Psychologist in the Netherlands: GZ-psycholoog BIG (2026)

• A psychology qualification from outside the EEA and Switzerland that entitles you to practise as a healthcare or clinical psychologist where it was awarded.
• A master's in psychology plus evidence of post-master clinical training, because the Dutch GZ title follows about two years of training after the master's.
• Records of formal supervised practice, separate from ordinary work guidance: supervisor, hours, caseload and methods.
• Dutch at B2+ from a BIG-listed institute, and English reading at B2 (IELTS 5.5 to 6.0, TOEFL 72 to 94 or Cambridge 160 to 179).
• Readiness to complete additional training, which the roadmap says is often required for GZ-psychologists.
• For a specialist title (klinisch psycholoog or klinisch neuropsycholoog): unconditional registration as GZ-psycholoog, recognition of your specialist diploma and Dutch at the required level, according to the FGZPT.

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

   Decide which Dutch title fits your training

   A master's alone points to basic psychologist work, which needs no BIG registration. A master's with substantial supervised clinical training points to the GZ-psycholoog certificate. Psychotherapist is a separate BIG profession with its own comparison, so do not assume one application covers both.
2. 2

   Start Dutch at B2+

   Assessment and therapy are carried out in Dutch, and B2+ must be certified by Babel Language Institute, NedLes, BGB Academy, Elycio Talen or VU-NT2. Allow the BIG register's average of one and a half to two years.
3. 3

   Document supervision precisely

   List each period of supervised practice with the supervisor's name and qualification, frequency of supervision, hours and types of cases. The roadmap stresses the difference between work guidance and working under supervision, so label which is which. Supervisor letters on letterhead carry most weight.
4. 4

   Apply for the certificate of competence

   Submit through mijn.bigregister.nl as gezondheidszorgpsycholoog, with diplomas, syllabi for the master's and any post-master training, passport, declaration of competence and language certificates. The country guide covers certification and translation.
5. 5

   Meet the CBGV and plan additional training

   The commission advises within about 6 weeks of receiving your file. Where it finds the post-master component missing or short, it can advise additional training or a supervised period. You arrange this yourself, and the roadmap says such training can take from months up to three years.
6. 6

   Work as a basic psychologist in the meantime

   With your master's you can work under a GZ-psycholoog's supervision without recognition. You may treat on their behalf but not diagnose. This also builds the Dutch supervised experience the CBGV values.
7. 7

   Register as GZ-psycholoog

   With a positive decision, register for €85. Your first 3 months are conditional, under the supervision of a BIG-registered GZ-psycholoog, before registration becomes definitive.
8. 8

   Seek a specialist title through the CRT

   Klinisch psycholoog and klinisch neuropsycholoog are registered by the Commissie Registratie en Toezicht (CRT) of the FGZPT. If you are already registered as GZ-psycholoog, apply to the CRT at [email protected]; it invoices you and reviews after payment. If not, send a combined application to the CIBG, which decides on GZ registration first. The roadmap estimates about €2,285 for specialist recognition, plus about €750 if an adaptation internship is needed.

• No BI-test for psychologists

  BI-tests exist for doctors, dentists and nurses only. GZ-psychologists are assessed by the CBGV on documents and at a meeting.

  Read the guide

• Additional GZ training or supervised period

  When advised, this takes the place of an exam: you show the Dutch GZ level by completing training or supervised practice the CBGV specifies.

• Dutch at B2+

  From a BIG-listed institute, covering all four skills. The FGZPT also requires adequate Dutch for specialist registration.

• GZ-psychologists need Dutch at B2+, the BIG register's university-level requirement, between B2 and C1.
• Only the BIG-listed institutes certify B2+; the Staatsexamen NT2 does not.
• English reading at B2: IELTS 5.5 to 6.0, TOEFL 72 to 94, Cambridge 160 to 179, or EnglishScore.
• Psychological assessment, reports and talking therapy are delivered in Dutch, so many employers expect fluency well beyond the minimum.
• For CRT specialist registration, the FGZPT lists Dutch language proficiency at the required level as a condition.

Estimate your total cost

• Dutch to B2+: one and a half to two years on average.
• CBGV advice: within about 6 weeks of the file reaching the commission.
• Additional GZ training: from months up to three years, according to the roadmap.
• Conditional registration: 3 months under a GZ-psycholoog's supervision.
• CRT specialist recognition: a separate procedure after unconditional GZ registration.

Healthcare psychologists work mainly in mental health care (GGZ), which has its own collective agreement that we could not confirm from an official table. In general hospitals pay follows the Cao Ziekenhuizen; the hospital grades the post, so the rows below are reference ranges from the table effective 1 August 2026, gross monthly for 36 hours.

Monthly amounts

• Hospital psychologist, functiegroep 60 (reference)

  €4,246 to €6,220

  Confirm the group with the hospital.

• Hospital psychologist, functiegroep 65 (reference)

  €4,824 to €7,269

• Mental health care (GGZ): Set by the GGZ agreement or employerCheck the agreement in your contract.

• Mental health care organisations (GGZ), the main employers of GZ-psychologists and of basic psychologists under supervision.
• General hospitals and university medical centres, for medical psychology and neuropsychology.
• The justice system, which the roadmap names as a setting for basic psychologists.
• Rehabilitation, disability and elderly care organisations.
• Research and business roles that use a psychology master's without BIG registration.

• A basic psychologist post is not a BIG profession, so the IND's BIG registration condition does not apply to it, but the salary threshold for a highly skilled migrant still does.
• For a GZ post the permit follows BIG registration. The Netherlands country guide explains sponsors, thresholds and the EU Blue Card.

1. 1

   Gulf licences often use titles such as clinical psychologist or psychologist. The CBGV compares the content of your training and supervision with the Dutch GZ programme, not the title on your licence.

2. 2

   If a senior clinician guided your work in a Gulf post, ask them to state clearly whether it was formal supervision, with hours, because the roadmap flags this difference.

3. 3

   A Gulf clinical psychologist licence does not lead directly to the Dutch klinisch psycholoog title, which requires unconditional GZ registration first and then CRT recognition.

4. 4

   If your Gulf practice included diagnosis, note that in the Netherlands a basic psychologist may not diagnose; that right comes only with GZ registration.

5. 5

   Request a certificate of current professional status from each Gulf authority that licensed you, timed for your BIG 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