Gov't hikes price of competency test for foreign doctors to €7,100, despite shortages

Despite growing staff shortages in healthcare, the Ministry of Public Health is raising the threshold for doctors from outside the European Union to obtain their credentials in the Netherlands even further. The Ministry announced that it was increasing the price of the professional competence assessment (BI-test) for doctors from the current €1,700 to €5,300 next year, and €7,100 in 2028, Trouw reports.

It is already hard for healthcare professionals from outside the EU to get accredited in the Netherlands. Over a period of eight years, more than 6,000 doctors and nurses moved to the Netherlands from outside the EU. Only 20 percent of the nurses managed to obtain the credentials needed to practice in the Netherlands. Just over a third of dentists did so. Doctors had the most success. Around 38 percent qualified to practice in the Netherlands, Trouw reported based on figures from the CIBG, an executive agency of the Ministry of Public Health.

“Those figures don’t surprise me,” Paul Herfs, an educational specialist and board advisor for the Association of Doctors with Foreign Qualifications (VBGA), told Trouw. “The process for international doctors is arduous and lengthy.”

According to the VBGA, the high costs of the BI-tests were already an obstacle for many foreign healthcare professionals, especially those who came to the Netherlands as refugees. The hike could make it unattainable.

D66 MP Marc Vervuurt proposed turning these costs into a loan. “If the healthcare professional successfully completes the assessment, they can usually start working in healthcare quickly and repay the amount,” he said. A parliamentary majority supported the idea, but Minister Mirjam Sterk opted to look into whether the prospective employer could cover the costs instead.

The BI assessments also have long waiting lists, with waiting times running to two years due to a lack of available slots. D66 MP Vervuurt also called for more exam slots in June. Minister Sterk agreed to expand testing capacity for the BI tests from the current 72 places to 120 spots in 2027 and 2028.

The VBGA, which has been drawing attention to the waiting times for BI assessments for years, is pleased with this move. “During that period, they cannot work as doctors; their eligibility for benefits may be jeopardized; their command of the Dutch language deteriorates; and mental health issues can arise,” Herfs said.

Healthcare professionals who come to the Netherlands from outside the EU face an arduous process before they can practice here. They first face a demanding language test. If they pass that, they must undergo a professional competence assessment (BI-test), which has a waiting list of 18 to 24 months. And then, they usually have to work under the supervision of a Dutch doctor for several months before they can register on the BIG register for healthcare professionals. Only then can they truly begin practicing.