Work as a pharmacist in the Netherlands: BIG route (2026)

• A pharmacy degree from outside the EEA and Switzerland that entitles you to practise as a pharmacist in the country that awarded it.
• Dutch at B2+ from a BIG-listed institute, because pharmacy is a university-level profession; the Staatsexamen NT2 cannot certify that level.
• English reading at B2, for example IELTS 5.5 to 6.0, TOEFL 72 to 94 or Cambridge 160 to 179.
• A syllabus detailed enough for a paper comparison: modules, hours, lab work, pharmacy placement and any postgraduate courses.
• Readiness to follow a pre-master and the Dutch master's in pharmacy if the CBGV advises it, which the roadmap says is the most common outcome.
• Admission to a Dutch university's pharmacy master's on that university's own terms, if that is the route.
• For hospital pharmacy: basic registration as apotheker first, then SRC specialist recognition.

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

   Talk to the BIG register before investing in Dutch

   Because most foreign pharmacists end up needing the Dutch master's, use the free consultation hour ([email protected]) to test your plans early. Ask whether your degree has any realistic chance of a shorter path. The answer changes how much you should invest in B2+ Dutch now.
2. 2

   Weigh the routes without BIG registration

   The roadmap lists options for people with a foreign pharmacy diploma that need no BIG registration, such as industry, regulatory and research work. Pharmaceutical assistant is an Article 34 profession with its own recognition procedure and no BIG registration. These can provide income in the Netherlands while you decide on the full route.
3. 3

   Reach Dutch B2+ and English B2

   Use Babel Language Institute, NedLes, BGB Academy, Elycio Talen or VU-NT2 for B2+. If you will study the Dutch master's, this level also helps you follow lectures and the community pharmacy placement in Dutch.
4. 4

   Build a module-by-module file

   With no BI-test, the CBGV relies on paper. Send course descriptions with hours and credits for pharmaceutics, pharmacology, pharmacotherapy, analysis and law, plus internship records. Submit through mijn.bigregister.nl; the country guide covers certification and translation.
5. 5

   Attend the CBGV meeting

   The CBGV gives its advice within about 6 weeks of receiving your file and usually discusses it with you. For pharmacists it typically names the pre-master and master's in pharmacy, or a refusal if the gaps cannot be closed by compensation.
6. 6

   Complete the pre-master and master's in pharmacy

   Apply to a Dutch university for the pre-master and the three-year master's. Admission, tuition and timing are set by the university, not the BIG register. Plan finances and residence status for the full period, as you will be studying rather than working as a pharmacist.
7. 7

   Register as an apotheker

   With a Dutch master's or a certificate of competence, register in the BIG register for €85. The first 3 months are conditional, under the supervision of a BIG-registered pharmacist.
8. 8

   Apply to the SRC for hospital pharmacy

   If you want to be a ziekenhuisapotheker, specialist recognition goes through the KNMP's SRC. The roadmap estimates about €2,285 for specialist recognition and registration. Hospital pharmacists in training in general hospitals are paid on the aios scale.

• No BI-test for pharmacists

  The BIG register runs BI-tests only for doctors, dentists and nurses. Pharmacists are assessed by the CBGV on documents and at a meeting.

  Read the guide

• Pre-master in pharmacy

  A bridging programme at a Dutch university that prepares foreign graduates for entry to the master's. The roadmap names it as part of the usual route for foreign pharmacists.

• Dutch master's in pharmacy

  A three-year university master's, assessed under the university's own exams and placements. Completing it is how most foreign-trained pharmacists reach the Dutch level, according to the roadmap.

• Dutch at B2+ certificate

  From a BIG-listed institute, in all four skills, no more than two years old at application.

• Pharmacists need Dutch at B2+, the university-level requirement in the BIG register's language table.
• Only BIG-listed institutes can certify B2+: Babel Language Institute, NedLes, BGB Academy, Elycio Talen and VU-NT2.
• English reading at B2: IELTS 5.5 to 6.0, TOEFL 72 to 94, Cambridge 160 to 179, or EnglishScore.
• The BIG register also accepts school reports or a diploma supplement showing that your training was completed in Dutch as proof of Dutch.
• Community pharmacy is patient-facing: counselling on medicines, interactions and adherence happens in Dutch.

Estimate your total cost

• Dutch to B2+: one and a half to two years on average, according to the BIG register.
• CBGV advice: within about 6 weeks of the file reaching the commission, because there is no BI-test.
• Pre-master plus the three-year master's: plan for more than three years of study, depending on the university's programme.
• Conditional registration: 3 months under supervision after you register.
• Hospital pharmacy: SRC specialist training and recognition come after that, on their own timeline.

The only official scale we could confirm for pharmacists is the aios table of the Cao Ziekenhuizen, which applies to pharmacists training as hospital pharmacists in general hospitals, effective 1 August 2026, gross monthly for 36 hours. Community pharmacy pay is set by the employer or its own agreement, which we could not confirm from an official table.

Monthly amounts

• Hospital pharmacist in training, year 0

  €4,629

  Cao Ziekenhuizen aios scale, 1 August 2026.

• Hospital pharmacist in training, year 4

  €5,402

• Hospital pharmacist in training, year 8

  €6,047

• Community pharmacist: Set by employerCheck the agreement named in your contract.

• Community pharmacies, independent and chain, which employ most registered pharmacists.
• Hospital pharmacies, the setting for SRC specialist training as a ziekenhuisapotheker.
• Pharmaceutical industry, regulators and research institutes, some of which hire foreign pharmacy graduates without BIG registration.
• Community pharmacies hiring pharmaceutical assistants, an Article 34 role with its own recognition procedure.
• The KNMP is the professional body to contact about practice and specialist registration.

• During a pre-master and master's you are a student, not a working pharmacist, so check with the IND which residence purpose fits that period before you move.
• EEA pharmacists can use the European Professional Card for temporary work, but that does not help non-EEA graduates. Work permits for pharmacist posts are covered in the Netherlands country guide.

1. 1

   A Gulf PharmD or clinical pharmacy role may strengthen your file, but the roadmap still expects most foreign-trained pharmacists to need the Dutch master's. Ask at a consultation hour before you commit years to it.

2. 2

   Gulf hospital pharmacy experience does not lead directly to the Dutch hospital pharmacist title; that requires SRC recognition after basic registration.

3. 3

   Ask Gulf universities for full module descriptions with hours and credits; the CBGV compares on paper, and thin syllabi lead to broad training advice.

4. 4

   Gulf industry or regulatory experience can help you find a non-BIG pharmaceutical role while you work towards registration.

5. 5

   Request certificates of current professional status from every Gulf regulator that licensed you, timed for your registration.

• 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.

What our registration and licensing support includesPackages and fees