Social hygiene certificate in the Netherlands: who needs it and how you register

Article 8 of the Alcohol Act sets requirements for the managers (leidinggevenden) of a horecabedrijf and a slijtersbedrijf. In the Act, a leidinggevende is the person, or the directors of the company, for whose account and risk the business is run, or their authorised representative, and anyone who gives general direction to the business.

Managers must be at least 21, must not be of poor moral character in any respect (slecht levensgedrag) and must not be under legal guardianship (curatele); further conduct rules can be set by decree. They must also have enough knowledge of social hygiene and be registered in the Register Sociale Hygiëne. The age and social hygiene requirements also apply to people in immediate charge of such a business (onmiddellijk leidinggevenden).

In the Act, a horecabedrijf is at least the activity of supplying alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises, commercially or against payment. A slijtersbedrijf supplies strong drink to private customers for consumption elsewhere, commercially or against payment; strong drink is drink with 15% alcohol or more, wine excluded.

The social hygiene requirement does not apply to an owner or director for whose account and risk the business is run, if they are not involved in running or operating it and the licence holder confirms this in a written statement. The age requirement and the other requirements still apply.

A legal entity other than an NV or BV that runs its own bar alongside recreational, sporting, social-cultural, educational or religious activities, for example a sports club or cultural association, is a paracommerciële rechtspersoon. There, at least two managers must meet the requirements of article 8.

According to the register, you show that you have enough knowledge of social hygiene with a diploma or certificate recognised by the Lcsh and a registration in the Register Sociale Hygiëne. Only Lcsh-recognised diplomas give access to the register. Its list of valid proofs includes the SVH Diploma Sociale Hygiëne issued from 1 January 2016 to 1 January 2030, and the SDEN diploma Sociale Hygiëne issued from 21 January 2026 to 21 January 2031. Diplomas on the register's lists of recognised mbo and hbo diplomas (Dutch vocational and higher education) also give access. According to the register's FAQ on those lists, a diploma obtained before 1 January 2015 that was not registered with the SVH cannot be used to apply.

Since 1 July 2023 the Lcsh manages the register. By law, the Lcsh recognises diplomas, registers people and issues the Verklaring kennis en inzicht sociale hygiëne; the sources we read don't say whether this is the same document as the register's Verklaring Sociale Hygiëne. The register is public: anyone can search it by surname, initials and date of birth, and municipalities must consult it when they grant licences and exemptions under the Alcohol Act and when they supervise it.

Online you register with DigiD (the Dutch government login); that application is in Dutch. If you have no DigiD or can't speak Dutch, the register asks you to use its application form in English. Without a recognised diploma you can't register. Handling your application takes at most 12 weeks, but usually much less. If it is approved, you receive a positive decision; the register says this decision also counts as the Verklaring Sociale Hygiëne.

Registering with an Lcsh-recognised diploma costs €93.29; with a foreign diploma or foreign work experience it costs €253.50 (both checked on 24 October 2026). According to the register, refunds are not possible.

The register accepts a diploma obtained in another EU member state if it is equivalent in content and level to a Dutch diploma. You send, among other things, a diploma supplement listing the learning outcomes and a copy of a valid ID.

It also accepts work experience gained in another EU member state, in a business that serves alcoholic drinks or sells (strong) alcoholic drinks for home use; one of the routes the register describes is three consecutive years as self-employed or as manager. The register sets further conditions, so check its page before you apply. The register's English page speaks of a foreign diploma obtained 'in a country other than the Netherlands'; for a diploma or experience from outside the EU, ask the register.

A registration in the Register Sociale Hygiëne is valid indefinitely. If you were registered in the old SVH register before 1 July 2023, you must reconfirm your registration within five years from that date; this costs nothing and you do it online with DigiD. If you do nothing, you are removed from the register after five years. Until 1 July 2028 you can still be found with your registration from the old SVH register.