Professional qualifications and diplomas

You do not need a diploma or a permit to work in the Netherlands or to establish a business in the Netherlands. However, for certain professions you must meet specific professional requirements. These are regulated professions. If you do not have a regulated profession, you do not have to meet these requirements.

Regulated professions in the Netherlands

Only people who meet the requirements are allowed to work in a regulated profession. You must therefore prove that you have the proper education and professional experience for this profession. You can do so with, for example:

• a diploma or certificate
• taking certain exams
• register with a professional association

Employers and HR staff may request an official extract of your diploma. This allows them to verify the authenticity of the diploma.

Find out if you have a regulated profession

You can find all regulated professions in the Netherlands in the European Union's Regulated Professions Database. This database includes regulated professions for all EEA countries and Switzerland. You select your profession and the country in which you qualified, and the database will show if your profession is regulated in the Netherlands and the associated competent authority in the Netherlands.

You do not have a regulated profession

If your profession is not included in the Regulated Professions Database, you can practice your profession in the Netherlands. You do not need to ask permission or have your professional qualifications recognised. You can have your foreign diploma or certificate evaluated by the Information centre for credential evaluation (IDW), but this is not required.

You have a regulated profession

What you need to arrange if you have a regulated profession can difer depending on you country of origin and the duration of the work.

You have a certificate from an EU country and you want to settle permanently in the Netherlands

Do you have a regulated profession and do you want to establish permanent residence in the Netherlands? Then you must have your qualifications recognised to practise your profession in the Netherlands. You can contact the competent authority for your profession to find out which procedure you must follow. 

You have a certificate from an EU country and you want to work temporarily or occasionally in the Netherlands

Do you have a regulated profession and do you want to work in the Netherlands temporarily or occasionally? You do not have to apply for recognition of your qualifications. But you must inform the relevant competent authority for you profession. 

Please note: Do you want to work temporarily or occasionally in the Netherlands and is your profession mentioned in this list of 51 regulated professions (in Dutch)? These professions can impact public health or public order and you will need to have your qualifications recognised. 

You have a certificate from a non-EU country

If you have a diploma or certificate from another country than 1 of the EEA countries or Switzerland, you must have it recognised. You must also apply for a certificate of professional competence. You can apply for one with the competent authority for your profession. 

Apply for recognition of foreign diplomas and professions

You apply for recognition of your professional qualifications with the competent authority for your profession. You can find the contact details of the competet authority for your profession in the Regulated Professions Database on the page for your profession. They will tell you which requirements you have to fulfil, how the procedure works, and which documents you need. Nuffic's National Contact Point can also inform you about the status of your national diploma in the Netherlands.

Automatic recognition

You qualify for automatic recognition if you have one of these professions:

• physician
• general care nurse
• obstetrician
• dental practitioner
• pharmacist

or if you are a:

• veterinary surgeon 
• architect

For automatic recognition you must meet the conditions for your profession and you have to submit proof of your professional qualifications to the competent authorities. In some cases you may have to submit other documents as well. If you do not meet these conditions, you may need to complete an aptitude test or an adaptation period to complete your recognition. The competent authority must complete the procedure within a short time. Once you have permission from the competent authorities, you can start work.

Apply for recognition in another EU country

If you are an EU citizen, you can apply for a European Professional Card (EPC) from the EU. This provides recognition for the following regulated professions:

• pharmacist
• nurse, responsible for general care
• physiotherapist
• real estate agent
• mountain guide

You can apply for the European Professional Card online. This card simplifies the procedure for getting your professional qualifications recognised in another EU country. Costs for an EPC depend on, among others, home country, host country and profession.

You do not agree with the decision

If the competent authority does not grant you recognition of your professional qualifications, you can object within 6 weeks. You object by writing a letter (notice of objection) to the competent authority stating why you do not agree with their decision. The notice of objection must also state your name, address, and signature. The competent authority will then reassess your application. If you do not agree with the reassessment you can appeal to the court.

Regulated education and training in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands senior secondary vocational education (mbo) offers vocational (occupation oriented) qualifications. These qualifications can make up a qualification file (dossier) which describes the requirements a student needs to meet to get a diploma. 

To find out which qualification files and other components you need for a specific profession you can search the Qualification structure register. You can find more information on the SBB website (Samenwerkingsorganisatie Beroepsonderwijs Bedrijfsleven).

Did you finish your regulated education in the Netherlands, and do you want to work in a regulated profession in another EU member state? You should get recognition by the recognition body in the country you (want to) work in. This applies even if the profession is not regulated in the Netherlands. The competent authority may require you to take an aptitude test or complete an adaptation period.

AC declaration

If you are unsure about the status of your education or training, you can apply to Nuffic for an AC declaration (AC-verklaring). The declaration states whether the profession or the education/training is regulated and in which professions you are allowed to work in the Netherlands.

Certificate supplements

The Europass Certificate Supplement (CS) states whether or not your profession or education is regulated. You can download your certificate supplement on the SBB website (in Dutch). You can use the CS to prove your skills in the Netherlands and abroad. The CS is available in Dutch, English and German.

The Europass Certificate Supplement is part of Europass. 

All Europass tools

Europass also includes other tools to help you clearly communicate your skills and experiences across the EU:

• The Diploma Supplement gives helpful information on your higher education diploma such as grades, achievements, institution, to help you communicate your skills to employers.
• The Europass Certificate Supplement gives helpful information on your vocational qualificationssuch as grades, achievements, institution, to help you communicate your skills to employers.
• Europass Mobility helps to describe your international experiences and skills developed while studying, working or volunteering abroad.