Work as a nurse in the Netherlands: BIG and €400 BI-test

• A nursing diploma from outside the EEA and Switzerland that lets you work as a registered nurse where you trained.
• Dutch at B1 in all four skills from the State Examination Dutch as a Second Language (Staatsexamen NT2).
• English reading at A2, for which the BIG register lists Cambridge 120 to 139 or EnglishScore.
• A syllabus that shows your name, the years of study and the content of each course, including clinical placements.
• Taking part in the nurses' BI-test after your application is accepted.
• Being ready to complete an internship in an area of Dutch nursing your training did not cover, if the CBGV advises it.
• For nurse specialist roles: BIG registration as a nurse first, then the Dutch MANP master's.

Check your route with the route finder

• BIGBIG register (CIBG)

  Doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists and other regulated professions

  How to register with the BIG

1. 1

   Pass the Staatsexamen NT2 at B1

   Because nursing is classed at mbo level, B1 is enough, and the certificate must come from the Staatsexamen NT2. Many nurses reach B1 sooner than the one and a half to two years the BIG register quotes for higher levels, but plan for real study time. Ward handovers and patient talk are in Dutch from day one.
2. 2

   Add an A2 English reading certificate

   For A2 the BIG register lists Cambridge scores of 120 to 139 or the British Council's EnglishScore. IELTS and TOEFL bands are listed only for B1 and B2, so an IELTS you sat for the UK or the Gulf may not map neatly. Make sure the certificate is under two years old when you apply.
3. 3

   Apply with a detailed nursing syllabus

   Submit through mijn.bigregister.nl with your diploma, course overview, syllabus, passport and declaration of competence. The CBGV compares your programme against Dutch nursing, so list theory hours, placement areas and hours per year. The country guide explains certification and translation rules that apply to every profession.
4. 4

   Prepare for the BI-test with the study guide

   The nurses' BI-test is run through Herregistratie Wet BIG, whose website for foreign graduates has a study guide, training options and example knowledge questions. Email [email protected] to join an information meeting. Revise Dutch protocols for medication, hygiene and patient safety, not only your clinical specialty.
5. 5

   Sit the written test, skills test and clinical reasoning interview

   The written test checks nursing knowledge at Dutch end level, the skills test checks practical procedures, and the gesprek klinisch redeneren tests how you assess a patient and plan care. The fee is €400. Results come within 3 to 6 weeks and identify the domains where you fall short.
6. 6

   Agree an internship plan with the CBGV

   The nursing subcommittee of the CBGV gives advice within 12 weeks of your result. Commonly it asks for an internship in an area such as mental health, elderly care or community nursing. You find and arrange the placement yourself, and the roadmap warns this can take time.
7. 7

   Consider VIG or a BBL route if the gap is large

   If the extra training would be long, the roadmap points to verzorgende IG, which needs diploma recognition but no BI-test. A work-based learning route (BBL) lets you earn a Dutch VIG diploma in just over two years while being paid. A healthcare assistant role needs no recognition at all, but none of these is a registered nurse post.
8. 8

   Receive the certificate and register as a verpleegkundige

   After the internship the BIG register sends an intended decision, and a positive final decision is your certificate of competence. Register for €85 and work your first 3 months under a BIG-registered nurse's supervision before registration becomes definitive.
9. 9

   Plan for a nurse specialist title later

   Nurse specialist (verpleegkundig specialist) titles are registered by the Registratiecommissie Specialismen Verpleegkunde (RSV) under V&VN. V&VN states that nurses trained outside the EU can register as a nurse specialist only after completing the Dutch MANP, sometimes through a shortened route. A Gulf or home-country advanced practice title does not transfer directly.

• Written knowledge test (kennistoets)

  A written test of nursing knowledge at the level of a Dutch nursing graduate, taken in the Netherlands. Example questions are published for foreign graduates on the Herregistratie Wet BIG website.

• Skills test (vaardighedentoets)

  A practical assessment of nursing procedures. The study guide sets out which skills are expected, so check Dutch practice for steps such as medication checks that may differ from your training.

• Clinical reasoning interview (gesprek klinisch redeneren)

  A structured conversation, in Dutch, about how you assess a patient, identify problems and plan and evaluate care. It rewards a clear nursing process more than recall of facts.

• Fee and follow-up

  The BI-test for nurses costs €400. After it the CBGV holds an advisory meeting with you about the result and any extra training.

• Nurses need Dutch at B1, the level the BIG register sets for mbo-level professions, across reading, writing, speaking and listening.
• The B1 certificate must be a Staatsexamen NT2 result; private B1 certificates are not accepted.
• English reading is required only at A2, shown by Cambridge 120 to 139 or EnglishScore.
• Holding a nursing bachelor's does not move you to the B2 or B2+ requirement; the language table follows the Dutch level of the profession, not your degree.
• The verzorgende IG alternative has no English reading requirement at all, according to the BIG register.

Estimate your total cost

• Dutch to B1: usually shorter than the one and a half to two years the BIG register quotes for higher levels, but still many months.
• File accepted within 4 weeks; BI-test results 3 to 6 weeks after you sit it; CBGV advice within 12 weeks after that.
• Advised internship: the BIG register says extra training takes 3 months to 2 years, and nursing placements can be slow to find.
• A BBL route to a Dutch VIG diploma takes just over two years, paid, if you choose that path instead.
• After registration, 3 months under supervision before your BIG entry becomes definitive.

Gross monthly pay in general hospitals under the Cao Ziekenhuizen table effective 1 August 2026, for a 36-hour week, excluding holiday allowance and irregular-hours supplements. The cao does not fix a group for nurses: the hospital grades each post in a function group (functiegroep), so ask which group your offer uses. Elderly care, mental health and university medical centres have their own agreements.

Monthly amounts

• Functiegroep 40

  €2,750 to €3,959

  Cao Ziekenhuizen, 1 August 2026.

• Functiegroep 45

  €3,228 to €4,346

• Functiegroep 50

  €3,463 to €4,914

• Functiegroep 55

  €3,903 to €5,503

• Functiegroep 60

  €4,246 to €6,220

  Senior or specialist nursing posts, where the hospital grades them here.

• General hospitals under the Cao Ziekenhuizen, and university medical centres under their own agreement.
• Nursing homes and elderly care, disability care, community nursing (wijkverpleging), mental health and psychiatry, all named by the roadmap as settings with demand.
• Some employers offer a BBL work-and-study route to a Dutch diploma with a salary.
• Ask whether the employer will host the internship the CBGV advises; it is often the hardest part to arrange.

• Check your salary against the IND threshold before you accept: in 2026 a highly skilled migrant aged 30 or over needs €5,942 gross a month, above the top of functiegroep 50, while the under-30 threshold is €4,357.
• A BBL or VIG post during recognition may not meet highly skilled migrant thresholds; ask the employer which permit it will use.
• Registration normally comes before any permit for a nursing post. The highly skilled migrant, EU Blue Card and family rules are covered in the Netherlands country guide.

1. 1

   Gulf nursing licences do not change the route, but Gulf hospital experience in several departments can shorten the internship the CBGV advises if it is documented by ward, dates and hours.

2. 2

   Many Gulf nurses trained in hospital-focused programmes. Expect questions about community, mental health and elderly care, which Dutch nursing covers in depth.

3. 3

   An IELTS score from a Gulf or UK application may not match the A2 bands the BIG register lists; check, or sit Cambridge or EnglishScore.

4. 4

   Ask DHA, DOH, MOHAP, SCFHS, QCHP or other Gulf regulators for a certificate of current professional status close to your registration date, as it must be under three months old.

5. 5

   If you hold an advanced practice title in the Gulf, plan for the Dutch MANP before using a nurse specialist title.

• Application plan with every step, fee and deadline

• Document checklist tailored to you, and a review of each document before upload

• Timeline built around the regulator's closure windows and document validity periods

• Help completing the application forms accurately and consistently

• Support with profession-specific evidence, such as the HCPC standards of proficiency mapping

• Guidance on certificates of good standing, references and certified translations

• Preparation for identity checks and declarations on health and character

• Tracking your application and help responding to regulator requests

• Next steps after the decision: exams, adaptation, PIN or licence and your first job

Regulators make all registration decisions and set all fees. Our fee is separate from the regulator's fees, exam fees and translation costs.

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