BIG registration with a recognised qualification
If you are a pharmacist, doctor, physiotherapist, health psychologist, remedial educationalist, physician assistant, psychotherapist, dentist, nurse or midwife (Article 3 and 36a professions), you can submit an application for BIG registration after receiving a certificate of competence.
Registration in the BIG register is obligatory in order to be allowed to work in these professions in the Netherlands. All other professions are allowed to work in the Dutch healthcare sector after recognition and do not require a BIG registration. If your certificate of competence is older than 5 years, additional requirements apply to your application. Read the last paragraph for more information.
Conditions for BIG registration
- You have a recognised qualification for one of the 10 Article 3 professions.
You fulfil this requirement if you have a certificate of competence. - You have a good command of Dutch.
- You do not have any active restriction of authority for your profession and no criminal convictions.
You can demonstrate this using a CCPS and a CGC. You can find more information below about the CCPS and the CGC.
The CCPS and the CGC
When submitting your application for BIG registration you must provide proof that you are not subject to any restrictions of authority for your profession in another country and that you have no criminal convictions. You can demonstrate this by means of (a) Certificate(s) of Current Professional Status (CCPS) and (a) Certificate(s) of Good Conduct (CGC).
You must submit both items of evidence from the country in which you obtained your qualification and from all countries in which you attended additional work placements or medical internships, or worked in your profession, for longer than three months after you had obtained your qualification. You must submit a separate certificate for each country.
Make sure that you have these documents before you apply for BIG registration. This will prevent delays in the application and any unnecessary extra costs.
Certificate of Current Professional Status (CCPS)
This is proof that no foreign restrictions of authority are applicable. The CCPS must not be older than three months and must be an original, or an authenticated copy. The list of competent authorities (in Dutch) states the foreign organisations known to us from which you can obtain a CCPS or information about a CCPS.
Certificate of Good Conduct (CGC)
This is proof that shows that you have no criminal convictions. The certificate must not be older than three months and must be an original, or an authenticated copy. This certificate can usually be obtained from the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of the Interior in the country concerned.
Applying for BIG registration
- Collect the requested supporting documents;
- Complete the application form (in Dutch)
- Print and sign the application form.
- Add the evidence.
- Send the application and the documents to the postal address of the BIG register (CIBG) in Heerlen.
Did you obtain your qualification over 5 years ago?
If you obtained your qualification 5 years ago or longer, additional requirements will apply to your application with regard to work experience or training. These are the same requirements as the re-registration criteria that every BIG registered healthcare professional must fulfil every five years in order to be allowed to re-register. If you wish to submit a registration application using a qualification that is older than 5 years, you must also fulfil these criteria and submit documents (evidence). On our Dutch website you can read about the criteria for each profession that you have to fulfil.
Application form
If you have a certificate older than 5 years, you can apply for your BIG registration using the registration application form with an older qualification (in Dutch). The rest of the procedure is the same as described above.