On this page: Key takeaways · How do you check a VCA certificate and a Dutch diploma, step by step? · Which register covers which document? · Why is a copy of a VCA diploma not enough? · What should you do when a diploma is not in the register? · What mistakes should recruiters avoid? · What does this look like for an agency placement? · What does a register check not tell you? · How Radius helps · Conclusion · FAQ
Key takeaways
- A VCA diploma, often called a VCA certificate in English, is checked in SSVV's public register. A Dutch diploma is checked through the extract the candidate downloads from DUO.
- Foreign, older and many industry qualifications are in neither register. A missing entry is a question, not a failed check.
- Record who checked, where, when, the result and the expiry date, and keep the result rather than copies.
How do you check a VCA certificate and a Dutch diploma, step by step?
Run four checks, in this order, before the person's first shift.
Step 1. Check the VCA diploma in the Central Diploma Register
SSVV, the foundation that owns the VCA exam system (Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie, 2024), runs a public Central Diploma Register (CDR) at cdr.ssvv.nl, with no login. You need the diploma number, or at least three consecutive letters of the holder's surname plus their date of birth (SSVV CDR). Enter the surname without prefixes such as "van" or "de", as the search form asks.
The result shows whether the person holds a valid diploma and when it expires. The register holds B-VCA, VOL-VCA and VIL-VCU, plus SOG petrochemical, SVWOH and NOGEPA diplomas, and you can tick an option to include the Belgian register. Foreign diplomas, and diplomas SSVV accepts as equivalent, are not in it (SSVV CDR).
A pass card does not replace the lookup: exam centres may issue one but are not required to (SSVV FAQ). A company's "VCA certificate" is a different document, checked in SSVV's separate company register, the CCR (SSVV), and says nothing about an individual worker.
Step 2. Check a Dutch diploma with the candidate's DUO extract
Only the diploma holder, recognised schools and some government bodies can log in to DUO's Mijn diploma's, so employers cannot search it (DUO). The candidate does one part and you do the other:
- The candidate logs in to Mijn diploma's through Mijn DUO and downloads a free digital extract, always a PDF with an authenticity mark (DUO).
- They send you the PDF file itself. A screenshot, print or photo will not pass the check.
- You upload it to DUO's online diploma check, launched for employers in September 2025 (DUO, 5 September 2025). DUO checks the file type and the authenticity mark, processes no personal data and does not store the file (DUO).
- If the result is negative, do not accept the document. Ask for a freshly downloaded PDF, and contact DUO if you suspect fraud (DUO).
Then match the name and date of birth on the extract against the identity document you checked separately.
Step 3. Route foreign qualifications separately
First ask whether the role really needs the qualification. If it does, ask for the original diploma and grade list, and whether the candidate already has a Dutch credential evaluation from IDW, the joint evaluation service of SBB and Nuffic (IDW).
An employer may apply on the candidate's behalf, with their permission. An evaluation costs €148.83, is an advice that gives no legal rights, and covers only nationally recognised diplomas and certificates from programmes of at least 1,000 hours, not short courses or work experience (IDW, To work; IDW). On 21 October 2026 IDW reported about six working weeks to a first check and about eight more for the evaluation (IDW), so decide early.
A foreign diploma, through IDW
For foreign safety certificates, ask the client or site what they accept (see the FAQ on foreign VCA diplomas below).
Step 4. Record who checked, how and when
Write down who checked, which register or route, the date, the result and the expiry date. That record shows a colleague, client or auditor that the check happened and when it needs repeating. Store the result rather than extra copies: the GDPR requires personal data to be limited to what is necessary for its purpose (GDPR, Article 5(1)(c)).
Where the employer uses Radius Passport, certificates are recorded on the candidate's profile with their expiry dates. See how Radius Passport records certificates.
Which register covers which document?
Each document has its own issuer, and each register has gaps.
| Document | Where to check | What you need | What the check shows | Not covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VCA diploma (B-VCA, VOL-VCA, VIL-VCU) | SSVV Central Diploma Register | Diploma number, or surname letters plus date of birth | Valid or not, and the expiry date | Foreign and equivalent diplomas |
| Dutch secondary, MBO, HBO or university diploma | DUO online diploma check | The digital extract as a PDF | Whether the extract is authentic | Years before coverage, industry programmes, foreign diplomas |
| Foreign diploma | IDW credential evaluation | Original diploma, grade list, consent if you apply | The comparable Dutch level, as an advice | Short courses, work experience |
| Foreign safety certificate | The client's or site's rules; SSVV equivalence terms | The original certificate | Depends on the issuing scheme | Not in the Dutch CDR |
DUO's coverage starts in different years. For publicly funded institutions: secondary diplomas from 2006, MBO from 2007, HBO and university from 1996. For private institutions: secondary and MBO from 2012, HBO and university from 2018. A new diploma can take two to eight weeks to appear (DUO). An older diploma can be perfectly valid; it just cannot be checked this way.
DUO's coverage starts in different years
An older diploma can be perfectly valid; it just cannot be checked this way.
Why is a copy of a VCA diploma not enough?
A copy shows what a document says, not whether it is valid.
In April 2024 the Netherlands Labour Authority arrested an examiner suspected of VCA exam fraud. SSVV declared 1,300 VCA diplomas in that case invalid, and the Authority pointed employers to the public register to see which diplomas have been declared invalid (Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie, 5 April 2024). A photocopy of one of those diplomas looks the same as before. Only the register shows the change.
In November 2024 the Authority arrested an examiner and a trainer in a second investigation involving more than 4,000 exams, and SSVV began reviewing which diplomas had not been lawfully issued (Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie, 26 November 2024). It is an investigation, not a conviction, and we found no published outcome by 21 October 2026.
Why a copy is not enough
On when to run checks, and on identity and right to work checks, see Why Do We Check Certificates After We Have Already Said Yes? and identity, right to work and certificate checks before the offer.
What should you do when a diploma is not in the register?
Ask why before you decide: missing is not failed.
A genuine qualification can be missing for ordinary reasons: a surname prefix, name change or date typo, and the CDR offers a search on an alternative date of birth (SSVV CDR); a Belgian diploma; a foreign diploma or accepted equivalent; a Dutch diploma from before DUO's coverage years or from an industry programme; or a recent exam.
So search again with the candidate, ask for the original and record it as seen rather than confirmed, or use the foreign route. If the role truly requires a valid VCA diploma and the candidate has none, the answer is a new exam, the same route SSVV names for an expired diploma (SSVV FAQ). None of these steps starts with a rejection.
What mistakes should recruiters avoid?
Most mistakes are about timing, proof and scope.
- Checking on the morning of the first shift, when a failed check leaves an empty seat.
- Accepting a pass card, screenshot or printed extract as the check.
- Asking for qualifications the role does not need, which slows the hire and can exclude qualified people.
What does this look like for an agency placement?
Three candidates, three different routes, one record per check.
Illustrative example. An agency fills three reach truck driver roles for a logistics client whose site requires B-VCA.
- Candidate A gives a diploma number. The CDR shows a valid B-VCA diploma expiring in 2029, and the recruiter records it.
- Candidate B holds a foreign safety certificate that is not in the CDR. The client does not accept it, so the agency books a B-VCA exam before the start date instead of turning the candidate away.
- Candidate C mentions an MBO logistics diploma. The client does not require it, so nobody asks for a DUO extract.
The client gets the same short record for each person: what was checked, where, when and by whom.
What does a register check not tell you?
It confirms a document, not the person or their skill.
A valid VCA diploma shows that someone passed a basic safety exam, not how safely they work on your site. A lookup does not prove that the person in front of you is the holder. A reach truck certificate, and the experience behind it, are separate questions (Three Years on Reach Trucks Tells You Less Than You Think). And as the 2024 cases show, entries can change, so check close to, but before, the start date.
How Radius helps
Radius Hire is the AI hiring platform for frontline roles, built for staffing agencies and employers that hire for the work floor. Where the employer uses Radius Passport, certificates such as VCA are read from the document with their expiry dates, and anything missing or expired shows as open, so a recruiter knows what to confirm before the first shift. Reading a document does not replace the register check. Radius never rejects a candidate on its own; a recruiter reviews the evidence and makes every hiring decision. See how this works in logistics and for staffing agencies.
Conclusion
Check each document with its issuer before the first shift, record what you found, and when something is missing, ask before you decide. A foreign evaluation takes months, so decide early whether the role needs one.