The Dutch vehicle authority RDW has responded to Tesla’s recent claims about progress toward European approval of Full Self-Driving (Supervised), offering a far more cautious picture of where things actually stand.
In a post shared on X over the weekend, Tesla said its “main path” to securing FSD approval in Europe runs through the RDW and suggested the agency had agreed to grant national approval in February 2026. However, the regulator has now publicly contradicted that assertion.
In its statement, the RDW wrote: “On November 22, 2025, Tesla posted a message on X about Full Self Driving Supervised (FSD Supervised) mentioning the RDW. We do not share details about ongoing applications from manufacturers as this is market- and competitively sensitive information. However, we can mention that the RDW has drawn up a schedule with Tesla in which Tesla is expected to be able to demonstrate in February 2026 that FSD Supervised meets the requirements. RDW and Tesla know what efforts need to be made to make a decision on this in February. Whether the schedule is met should be made [clear] in the coming period. For the RDW, (traffic) safety is paramount.”
The regulator also took issue with Tesla encouraging owners to contact the agency to express support for FSD approval. “We thank everyone who has already done this and would like to urge you not to contact us about this. It takes our customer service an unnecessary amount of time…Road safety is paramount for the RDW: admission is only possible once the safety of the system has been convincingly demonstrated.”
The response comes just weeks after Tesla CEO Elon Musk said during the company’s annual shareholder meeting that the first regulatory approval for FSD (Supervised) in the EU is expected in early 2026. For now, however, the RDW’s message suggests that nothing is guaranteed.
Tesla’s push for European approval comes as the company accelerates FSD deployment globally. The system is now live in seven countries, with South Korea becoming the newest market over the weekend. Tesla is also in the midst of rolling out FSD 14, the most advanced iteration yet, including last week’s debut of version 14.2. Musk has further hyped the upcoming FSD 14.3 release as the “last big piece” of the puzzle.
While Tesla is clearly preparing for a major international expansion of FSD, Europe’s regulatory path remains complex — and still unresolved.
