BIG register (CIBG): Registration, Exams and Fees

• Doctor (arts)
• Nurse (verpleegkundige)
• Dentist (tandarts)
• Pharmacist (apotheker)
• Midwife (verloskundige)
• Physiotherapist (fysiotherapeut)
• Psychotherapist (psychotherapeut)
• Clinical technologist (klinisch technoloog)
• Physician assistant

• Healthcare psychologist (gezondheidszorgpsycholoog, GZ-psycholoog)
• Generalist remedial educationalist (orthopedagoog-generalist)
• Specialisms in law (Article 14), such as medical specialists, specialist nurses and clinical psychologists, are registered through the professional bodies' committees after your basic diploma is assessed.

• A diploma in one of the Article 3 professions that allows you to practise in the country where you trained, with a declaration of competence from that country.
• A Dutch language certificate covering reading, writing, speaking and listening at the level for your profession: B1 for nurses, B2 for hbo professions such as physiotherapists and midwives, B2+ for doctors, dentists, pharmacists and other university-trained professions.
• Proof of English reading skills: B2 for university-level professions, B1 for hbo professions, A2 for mbo professions such as nursing.
• Language certificates no more than two years old when you apply.
• Your diploma, course overview and syllabus, and a passport copy, all certified by an authorised body (an apostille is not accepted), with sworn translations of anything not in Dutch or English.
• For doctors, dentists and nurses: participation in the BI-test.
• For registration: a Certificate of Current Professional Status (CCPS) from your country of training and any country where you lived or worked for 3 months or more, and a certificate of good conduct, each no more than three months old.
• An intention to work in the Netherlands.

Check your route with the route finder

1. 1

   1. Use the advice wizard and attend an information session

   The BIG register's advice wizard tells you which procedure applies: automatic recognition or recognition of professional qualifications for EEA and Swiss diplomas, or the certificate of competence for other diplomas. You can book a free 30-minute consultation hour, online or at the ministry in The Hague, by emailing [email protected]. Doing this before you spend money on courses avoids applying under the wrong procedure.
2. 2

   2. Reach the required Dutch and English levels

   B1 and B2 Dutch certificates must come from the Staatsexamen NT2. B2+ is only available from institutes the BIG register lists, such as Babel, NedLes and BGB Academy. The BIG register says learning Dutch to the right level takes an average of one and a half to two years, so plan for this first.
3. 3

   3. Prepare and certify your documents

   The BIG register says there are seven to eight mandatory documents plus any profession-specific appendix. Doctors and dentists wait for a request before sending their syllabus. Copies must be certified by an authorised body, not with an apostille, and the BIG register advises against posting originals because they are often lost.
4. 4

   4. Apply through mijn.bigregister.nl

   Log in with DigiD or a BIG login, complete the online form and upload or post your documents. Your progress is saved for 6 months. Processing only starts once your file is complete, and the BIG register aims to review it within 4 weeks.
5. 5

   5. Initial diploma assessment

   Nuffic or SBB carries out an initial assessment of your diploma and course overview, comparing it with Dutch education levels. This informs which level, and so which language requirement, applies to your profession.
6. 6

   6. Sit the BI-test (doctors, dentists and nurses)

   You pay the test fee and receive an invitation. Results arrive within 3 to 6 weeks and show where your knowledge falls short of the Dutch level. Capacity is fixed: the BIG register has said the doctors' test is full, so check the current position before you plan around a date.
7. 7

   7. CBGV assessment and meeting

   The CBGV gives its advice within about 6 weeks of a complete application, or 12 weeks after your BI-test result. Most applicants are invited to a meeting to discuss it. If the commission thinks your gaps can be closed within three years, it recommends extra training or an internship, which you arrange yourself; if not, the application is refused.
8. 8

   8. Intended decision and certificate of competence

   You receive an intended decision and have two weeks to respond. A positive decision becomes your certificate of competence; keep it safe. You can object to a negative decision within 6 weeks.
9. 9

   9. Apply for BIG registration

   Submit your CCPS documents, certificate of good conduct and CV, and pay €85. If your certificate of competence is 5 or more years old, extra work experience or training requirements apply, so register promptly.
10. 10

    10. Complete 3 months of supervised work

    Your first registration is conditional. You work for 3 months under the supervision of a BIG-registered professional in the same field, during which you may use your title and perform reserved procedures. After you send in the completed supervision form, your registration becomes definitive.

• BI-test for doctors (arts)

  From 1 March 2026 the doctors' BI-test has two parts: the interuniversity Progress Test for Medicine (iVTG) and a clinical skills test (DKV). The clinical knowledge part was dropped to create more test places. The BIG register's test page currently lists no fee for doctors and says there are no test places at the moment; it is not known when participants can be scheduled again. Its roadmap page, which still mentions a €1,700 contribution, says the doctors' test is full for this year and next year.

  Read the guide

• BI-test for dentists (tandarts)

  A written test of basic and clinical knowledge plus a skills test, held twice a year at ACTA in Amsterdam. The fee is €1,500. The BIG register says 2026 places are full and that you may not get a place in the next round.

  Read the guide

• BI-test for nurses (verpleegkundige)

  A written knowledge test, a skills test and a clinical reasoning interview (klinisch redeneren). The fee is €400. To join an information meeting about the nurses' test, email [email protected].

  Read the guide

• Dutch language certificate

  Staatsexamen NT2 for B1 or B2, covering reading, writing, speaking and listening; a listed institute for B2+. The BIG register estimates €200 to €300 for language testing, excluding courses.

• No BI-test for other professions

  Pharmacists, midwives, physiotherapists, healthcare psychologists and the other Article 3 professions do not sit the BI-test. The CBGV assesses their training on paper and at a meeting, and often advises extra training.

  Read the guide

• English is tested for reading only. University-level professions (doctors, dentists, pharmacists, healthcare psychologists) need B2: IELTS 5.5 to 6.0, TOEFL 72 to 94, Cambridge 160 to 179, or EnglishScore.
• Higher professional (hbo) professions such as physiotherapists and midwives need B1: IELTS 4.0 to 5.0, TOEFL 42 to 71, Cambridge 140 to 159, or EnglishScore.
• Secondary vocational (mbo) professions such as nursing need A2: Cambridge 120 to 139 or EnglishScore.
• The English certificate must be no more than two years old, sent as an original or certified copy.
• Nurses in individual healthcare (verzorgende IG) do not need English proof.
• Dutch is the main requirement: B1 for nurses, B2 for hbo professions, B2+ for university-level professions, with certificates no more than two years old. The AKV test was replaced by these certificates from 1 January 2024.

Estimate your total cost

• Dutch language: the BIG register says one and a half to two years on average.
• File check: within 4 weeks of a complete application.
• BI-test results: within 3 to 6 weeks; waiting for a place can add months or longer, especially for doctors.
• CBGV advice: within 6 weeks without a BI-test, or 12 weeks after the BI-test result; then two weeks to respond to the intended decision.
• Additional training, if advised: 3 months to 2 years according to the processing page, and up to three years according to the roadmap.
• Overall: 6 months to 1.5 years for the certificate from a complete application, and six months to three years for the whole route, followed by 3 months of supervised work.