Certificates for working with F-gases and other refrigerants

Do you work with refrigerants such as F-gases, hydrocarbons, CO₂ or ammonia in the Netherlands? For example, because you are a refrigeration, air conditioning, or heat pump technician? Then you must have the right certificates. F-gases (fluorinated greenhouse gases) are synthetic refrigerants that contribute to global warming. CO₂, propane, and ammonia are examples of natural refrigerants.

You deal with F-gases and other refrigerants if you work on for instance:

• cooling, climate control equipment, and heat-pump equipment
• high-voltage switches
• fire protection equipment
• refrigerated truck and refrigerated trailer equipment

It concerns work such as installing, servicing, repair and maintenance, leakage control, decommissioning, and recovery.

Personal certificates

To work with F-gases or other refrigerants, such as for cooling installations, in the Netherlands you will need a personal certificate (A1, A2, B, C, D, or E). You can obtain a certificate if you pass the exam at a recognised institution:

• Stichting Vakopleiding Automobiel- en Motorrijwielbedrijf (IBKI, in Dutch) for mobile airconditioning units
• Bepect (in Dutch) for high voltage switches
• Stichting Emissiepreventie Koudetechniek (STEK, in Dutch) for the sector stationary equipment and transport cooling > 3 kg
• CIBV (in Dutch) for firefighting equipment
• STE Examenbureau B.V. (in Dutch) for stationary cooling, refrigerated vehicle equipment, and mobile equipment
• PBNA for stationary refrigeration equipment

A Dutch personal certificate is valid in all EU countries. Do you want to check if someone has a Dutch personal certificate? You can do so with the Central Register of Technical Services (Centraal Register Techniek, in Dutch).

Certificates for the self-employed (zzp’ers)

Are you self-employed (zzp’er) and do you work with F-gases or other refrigerants? You need a personal certificate and a company certificate.

Foreign F-gases certificate

In the European Union there is mutual recognition of certificates for F-gases and other refrigerants. This is established in the European F-gases Regulation. This means that your company or personal certificate from any EU country is valid in the Netherlands and vice versa. The certificate is not registered or converted to a Dutch certificate. Therefore you must be able to show a valid certificate upon inspection. EU member countries can ask for a translation of the certificate in another official EU language.

If you have a certificate from a country outside of the EU you can only work in the Netherlands if there is a treaty with the Netherlands and if your professional level is the same.

Company F-gases certificate

In the Netherlands, a maintenance or installation company must have a company certificate (BRL 100 certificate) to work with F-gases. To obtain the company F-gases certificate your company must meet the requirements: your staff must have the right certificates, you must have the correct tools, and you must have work instructions.

As a maintenance or installation company, you can apply for a company certificate from one of the appointed inspection authorities (in Dutch):

• SGS (in Dutch)
• Dekra Certification BV
• CIBV (in Dutch)
• KIWA (in Dutch)
• Bureau Veritas Industrial Services
• ECH-Groep 

A Dutch company F-gases certificate is valid in all EU countries. You can look-up if a company is certified to work with F-gases (BRL 100 certificate) in the Dutch-language online register.

Mandatory leak inspection

Do you own an installation that contains F-gases such as an air conditioning system, cooling installation, high voltage switch, or heat pump system? You must have the leakage detection system inspected at least every 12 months. Leakage detection systems for electrical switches must be inspected at least every 6 years. You must have the inspection performed by someone with the proper certificate. You must keep records of the inspections and repairs in a logbook (logboekverplichting) and keep these records for 5 years.