Certificate of Conduct for foreign applicants or expats
Apply for a VOG Online
Apply for your Certificate of Good Conduct online without needing an appointment at the municipality.
Applying for a Certificate of Conduct for foreign applicants or expats
Are you coming to live and work in the Netherlands soon? Then you may need a Certificate of Conduct. This may be the case either because you are going to work here as an expat or because you are moving with your partner. For example, your partner has been offered job in the Netherlands and you would like to come along. Then you will probably need a job yourself to be able to afford it. For the same job in the Netherlands as in your home country, you may need a Certificate of Conduct. You can read all about it in this blog!
You are coming to the Netherlands
If you come to the Netherlands and therefore do not yet live here, you are a non-resident which means you are not registered in the Basic Registration of Persons (BRP). This is not even possible if you have not yet lived in the Netherlands.
In that case, you can only apply for a Certificate of Conduct (VOG) directly through Justis. You fill out this form, which unfortunately is only available in Dutch. On the form it is important to enter all data correctly, otherwise the COC (VOG) will not be valid.
Make sure in advance that you have good contact with the company you will be working for. They may be able to help you fill out the form remotely. In any case, they should also give you the screening profile you need to select. It is crucial that you choose the right one.
If you enter the wrong information or choose the wrong screening profile, your COC (VOG) will not be valid. That means you will have to follow the procedure again and pay another € 41,35 for the application, because that is how much a COC application will cost you.
In most cases, the cost of a Certificate of Conduct is yours. There are only exceptions where the company you will be working for pays the cost afterwards. You will then be able to claim the cost of a COC (VOG), but this is not a standard rule.
You live in the Netherlands
Are you already living in the Netherlnds and looking for a job here? Then the application procedure is slightly different. Although you might also find a job where you do not need a COC. In the beginning, as a partner, you might be looking for a job where you can be hired quickly to pay the bills. Think about jobs in hospitality or retail, for example.
After a few months, maybe you are getting bored of that and it is time for something else. Maybe it is time to perform the same job you had in your home country? You may just have to apply for a COC for this. Consider, for example, a job as a cab driver. This requires a Certificate of Conduct in the Netherlands, in addition to the driver’s card. The same goes for jobs in health care or as a babysitter, for example. For those jobs, a COC is actually mandatory. So without a Certificate of Conduct you cannot come to work.
Did you actually have a completely different job in your home country? Then you may still need a COC. Some companies deem it necessary to show a COC. Employers are free to ask for a Certificate of Conduct, as long as they handle the privacy regarding the COC properly.
Whether the Certificate of Conduct is mandatory or deemed necessary, if you need to apply for a COC for a company, your employer will always prepare the COC application for you. It is up to you to check whether your details are correct and to complete them where necessary. You must have a DigiD to access the online application.
Then it is time to pay and submit the application. For this, you must be able to pay via iDeal. If that does not work, you can always ask the company to start a written application procedure. You then have to hand in the papers needed for the application to the municipality in which you live and there you can pay by card.
A COC for yourself
You do not only need a Certificate of Conduct for your new employer. You may also need a Certificate of Conduct for personal circumstances. Applying for such a COC is very easy, even though you have to do that COC application all by yourself.
The button below will help you step by step with the application. Even if you do not know which screening profile you need, you can start the COC application. VOG Digital Application will help you choose the right profile.
Applying for a COC (VOG) yourself is necessary, for example, if you want to join a shooting club, need to apply for a visa abroad or if you want to become self-employed in a particular industry.
Apply for your COC (VOG) now and receive your Certificate of Conduct within a few weeks in your online message box!
