Working in the Netherlands with a foreign diploma
Checking whether your profession is regulated.
Do you want to use your foreign diploma to work in the Netherlands? Follow the steps below to check whether your profession is a in the Netherlands.
- Go to the European Commission database.
- Under ‘Professions Regulated in Country’, select 'Netherlands'.
- Click on 'Refine Results'. You now get an overview of regulated professions in the Netherlands.
- Is your profession listed in this overview? In that case, it is a regulated profession.
- Is your profession not listed in this overview? In that case, the profession probably is not regulated.
- If in doubt, please contact us.
Regulated profession
If a profession is regulated, this means you must meet certain requirements to be able to exercise the profession. The requirements for a regulated profession are described in the country’s laws. In every country there is an organisation for every regulated profession that verifies whether you meet the requirements. This kind of organisation is referred to as a ‘competent authority’.
Your profession is regulated. What to do next?
You have found in the database that your profession is regulated in the Netherlands. You must request permission to work here. This means you have to apply for professional recognition. Below, we explain how you can apply for professional recognition.
Check whether you can request professional recognition through a European Professional Card (EPC)
For some professions you can request professional recognition through an EPC. You can request an EPC if you want to work in the Netherlands in 1 of the following professions:
- pharmacist
- physiotherapist
- nurse
Request an EPC on the EU website.
Is there no EPC for your profession? Find out which organisation you need to request permission from
- Under 'Name of Regulated Profession', click on the name of the Dutch profession.
- Under 'Page contents', click on ‘Competent Authorities’.
- There you will see which organisation checks the requirements for your profession. Such an organisation is known as a competent authority.
Do you have complaints about the recognition of your diploma?
In case of any problems around the recognition of your diploma for a regulated profession in the Netherlands, contact Solvit, the European Commission’s complaints office.
Solvit can help you if you think a government agency in another EU country is not respecting your EU rights.
Your profession is not regulated. What to do next?
You have found in the database that your profession is not regulated in the Netherlands. This means you are allowed to carry out the profession in the Netherlands. You can work in this job. Check what else you need to take care of.
Do you need a work or residence permit?
On the website of the Dutch government you can check if you need a permit: Can I work in the Netherlands as a foreign employee?
Does your employer want to know what your diploma is worth?
- In our overview of more than 100 education systems you can look up your diploma.
- Check whether the country where you obtained your diploma is listed.
- We indicate which Dutch diplomas we compare the diplomas from that country to. These are the diplomas we often receive questions about.
- If your diploma is listed, show your employer.
- Is your diploma not listed or does your employer want an official document? In this case, you or your employer can apply for a credential evaluation on the IDW website. Please note: this application is not free.
Want to know more?
Do you have questions about working in the Netherlands with a diploma from an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland? Please contact us.
Nuffic is the Assistance Centre for Professional Recognition (AC) in the Netherlands. Each EU country has an assistance centre for professional recognition. As AC, we provide information to people who want to work in a regulated profession in an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.