Professional qualifications

You do not require a separate qualification to establish a business in the Netherlands. However, you are only allowed to practise certain professions if you meet certain requirements. These professions can be divided into two categories: the regulated professions and the professions that are subject to certain professional competence requirements.

Regulated professions

You are only allowed to practise a regulated profession if you have earned an appropriate national qualification. The qualification must be recognised by the competent authority which oversees your profession. The Nuffic website includes an alphabetical list of these professions with a reference to the organisations responsible for supervising each profession.

Diploma recognition

If you come from an EU country, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland or Switzerland, your diploma will normally be recognised in the Netherlands. The National Contact Point of your country of origin can provide you with the relevant information. The Nuffic website includes the addresses of the National Contact Points.

Supplementary requirements apply if you come from another country. Contact the competent authority in the Netherlands responsible for supervising your profession in order to obtain more information. The Nuffic list of regulated professions contains a reference to the organisations responsible for supervising each profession. In addition, you can determine the value of your foreign diploma via the Information Centre for Credential Evaluation (Informatiecentrum DiplomaWaardering, IcDW).

Diploma authentication

You sometimes need to have your diploma authenticated. If this is the case, you must obtain the authentication in the country where you obtained the diploma. For diplomas from countries which are party to the Apostille Convention, however, it is not necessary to go through the entire authentication process. If your diploma was issued in one of these countries, simply requesting an apostille stamp will suffice. The website of the Chamber of Commerce includes a list of the countries that are party to this Convention.

To have a diploma authenticated or to request an apostille stamp, contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the equivalent public authority in the country where you obtained the diploma.

Professions that are subject to professional competence requirements

In addition to the regulated professions, there are professions that are subject to professional competence requirements. Besides there are professions for which it is obliged to be included in a register. Select your sector in the list below to check whether this also applies to your profession.