Aircraft maintenance in the Netherlands may only be carried out by technicians who hold an Aircraft Maintenance Licence (AML) or by technicians working under the supervision of an AML holder. To obtain an AML, the maintenance technician must comply with EASA legislation (EASA Part-66). The Civil Aviation Authority the Netherlands (CAA NL), part of the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT), oversees this.
Expected processing time
From 1 June 2025, the issue of Aircraft Maintenance Licences (AMLs) for maintenance technicians in the Netherlands moved from Kiwa Register (Kiwa) to CAA NL. After this transfer, CAA NL faced large backlogs. Please take into account that the processing time may be longer than you are used to.
Under the Algemene wet bestuursrecht, Awb (General Administrative Law Act, in Dutch), the Government of the Netherlands must make a decision within 8 weeks of receiving the application. CAA NL may extend this period.
For AML renewals, suspensions, licence transfers from the Netherlands to another country, applications for a duplicate and amendments, the processing time is within the legal period of 8 weeks. For other applications, the processing time is longer than the legal period. CAA NL will notify you about the expected processing time. This depends on how complex the application is.