Physiotherapist in the Netherlands: BIG registration (2026)

• A physiotherapy qualification from outside the EEA and Switzerland that entitles you to practise as a physiotherapist where it was awarded.
• Dutch at B2 from the Staatsexamen NT2, the hbo-level requirement.
• English reading at B1: IELTS 4.0 to 5.0, TOEFL 42 to 71, Cambridge 140 to 159 or EnglishScore.
• A course syllabus that shows hours for musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiorespiratory and other clinical areas, and supervised placement hours.
• Certificates of postgraduate courses, such as manual therapy or sports physiotherapy, that can offset gaps.
• Readiness to complete an advised course or internship.
• EEA physiotherapists can work temporarily with a European Professional Card; this does not apply to non-EEA diplomas.

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• BIGBIG register (CIBG)

  Doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists and other regulated professions

  How to register with the BIG

1. 1

   Learn Dutch to B2 for the Staatsexamen NT2

   Physiotherapy sits in the BIG register's hbo band, so B2 from the Staatsexamen NT2 is required. Treatment depends on explaining exercises and advice, so practise spoken Dutch, not only reading. The BIG register's average for language learning is one and a half to two years.
2. 2

   Get English reading at B1

   IELTS 4.0 to 5.0, TOEFL 42 to 71, Cambridge 140 to 159 or EnglishScore meets B1. Both language certificates must be under two years old when you apply.
3. 3

   Map your training against the Dutch bachelor

   Because the CBGV decides on paper, lay out each module with its hours, and each clinical placement with its setting and hours. Include postgraduate certificates. A missing area, such as neurology or paediatrics, is easier to address if you know about it before the meeting.
4. 4

   Apply through mijn.bigregister.nl

   Submit the application for a certificate of competence with your diploma, syllabus, passport, declaration of competence and language certificates. The Netherlands country guide explains certified copies and sworn translations.
5. 5

   Meet the physiotherapy subcommittee

   The CBGV gives its advice within about 6 weeks of receiving the file and usually discusses it with you. Bring examples of cases you assessed and treated independently. The commission can also explore complementary courses or an internship with you.
6. 6

   Close any gaps it identifies

   If an internship or courses are advised, you find, arrange and pay for them yourself. The BIG register says extra training takes 3 months to 2 years.
7. 7

   Register as a fysiotherapeut

   With a positive decision, register in the BIG register for €85. For the first 3 months you work under the supervision of a BIG-registered physiotherapist, then your registration becomes definitive.
8. 8

   Join the Individueel Register Fysiotherapie and a KNGF association

   After BIG registration, the Kwaliteitshuis Fysiotherapie's Individueel Register Fysiotherapie lets you show quality and keep up professional development. The KNGF's specialty associations, such as manual therapy or paediatrics, are how Dutch physiotherapists build specialist careers, since physiotherapy has no BIG specialist register.

• No BI-test for physiotherapists

  The BIG register runs BI-tests only for doctors, dentists and nurses. Physiotherapists are assessed on documents and in a meeting with the CBGV.

  Read the guide

• Staatsexamen NT2 at B2

  The State Examination Dutch as a Second Language at B2 is the only accepted proof of Dutch at that level.

• Advised internship or courses

  If the CBGV advises them, they serve as the practical test of your competence. Their content and assessment are set by the provider.

• Physiotherapists need Dutch at B2, the requirement for higher professional (hbo) professions.
• Only a Staatsexamen NT2 certificate is accepted at B2.
• English reading at B1: IELTS 4.0 to 5.0, TOEFL 42 to 71, Cambridge 140 to 159, or EnglishScore.
• Proof that your physiotherapy training was taught in Dutch, such as a diploma supplement, can count for the Dutch requirement.

Estimate your total cost

• Staatsexamen NT2 at B2: one and a half to two years of Dutch on average, per the BIG register.
• CBGV advice: within about 6 weeks of the commission receiving your file, since there is no test.
• Advised courses or internship: 3 months to 2 years.
• Overall, the BIG register says 6 months to 1.5 years from a complete application.
• Then 3 months of supervised work before definitive registration.

Most physiotherapists work in private practices, where pay is set by the employer; we could not confirm an official national scale for them. Hospital physiotherapists in general hospitals are paid under the Cao Ziekenhuizen; the hospital grades the post, so these are reference ranges from the table effective 1 August 2026, gross monthly for 36 hours.

Monthly amounts

• Hospital physiotherapist, functiegroep 50 (reference)

  €3,463 to €4,914

  Confirm the group with the hospital.

• Hospital physiotherapist, functiegroep 55 (reference)

  €3,903 to €5,503

• Private physiotherapy practice: Set by the practiceNo official national scale.

• Private physiotherapy practices, from single-handed to large group practices; the KNGF runs a job bank.
• General hospitals and university medical centres, where hospital physiotherapy is itself one of the KNGF specialty associations.
• Rehabilitation centres, nursing homes and care for people with intellectual disabilities, each with its own KNGF association.
• Occupational health and sports settings, linked to the KNGF associations for occupational and sports physiotherapy.

• Many physiotherapy practices are small and may not be IND-recognised sponsors, and the 2026 highly skilled migrant threshold of €5,942 a month at age 30 or over is above the reference hospital ranges shown here. Check both before accepting an offer.
• The full permit picture, including the EU Blue Card and the under-30 threshold, is in the Netherlands country guide.

1. 1

   Gulf rehabilitation and sports medicine experience can support your file, but only if letters show the conditions you treated, the setting and your hours.

2. 2

   A Gulf DPT or master's is assessed on its content against the Dutch bachelor, not on its title or length.

3. 3

   Postgraduate certificates from the Gulf in manual therapy, dry needling or similar areas should go in the file; they may offset gaps the commission finds.

4. 4

   Ask each Gulf licensing authority for a certificate of current professional status close to your registration date.

5. 5

   If your Gulf experience is all hospital-based, note that most Dutch physiotherapists work in private practices, so look at practice posts as well as hospitals.

• 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