BIG Register Netherlands: How Foreign Doctors Get Registered

In the Netherlands, the title of doctor (arts) is protected. To use it and practise independently you must be registered in the BIG register, the national register of healthcare professionals run by CIBG, an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. For doctors trained abroad, the register is also the entry point for recognising a foreign diploma.

This page explains how the register works, which recognition route applies to you, and what the non-EU procedure looks like in practice. Procedures change, so check the register's own advice wizard before you start.

Key facts

What the BIG register does

The register has two jobs. For the public and employers it shows who is qualified and allowed to work under a protected title. For professionals it is the gatekeeper: you are added once your qualification meets Dutch requirements, and you keep your entry by meeting the periodic re-registration requirements based on work experience and training.

The register itself does not set medical training standards and does not run specialist training. Postgraduate medical training is organised by the profession, and specialist registers are kept separately by the medical association's registration committee. The BIG register records your basic registration as a doctor and, where relevant, recognised specialist titles.

Which route applies to you

The register is clear that your route depends on two things: the country where you obtained your diploma and your profession. It asks every applicant to use its advice wizard first.

The certificate of competence (non-EU diplomas)

For most international medical graduates from outside Europe, the route is the certificate of competence (verklaring van vakbekwaamheid). The register describes it as a series of steps:

1. Prepare. Read the preparation information on language level, documents and logging in.
2. Gather documents. Many come from abroad and may need certification and sworn translation. Submit only when you have everything.
3. Log in with DigiD or a BIG login and fill in the online application. Drafts are saved for six months.
4. Submit documents, partly online and partly by post, then submit the application and follow its status online.
5. Diploma assessment. Nuffic or SBB assesses your diploma and course overview. You do not arrange this yourself.
6. Tests. Applicants with a non-EU diploma take the general knowledge and skills test. Doctors, dentists and nurses then take the professional content test (BI test).
7. CBGV assessment. The commission reviews the file and results and may invite you for an interview.
8. Decision. You may respond within two weeks if you disagree with the proposed outcome, and you can object to the final decision.
9. Certificate and registration. With a positive decision you receive the certificate and can apply for BIG registration.

The general knowledge and skills test

This first test (AKV) is mainly about the Dutch language and communication. It also covers reading English, basic computer skills and knowledge of the Dutch healthcare system. Passing it is a condition for moving on to the BI test.

The BI test

The professional content test checks whether your medical knowledge and skills meet the level expected of a doctor who trained in the Netherlands. The CBGV regulations for these tests set out how they are organised and assessed. Plan for the possibility that a failed part cannot simply be retaken in the same procedure; the regulations describe the consequences, and the CBGV advice may then include extra training rather than registration.

Capacity is the main bottleneck. The register has announced that the BI test for physicians was fully booked for the year, with no date yet for new participants. Build that waiting time into your planning.

The CBGV

The Commission for Foreign Healthcare Graduates is an independent body. It looks at your diploma assessment, test results and any interview, and advises on the outcome. Possible outcomes include an equivalent qualification, which leads to registration, or advice to complete additional training or a shortened Dutch programme first. Once the BI results are known, the commission aims to issue its advice within about three months.

Language requirements

Dutch language proficiency is part of almost all procedures, including for EU doctors. The register points applicants to a separate page on the exact level and accepted evidence. In practice, most communication with the register, the tests and daily clinical work are in Dutch, so serious language study usually comes first and takes the longest.

Costs (as of October 2026)

The register currently states that the certificate of competence application is free, but that this will change in the near future. The BI test does carry a cost, published separately. Expect additional personal costs for:

• Dutch language courses and exams;
• certified copies, legalisation and sworn translations of foreign documents;
• travel for tests and any interview;
• registration and specialist recognition later on.

Because the register has signalled changes, confirm current amounts on its website before you apply.

Timeline

The register gives an average processing time of 6 to 18 months after a complete application. That excludes the time to reach the required Dutch level and to collect documents from abroad, which for many doctors is the longer part. A realistic plan treats the whole route as a multi-year project.

Checklist before you apply

• Route confirmed with the register's advice wizard.
• Dutch study plan in place, aiming for the level the register requires.
• Documents requested early: diploma, transcripts, course overview, certificate of good standing and identity documents, with legalisation and translation where needed.
• DigiD or BIG login ready.
• Budget for language courses, translations and the BI test.
• Time buffer for BI test capacity.

Typical mistakes

• Submitting an incomplete file. The register asks you to submit only when all documents are ready; incomplete applications slow everything down.
• Underestimating Dutch. The first test is mostly about language and communication, and clinical work is in Dutch.
• Assuming EU rules apply. A non-EU diploma usually needs the certificate of competence even if you have worked in an EU country.
• Leaving foreign documents to the end. Requests from abroad can take a long time; start once you know you are likely to be recognised.
• Planning around a test date that does not exist yet. Check BI test capacity before you resign from a job or move.

Preparing for the BI test

The BI test measures broad clinical knowledge at the level of a newly qualified Dutch doctor. Structured revision across internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry and general practice is the core. Daily question practice in the MediFlow Exam Prep app can help you keep that broad base active while you work on your Dutch.

Next steps

1. Run the register's advice wizard.
2. Start Dutch lessons and plan your language exam.
3. Request documents from your university and previous regulators.
4. Read the full country guide: Working as a doctor in the Netherlands.

Contact and official links

• Website: bigregister.nl (English section available)
• Foreign diploma procedures and advice wizard on the same site

Contact details are listed on the BIG register website.