Boost your dentistry career

The Dutch Language Exam for Medical Professionals is a mandatory exam for healthcare professionals who would like to work in the Netherlands. To legally work in the Netherlands, you need to be registered at the BIG register. In order to be registered, you need to submit proof of sufficient language skills. The certificate you receive after successfully passing the Dutch Language Exam is recognized as sufficient proof by BIG.

Before, this exam had the same structure as all the different language institutes offering this exam. That meant two exams (A + B ) that consist of the following parts: writing a summary about a dentistry-related article, giving a presentation about said article, acting out a role-play and writing a patient report. The language level of this exam is a B2+/C1 level.

However, since 2023, institutions are free to decide on the structure of the exam, as long as it has 4 components: reading, listening, speaking and writing, and as long as the language level remains the same.

Therefore, we have created a new language exam for our dentists, with a different structure. Starting July 2023, dentists take 4 exams, one exam for each skill: reading, listening, speaking and writing. It’s important to note that each exam will be in the context of Dentistry Dutch.

Dentists who are already in the Netherlands are also welcome to take this new exam at our office in Leiden. We now also offer this exam to students with a non-EU diploma.

If you would like to work in the Netherlands as soon as possible, you can start our 20-week language program at different times of the year. In the year 2024, two new groups have already started, while we are now busy selecting dentists who will be available in October.

For 2025, new groups will start in February, August and October.

Please note that the deadline for enrolment is max 1 month before the course start date.

Check this page for all the latest updates, available places and starting dates of the next groups. You can also send in your application here, or contact our recruiter Arjen for further info!

There is no specific end date, as we offer you an indefinite contract. However, we do ask for a minimum commitment of 2 or 3 years to be able to earn back the investments we make up-front.

Yes, of course. Better said, providing a better future for your family and kids is one of the reasons why we see our dentists relocating to the Netherlands. And we will be happy to help you make this happen. Please keep in mind that the language program is intensive and that you will need to be available full-time for a period of 15 weeks, of which 10 weeks are on-site at our Academy. In order to organize all this, of course, we would like to help and come up with solutions with you, so please discuss your situation with us, so we can give you the best advice.

All costs are covered by BGB. We pay for the flights, the hotel, the food and the drinks and of course the Dutch Language Program. Basically, from the moment you sign, until the day you start earning a salary, we cover almost everything, except for some personal expenses you might have. In return, we ask for your long-term commitment of (preferably) 3 years.

A BIG registration is a legal, online and public register to which you need to be subscribed in order to be able to work independently as a healthcare professional in the Netherlands.  BIG stands for Beroepen in de Individuele Gezondheidszorg (Professions in Individual Healthcare), and when your registration is complete, you receive a registration number that allows you to practice your profession.

As a foreign dentist, you are obligated to pass the language exam for medical professionals as a requirement to be registered in the BIG.