Netherlands Authority Confirms Tesla FSD Is in Final Approval Stage

After years of waiting, Tesla owners in Europe are close to accessing FSD as regulators near the end of the process.

Tesla's European account announced that it has officially completed the final vehicle testing phase for FSD (Supervised) with the Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW).

While the initial target for regulatory approval in the Netherlands was slated for March 20, the scope of the documentation has pushed the expected approval date to April 10. Assuming the RDW gives the green light next month, Tesla anticipates a wider, EU-wide approval rolling out by the summer.

18 Months of Testing

Gaining approval for an advanced driver assistance system in Europe means navigating some of the world's strictest regulatory frameworks. Tesla submitted all necessary documentation for UN R-171 approval, along with Article 39 exemptions.

Tesla and the RDW carried out an intensive, 18-month testing program. Tesla detailed the effort with the following figures:

1,600,000+ kilometers of FSD (Supervised) testing on EU roads
13,000+ customer sales ride-alongs
4,500+ track test scenario executions
Thousands of pages of written documentation to satisfy 400+ compliance requirements
Dozens of research studies analyzing safety performance and results

We're extremely proud of the work conducted with the RDW team up until this point.

Tesla noted in its announcement. "We very much look forward to the approval in April, and sharing FSD (Supervised) with our patient EU customers!"

A Response from the RDW

Because homologation and regulatory approvals often contain highly sensitive trade secrets, government authorities rarely comment on pending applications. However, given the immense public scrutiny and anticipation surrounding Tesla's FSD software, the RDW issued a rare public response confirming Tesla's timeline.

"We know that Tesla's application has the interest of many people," the RDW stated. "Normally, we never make statements about requests from manufacturers because of the market-sensitive information."

The Dutch authority confirmed that they are indeed in the final stages of the assessment process and are currently reviewing the mountain of data generated by the 18-month testing program.

While they acknowledged the April target date, the RDW made it clear that they will not rush the final decision.

"During this final phase, our inspectors will review all data and test results, and, after completion of this process, a decision will be made on the approval of the driver's assistance system FSD Supervised," the agency concluded. "For the RDW, safety is paramount."

Note that RDW’s statement was issued in Dutch and translated for this article.

Expect AI4/HW4 Support Only

One of the things not mentioned by RDW or Tesla is the specifics of the approval. Tesla has been testing with AI4 vehicles, and its customer ride-alongs are also AI4 vehicles. That means Tesla has been testing and gathering data on builds of FSD v14, not FSD v12.

For owners of legacy HW3 vehicles, that also means that you most likely won't receive FSD initially, as the approval will not be for a v12 build. Instead, you'll likely have to wait for FSD v14-lite to launch sometime later this year.

The Gateway to Europe

The RDW's pending decision is the linchpin for Tesla's entire European strategy. The Netherlands historically serves as the primary homologation authority for Tesla in Europe. Once the RDW officially approves FSD for use on Dutch roads in April, other European countries can formally recognize this approval on a national level.

This cascading regulatory framework is what gives Tesla the confidence to project a full, EU-wide rollout of FSD by the summer.