between the two — see our parking guide.

F — Overtaking and traffic-rule signs

G — Road-type signs (motorway, woonerf, bike path)

Blue rectangles that define what kind of road you're on. The rules that apply on that road type kick in the moment you pass the sign and end at the matching 'end' sign.

H — Built-up area signs

J — Warning signs

Red triangles, point up. They never command anything — they warn you to be alert because of something ahead. The pictogram tells you what.

L — Information signs

Blue or white rectangles giving you information rather than orders. They don't change a rule, but several are exam favourites because they affect priority (zebra crossing, bus stop).

The hierarchy: what beats what

1. A traffic officer's instructions beat everything else.
2. Traffic lights beat signs.
3. Signs beat road markings.
4. Road markings beat the default rules.

This ordering is one of the most-tested concepts on the CBR theory exam. Memorise it word-for-word: officer → light → sign → marking → rule.

Signs unique to the Netherlands

• Woonerf (G5) — walking-pace residential zone; pedestrians may use the whole road.
• Fietsstraat — a street where bikes are king and cars are 'guests' (auto te gast).
• Shark teeth markings — painted yield triangles; legally binding even without a sign.
• 'Uitgezonderd' sub-plates — exempt this group from the prohibition above.
• Time-dependent motorway limits — 100/130 km/h depending on the hour.

How to actually learn all of these

Don't try to memorise a poster of 200 signs. Practise them inside realistic exam-style questions — that way you learn the sign AND the situation. CBR Klaar's Traffic Signs topic walks you through all the categories above with multiple-choice questions modelled on the real CBR exam.