The CIBG asks for B1, B2 or B2+, depending on your profession. Personal online lessons that take you step by step to the right exam.
The requirement
Do you have a healthcare diploma from abroad and want to work in the Netherlands as a doctor, nurse, dentist, physiotherapist or in another healthcare profession? Then you have to show the CIBG, which runs the BIG register, that you speak, understand, read and write Dutch well enough. The CIBG's reason: you need to communicate well with patients and colleagues.
The level you need depends on the education level of your profession. This page sets out the rules as the CIBG and the Dutch exams board (College voor Toetsen en Examens) currently describe them, with the sources at the bottom. After that you can read how the lessons take you to the right exam.
Language level
| Education level | Professions | Dutch | English reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| University (wo) | doctor, dentist, pharmacist, healthcare psychologist, psychotherapist, clinical physicist, clinical technologist | B2+ (above B2, below C1) | B2 |
| Higher professional (hbo) | physiotherapist, midwife, physician assistant, dental hygienist, dietitian, occupational therapist, speech therapist, remedial therapist (oefentherapeut), podiatrist, skin therapist, optometrist, orthoptist, denturist (tandprotheticus), radiographer or radiation therapist | B2 | B1 |
| Secondary vocational (mbo) | nurse, carer in individual healthcare (VIG), pharmacy assistant | B1 | A2 (VIG: no English needed) |
In the CIBG's list, nurse is one of the mbo professions. A few professions in the list, such as dietitian and occupational therapist, are not in the BIG register; the same language requirement still applies to the recognition of your diploma.
Certificate
With a diploma from outside Europe you apply for a Certificate of Competence (Verklaring van vakbekwaamheid). You send your Dutch and English language certificates with the application: without them the CIBG does not process your application. These rules apply to the certificates:
Diploma from Europe? The same levels apply, but the CIBG accepts more kinds of proof, and you only send the language proof for the BIG registration, after your diploma has been recognised.
Up front
Braials does not issue language certificates or administer exams. I prepare you: for the NT2 State Exam Programme I or II, all four parts, and for level B2+ if you are a doctor, dentist, pharmacist or in another university-level profession.
You take the exam itself with the official body: the NT2 State Exam, for which you register with DUO, or the B2+ test at an institution on the CIBG's list. That way you know exactly where you stand from the start.
Planning
Exam schedule Programme II (in Dutch)Exam schedule Programme I (in Dutch)Registration and costs (DUO, in Dutch)
Studying
Want to study a healthcare programme at a Dutch university of applied sciences (hbo), such as nursing, oral health care or physiotherapy? Programme II of the NT2 State Exam is meant for people who want to study or work at hbo or university level. The exact language requirement is set by the programme itself, so ask them.
In the lessons we then work towards Programme II, with the same attention to all four parts.
Your teacher
I teach 1-on-1 online Dutch lessons from A1 to C1 and prepare students for the NT2 State Exam. I can explain in Dutch, English or Russian.
Pricing
Private 1-on-1 lessons cost EUR 40 per 50-minute lesson. You start with a free trial lesson in which we discuss your profession, your level and your planning.
Try a free trial lessonPrefer a small group? The B1→B2 group course ties in with the NT2 State Exam Programme II, and A2→B1 with Programme I: €360 per 8-week block, which is €15 per lesson hour.
View the group coursesQuestions
There is no decision to raise the requirement. A motion in the Dutch House of Representatives to set all BIG-register professions at C1 was rejected on 22 September 2026. The requirements on this page still apply.
No, an A2 civic integration diploma is too low. If you passed the NT2 State Exam Programme I for your inburgering in the B1 route, that is a B1 certificate. It too may be no older than 2 years when you apply.
The CIBG can sometimes take other evidence into account, such as work experience in which you had to use Dutch at the right level. The CIBG decides this per application. If you want certainty, taking the exam again is the safest route.
Yes. You register for each part separately with DUO, at €50 per part. For your CIBG application you do need all four parts.
No. Braials does not administer exams. For B2+ only a test from an institution on the CIBG's list counts. In the lessons you work towards that level.
Yes, the lessons are online. You take the NT2 State Exam in the Netherlands. From abroad the CIBG accepts the CNaVT test, which takes place once a year, in May.
That depends on your profession: B2 for university-level professions, B1 for hbo professions and A2 for mbo professions. Only reading is tested. Carers in individual healthcare (VIG) do not have to show English, and neither do people who did their professional training in English.
Yes. The lessons are in Dutch, and where needed I explain in English or Russian.
Yes: the online group courses. You learn in a small group of at most 8 participants at your level, from A0 to B2. An 8-week block (16 lessons of 90 minutes) costs €360, which is €15 per lesson hour, including the practice platform with homework. A group starts as soon as there are 4 sign-ups for that level, and you only pay once the start date is fixed.
Updated on 18 October 2026.