How to get into the Rotterdam Marathon

Rotterdam Marathon 2027 sold out

Pre-registration for 2027 ran from 10:00 on October 20 to 10:00 on November 3, 2026, and more than 70,000 people signed up. Personal registration links went out by 17:00 on November 3.

Registration opened November 4 in two rounds, first come, first served. Half the entries went at 10:00 to 2026 pre-registrants who had not been drawn, and the rest went at 14:00 to everyone else. All 18,000 marathon places were claimed that day.

The organizers are discussing extra 2027 entries with the city of Rotterdam. They expect to say in December 2026 whether any will be added, and have not said how many.

Rotterdam Marathon 2028 registration

The method has changed every year. For 2025, places sold first come and went within about two hours, as reported by NOS. For 2026, pre-registration ran September 9 to 22, 2025, with a €5 administration fee, and places were drawn at random among about 50,000 applicants. For 2027, pre-registration was free and places went first come.

The organizers have not announced the 2028 method, dates or fee. If the 2027 pattern holds, pre-registration opens in late October 2027 and registration follows in early November 2027.

The entry fee has risen from €110 for 2024 and €150 for 2025, as reported by NOS, to €155 for 2026 and 2027. For 2027, Rotterdammers under 24 get 25% off and pay €116, and the organizers aim for at least 20% of the field to live in Rotterdam.

Rotterdam Marathon charity entry

KWF Dutch Cancer Society runs the race's charity team, Run Against Cancer (Ren tegen Kanker). There is no sign-up fee. If you raise at least €750 by March 1, 2027, KWF buys your entry, which you must activate by March 5, 2027. Teams of two or more can reach the target as an average of €750 per person. At €500 you get the team shirt.

KWF says its free 2027 marathon entries are gone and keeps a waiting list for last-minute tickets. If you miss the €750 target, you have to buy your own entry from the organizers in time, and self-bought entries are not reimbursed. Donations are not refunded, even if you do not start.

For 2026 the race also gave 400 marathon entries to runners raising €1,000 for KLABU's clubhouse in Kampala, Uganda. KLABU lists that offer as closed and has announced none for 2027.

Super Marathon Masters

Super Marathon Masters is the race's loyalty program. It is open to runners with at least 10 Rotterdam finishes in the official results, or 9 finishes when entering their 10th, who send proof through the contact form. Masters register on a separate form from November 4, 2026 to March 1, 2027 and do not need to pre-register. About 600 ran in 2026.

Entry costs €155. Runners with 20 or more finishes get a promo code for free entry, and every edition after the 21st finish is free. Masters get a pin at 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 finishes, a special bib from the 10th, and two guest-terrace tickets a year after the 25th.

Sub-elite, clubs and the Dutch Championships

Sub-elite entry is free and limited. The standards are under 2:25:00 for men and 2:53:00 for women at national level, and under 2:20:00 and 2:45:00 at international level. Meeting a time does not guarantee a place: the organizers review every application and may accept slower runners after an individual assessment. The organizers publish no separate entry procedure for elite athletes.

For 2027, Rotterdam athletics clubs can buy guaranteed entries for their members. The organizers have not published how many or at what price, so members apply through their club.

The Dutch Championships run inside the race. Entrants must be Dutch citizens holding an Atletiekunie competition license since April 1, 2026, with Bronze and Silver anti-doping e-learning certificates and a half or full marathon result run between April 1, 2025 and April 1, 2027. Entry costs €155 and stays open until March 29, 2027, but on November 12, 2026 the category was full with a waiting list.

Transfers, waiting list and refunds

Entries can only change hands through My Dashboard, once the transfer period opens. The new runner gets an invitation to take over the entry, and the runner who passes it on gets 85% of the fee back. In 2026, marathon transfers ran from March 6 to March 31, the seller paid €15, and a transfer by March 15 put the new runner's name on the bib. The organizers warn against buying entries on Marktplaats, Instagram or Facebook.

An official waiting list will open later. Joining it does not guarantee a place, and it was not open on November 12, 2026.

The €155 fee is not refundable. A cancellation option, sold only during registration, gives a full refund for cancelling on or before March 1, 2027. The organizers have not published its 2027 price; it cost €15 in 2026. There is no deferral to 2028.

Rotterdam Marathon tour operators

Rotterdam has no official tour operator program. The organizers name no travel partner, and no operator holds a block of marathon entries from them, so a travel package does not get you into a sold-out race.

The only other entries the organizers sell are team relays for colleagues: the Business Duo, two runners covering 21.1 km each, at €415 excluding VAT, and the Business Relay, four runners over legs of 8 to 12.5 km, at €635 excluding VAT. Neither counts as a marathon finish.