Certificate of good conduct

Some professions require you to provide a Certificate of Conduct (Verklaring omtrent het gedrag - VOG). This includes jobs in education, childcare, or volunteering, or working as a taxi driver. You may also need a VOG to emigrate or when applying for a visa.

Things to remember

• If you do not have a criminal record, you will always receive a Certificate of Good Conduct.
• You are the only person who will be notified whether or not the Certificate of Good Conduct will be issued. An employer will not have access to any criminal records.
• It could happen that you are unable to obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct for one job or internship, but you are able to obtain it for a different one.
• You need to apply for a Certificate of Good Conduct in the municipality where you live.

Two versions

There are two different versions: a Certificate of Good Conduct for natural persons and a Certificate of Good Conduct for legal persons. As an individual employee, you will need a Certificate of Good Conduct for natural persons.

• The completed and signed application form.
• All documents that you must include with the application.
• A valid identification (or a copy of it when you are submitting a request for a certificate of good conduct for legal entities).

Apply for a certificate of good conduct in several ways.

Apply for a certificate of good conduct at the municipality

You can download the application form from the Justis website. Sometimes you might receive the form from your future employer. There is also a form in English available. Fill in the details and provide it with your signature. 

• Submit the form in person at the municipality. The payment will be made directly.
• You will receive written notification if you are granted the certificate of good conduct.

Apply for a certificate of good conduct online

An organization or future employer can prepare a request to apply for a certificate of good conduct online. However, this is only possible if you have access to DigiD. After that, you will need to do the following:

• You will receive an email with a link to a web application.
• You log in with your DigiD credentials.
• After you have filled in your information, you will pay via iDEAL.
• You will receive written notification as to whether you will receive the certificate of good conduct.

Authorize someone to request the certificate of good conduct

It is possible to have someone else request the certificate of good conduct for you. Therefore, that person will need the following documents:

• The completed form with all the requested documents
• A letter of authorization
• Copy of your identification
• The identification of the person who is authorized

• Certificate of good conduct for individuals: you will receive a written notification within 4 weeks of receiving your application.
• Certificate of good conduct for legal entities: you will receive a written notification within 8 weeks of receiving your application.

Rejection of certificate of good conduct

If you do not qualify for a certificate of good conduct, Justis will send you a "statement of intent to reject." This statement will explain why your request has been rejected. You can respond to this by sending a letter explaining why you should be granted a certificate of good conduct. If you receive a final rejection after this letter, you can object within 6 weeks of the final decision.

Emigration, visa, or foreign work permit

If you are emigrating or applying for a visa or foreign work permit, make sure that you possess an official document from the embassy, consulate, or employer that contains all the information requested on the application form for a certificate of good conduct.

2025

€41,35

Free certificate of good conduct for volunteers

As of January 1, 2015, a large group of volunteers can apply for a free certificate of good conduct. In addition to volunteers working with children, volunteers who work with people with mental disabilities can also apply for a free certificate of good conduct. In order to obtain a certificate free of charge, the certificate must be requested digitally from Justis. More information on this can be found on the website of Justis (in Dutch), the screening authority of the government.

Justis

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