Registering as a healthcare professional

Do you want to work as a healthcare professional in the Netherlands? For some healthcare professions you must be registered in the BIG register. The BIG register is a legal register that is publicly accessible online.

You can only register if you have the right professional qualifications and diplomas. And you must have sufficient command of the Dutch language. You need to supply proof of this with your registration.

What is a BIG registration?

A BIG registration states what procedures a registered healthcare professional is allowed to perform (voorbehouden handelingen, in Dutch). For example, whether they may give injections or perform certain operations. This is to protect patients from professional misconduct and medical errors.

If you are included in the register, it means:

• You have a professional certificate from a recognised body.
• You can carry out your work without limitations (within the boundaries of your profession).
• Your work is overseen by a disciplinary commission.

The register is a central, official register of healthcare professionals. It is kept on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS). You can find more information on the conditions and procedures on the Register's website.

To find out which procedure applies to you, you can follow the BIG register’s Advice wizard.

When do I need a BIG registration?

Certain professions in healthcare have a protected title under the Individual Healthcare Professions Act (Wet op de Beroepen in de Individuele Gezondheidszorg, BIG). If your profession has a protected title, you may need to register in the BIG register before you can practice your profession. Other protected titles do not require you to register.

Does your profession require a BIG registration?

The protected titles which require a BIG registration are:

• clinical technologist
• dentist
• doctor
• health psychologist
• midwife
• nurse
• pharmacist
• physiotherapist
• physician assistant
• psychotherapist
• remedial educationalist

Some healthcare professions are temporarily included as experiments in the BIG register (in Dutch):

• registered dental hygienist (until at least 30 June 2025)

Do you work in a profession that is included as an experiment? Then you must also apply for a BIG registration.

Stating your BIG registration number

Once you are registered in the BIG register you receive a BIG number. You must actively communicate your BIG number and make sure it can be easily found. You should communicate this number wherever you disclose your name and profession (or those of healthcare providers you employ or hire) for professional purposes. This is at least (and if applicable):

• on your own (or you employer’s) website on the same page or pages your name is stated
• in your email signature in any email you send in a professional capacity

You can find your BIG number online in Mijn BIG-register (in Dutch). Here you can also look up and change your personal data or re-register for instance. You need DigiD to access your registration, or a dedicated BIG log-in if you live abroad.

Re-register your BIG registration

You must re-register in the BIG register every 5 years to prove you still meet the requirements for your profession. To do so, you must meet the work experience or education requirements. The criteria are different for each profession (in Dutch). If you do not re-register or you re-register too late, you will be deregistered, and you are no longer allowed to carry out your profession.

Working in the Netherlands with a foreign diploma

If you have a foreign diploma and you want to work as a healthcare provider in the Netherlands, you can have your professional qualifications recognised. There are different procedures for recognition of your diploma. Use the Advice Wizard to find out which procedure applies to you.

If you have a foreign diploma you can register for an informative meeting (for EU diplomas) or the special consultation hours and information meetings (for non-EU diplomas) for more information.

Qualifications from BES islands

Is your certificate issued in the Dutch special municipalities of Bonaire, St Eustatius, or Saba? Then you also need to have your certificate recognised. However, if your certificate was issued in Bonaire (in Dutch) with FM Academy (Fundashon Mariadal) you can register directly (in Dutch).

Working temporarily in the Netherlands with an EU diploma

Do you have an EU diploma or certificate and do you want to work temporarily or occasionally as a healthcare professional in the Netherlands? If your profession has a protected title, you first need to apply for permission for temporary and occasional provision of services. If you receive permission you can start your temporary work. However, you are not registered in the BIG register and you will therefore not receive a BIG number. You may register in the BIG, but this is not required.

Pharmacists, physiotherapists, and nurses can apply through the European Professional Card (EPC) for a 1 year permission. You can only start working once you have permission. You also must have a professional liability insurance.

Disciplinary measures

Do you make a medical error or do you fail to meet the requirements to practice as a medical professional? A disciplinary court may impose disciplinary measures, such as a fine, a warning, or a temporary suspension from your duties. In case of suspension, your name is added to a publicly available list of healthcare professionals subject to disciplinary measures.

If you have been found guilty of a serious offence (such as indecency, violence, murder, manslaughter), the disciplinary court may ban you from practice. This means you can no longer work as a healthcare professional.

You can also be banned from practice if you commit a serious offence unrelated to your profession. Or if you do other work while registered in the BIG register.

Hardship clause

Are you prohibited from providing healthcare in another country as a result of a disciplinary measure? In general, BIG register will adopt this measure (in Dutch). This means your registration may be cancelled. If you think the foreign disciplinary measure is unreasonable, you may invoke the hardship clause. You can send your objection to the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (in Dutch).

Consulting the register

The register is publicly accessible so that everyone can look up the name of a healthcare professional. This allows anyone in need of a healthcare professional to see if you have the right qualifications. They can also consult the register to check if a healthcare professional has had an order or disciplinary measure imposed on them under the Healthcare Professionals Act.