Documents for a regulated profession in a different EU country

You have found that your profession is regulated in the country in which you want to work. Sometimes you can use 1 of these documents:

• European Professional Card
• AC declaration
• Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag (VOG)

Do you work in 1 of the following professions:

• mountain guide
• nurse
• pharmacist
• physiotherapist
• real estate agent

In these cases you can request a European Professional Card. This card allows you to apply for permission to carry out your profession in another EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.

To find out how to get the European Profession Card and how much this costs, visit Your Europe.

Is your profession not in the list for the European Professional Card while it is a regulated profession in the Netherlands, another EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland? In some cases you can request an AC declaration.

What is an AC declaration?

An AC declaration may help you get permission to carry out your profession. It is a document with which you can show that your profession is regulated in the Netherlands. You can also request this declaration if the profession is not regulated in the Netherlands but is regulated in a different EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. You can then demonstrate that your profession is not regulated in the Netherlands and that you have have access to your profession in the Netherlands.

Please note:

• An AC declaration is not a description of your diploma and does not permit you to carry out a regulated profession abroad. You can only use it to give information about the access to your profession based on your Dutch diploma.
• The declaration only applies to professions in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
• The declaration is in English.

For which regulated professions?

We write AC declarations for almost all regulated professions, except:

• architect: for this profession, contact the Bureau Architectenregister (Architects Registration Bureau).
• doctor, nurse pharmacist, physiotherapist or another healthcare profession in the BIG register: request a Certificate of Current Professional Status (CCPS). Please note: are you a nurse, pharmacist or physiotherapist and have you already applied for the European Professional Card? Then add the CCPS to that application.
• teacher: contact the Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO), Education Executive Agency (in Dutch only).
• veterinarian: contact the Diergeneeskunderegister (Register of Veterinary Medical Practitioners).

A Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag (certificate of conduct) is an official document in which the government says that you do not have a criminal record. It also says you have not done anything else that means you will not be allowed to start or continue working in this profession. Sometimes a foreign employer requests a VOG.

Applying for a VOG

On the Government of the Netherlands website you can find how to apply for a VOG.