Checking a VCA certificate in the Centraal Diploma Register (CDR)

Go to cdr.ssvv.nl. Enter the surname without prefixes such as 'van' or 'de', and the date of birth as dd-mm-yyyy. You can also search by diploma number.

According to the CDR, you need the diploma number, or at least 3 consecutive letters of the surname together with the date of birth. There is also a link with the Belgian CDR, to combine the search results.

In the CDR you can find out whether someone holds a valid VCA diploma; it also holds SOG petrochemical, SVWOH and NOGEPA diplomas. Foreign diplomas and equivalent diplomas are not in the CDR.

The exam centre issues your diploma and makes sure it is registered in the CDR. According to SSVV, the diplomas can be found there, and employers and clients can see there whether you really have one. How long a diploma stays valid is on our page about validity.

The CDR holds the VCA diplomas B-VCA, VOL-VCA and VIL-VCU. VIL-VCU is the diploma with VCU in its name: Veiligheid voor Intercedenten en Leidinggevenden VCU (safety for intermediaries and supervisors). According to SSVV, it is meant for intermediaries and supervisors of VCU-certified employment agencies and of agencies that supply temporary workers to VCA-certified companies.

A VCU certificate is something else: it concerns the employment agency. According to SSVV, a VCU certificate is not required by law, but a client can make VCU certification a condition for using temporary workers. Whether a company holds a valid certificate, you check in the CCR, according to SSVV.

Look it up in the CDR rather than relying on a card. On the CDR site, the search box is called 'Een diploma/certificaat' (a diploma or certificate). Employers and clients can see in the CDR whether you really have the diploma.

If your exam centre gave you a card (it doesn't have to), a card doesn't replace the diploma, according to SSVV. To give an employer quick access to your record, you can request a QR code in the CDR that always shows your full overview: look up your record and click the download icon, and the code is sent by e-mail.

According to SSVV, you can look up your diploma details on the CDR website with your surname and date of birth; that is also where you find your CDR or diploma number. That also works if the exam bureau where you took the exam no longer exists. If your exam centre gave you a card, you can ask it for a new one.

You hear straight after the exam whether you passed: at the end, the provisional result appears on screen. According to SSVV, it can take a few days before a new certificate is visible in the CDR. If it still isn't there after 2 weeks, contact the exam centre where you took the exam; it is responsible for registering diplomas.

According to SSVV, a diploma can be invalid because it has expired, or because there may be no certainty that the exam result is valid or representative. SSVV doesn't explain this further. In that case, contact the exam centre where you took the exam.

If your details in the CDR or on your diploma are wrong, such as your first name or surname, SSVV's FAQ says you can submit a change request on the CDR site.