Seal rights are the grid operators' permission to break the seals on the connection and the meter and then reseal them. Since 2025 InstallQ arranges this nationally, on behalf of all grid operators. You only get them if your business holds an InstallQ recognition, for most electricians the Elektra recognition.
A recognition is not needed to work as an electrician. Without one you simply may not touch the sealed parts. Anyone who wants to replace consumer units does in practice need seal rights.
In short
- You get seal rights nationally through InstallQ, only with the Elektra recognition or a recognition as an inspection company for sub-area 1 or 2. The old regional contracts lapsed on 30 April 2026.
- Registering with InstallQ costs a one-off € 285, the Elektra recognition € 141 a year (2026). You need calibrated test equipment and a two-pole voltage detector.
- Electrician is not a protected profession. Without a recognition you may install, but not touch seals. Your work must always comply with NEN 1010.
In this article
- What are seal rights?
- How do you get seal rights under the national scheme?
- What may you do with seal rights, and what not?
- What does InstallQ require for the Elektra recognition?
- Which test equipment do you need for the recognition?
- What does the recognition cost in 2026 and how long does the application take?
- What may you do as an electrician without a recognition?
- What does a recognition mean for your clients?
What are seal rights?
Seal rights are the permission to break the grid operator's seals and then fit an approved seal again. The seals sit on the connection, the main fuses and the terminal cover of the meter. They may not simply be broken unless the grid operator expressly allows it (Enexis, applying for seal rights).
With seal rights you can, for example, replace a consumer unit or main switch without the grid operator having to come out. InstallQ names exactly those two jobs as examples (InstallQ, seal rights). For an electrician working in homes, that is a large part of the work.
Seal rights belong to an organisation, not to a person, and cannot be transferred. Employees on the payroll of the business may break and fit seals under their employer's seal rights. The holder remains fully responsible (Enexis, applying for seal rights).
How do you get seal rights under the national scheme?
You get seal rights through InstallQ as soon as your business holds one of three recognitions: Electrical installer (Elektra), or Electrical inspection company sub-area 1 or sub-area 2 (InstallQ, seal rights). In the past every grid operator had its own scheme. Those regional contracts lapsed on 30 April 2026.
The seal rights agreement itself costs nothing. You do pay for the seals yourself, and you order them from Transposafe (InstallQ, seal rights). Stedin writes that you receive the national seal rights automatically from InstallQ once you hold the right recognition (Stedin, seal rights).
How long seal rights last is not stated the same everywhere. InstallQ calls it indefinite, as long as you meet the grid operator's conditions. Enexis and Stedin still state five years on their sites (Enexis). So check what your own agreement says, and if in doubt ask InstallQ.
What may you do with seal rights, and what not?
With seal rights you may open and reseal a sealed connection, the meter's terminal cover and the main fuses in the service box. You may also energise a new or altered installation for measuring purposes (Stedin, seal rights). It applies to installations with main fuses up to and including 3 x 80 amps.
Seal rights are not meant for replacing a main fuse after a fault in the installation (InstallQ, seal rights). After the work you restore the original situation and fit an approved seal. In doing so you follow the current BEI VIAG work instructions.
What does InstallQ require for the Elektra recognition?
InstallQ assesses your business against the 2019 Low-Voltage Installations Recognition Scheme. It requires competent staff, the right test equipment and standards, and work that complies with the law and the grid operator's connection conditions (InstallQ, Low-Voltage Installations Recognition Scheme). You apply for the recognition and upload your diplomas in the InstallQ portal (InstallQ, electrical engineering).
The scheme has three roles. The person responsible for the work (WV) answers for the technical quality of the work. The skilled person (VP) works independently. The instructed person (VOP) works under supervision. Design and installation are carried out by or under the responsibility of a WV.
If you work alone, you do not need to appoint anyone in writing. You must, however, record each year whether you meet the competence requirements. InstallQ can make further training compulsory, up to 4 half-days per calendar year (InstallQ, Low-Voltage Installations Recognition Scheme).
After installing you give the customer user and maintenance instructions. For work that needs a building permit, you also provide a signed inspection and handover report and keep the project file for at least 10 years. Solar panels are not covered by this scheme. A separate recognition exists for them.
Which test equipment do you need for the recognition?
You must be able to measure insulation resistance, AC voltage up to at least 1000 volts, AC current, earth resistance, loop impedance and the tripping time and current of residual current devices. You also need a two-pole voltage detector to NEN-EN-IEC 61243-3 (InstallQ, annex 2 of the scheme).
In practice that is an installation tester with those functions, a clamp multimeter and a two-pole voltage detector. Instruments whose readings decide whether work is approved or rejected must be calibrated. The scheme sets no fixed calibration interval.
You must also have the standards to hand: NEN 1010, the practice guideline NPR 5310 and the connection conditions of the grid operator in your area. NEN 1010 is the standard for installing low-voltage installations safely.
What does the recognition cost in 2026 and how long does the application take?
Registering with InstallQ costs a one-off € 285. The Elektra recognition costs € 141 a year. If you also want to do small solar power systems up to and including 3 x 25 amps, add € 141 a year (InstallQ, 2026 rates). The page does not say whether these amounts include or exclude VAT.
For the recognition a field officer visits your business. InstallQ pays for that visit. If a follow-up check is needed, you pay for it. Allow half a day per recognition, and the person responsible for the work must be present (InstallQ, frequently asked questions).
Once you have submitted your list of completed jobs, InstallQ aims for a lead time of ten weeks. That depends on your diary and the assessor's. Once recognised, your business is listed in the EchteInstallateur.nl register, unless you opt out (InstallQ, frequently asked questions).
What may you do as an electrician without a recognition?
In the Netherlands electrician is not a protected profession. You need no diploma or recognition to register and take on jobs. The European database of regulated professions lists no electrician for the Netherlands, but does list the installer of alarm equipment (European Commission, Regulated Professions Database).
Whatever you do, your work must comply with NEN 1010. The Buildings (Living Environment) Decree requires a low-voltage electricity supply to comply with NEN 1010, for existing buildings and for new builds (Buildings (Living Environment) Decree, articles 3.106 and 4.199). That duty applies with and without a recognition.
Without a recognition you can add circuits, trace faults, fit sockets and extend installations after the main switch, as long as you do not need to break a seal. If a seal does have to be opened, for example for a new consumer unit, you need a business with seal rights or the grid operator.
If you work as a self-employed subcontractor for a recognised installation business, do not assume you fall under their seal rights. Enexis names only employees on the holder's payroll (Enexis, applying for seal rights). The page says nothing about subcontractors. Check with InstallQ before you break a seal.
What does a recognition mean for your clients?
A recognition shows a customer that an independent party assesses your business. A private customer can hardly judge the quality of electrical work behind a cover plate. In 1970 the economist George Akerlof showed that such uncertainty about quality can make a market falter. He named licensing and certification as one of the means that reduce that uncertainty (Akerlof, 1970).
A review of research into quality disclosure and certification asks, among other things, whether the parties that certify actually give accurate and unbiased information. So a quality mark says no more than the assessment behind it. The research is mainly about healthcare, education and financial services, not installation work (Dranove and Jin, 2010).
On EchteInstallateur.nl customers can search for recognised businesses. InstallQ states there that recognised businesses are assessed and regularly checked (EchteInstallateur.nl). For the customer, a recognised business also means it can replace the consumer unit without a separate appointment with the grid operator.
Sources
- InstallQ, Seal rights (Zegelrecht), accessed 24 October 2026. installq.nl
- Enexis, Applying for seal rights (Zegelrecht aanvragen), accessed 24 October 2026. enexis.nl
- Stedin, Seal rights (Zegelrecht), accessed 24 October 2026. stedin.net
- InstallQ, Low-Voltage Installations Recognition Scheme (Erkenningsregeling Laagspanningsinstallaties), adopted 26 September 2019, binding since 1 October 2019. installq.nl
- InstallQ, Electrical low-voltage installations, accessed 24 October 2026. installq.nl
- InstallQ, InstallQ rates 2026 (Tarieven InstallQ 2026), accessed 24 October 2026. installq.nl
- InstallQ, Frequently asked questions, accessed 24 October 2026. installq.nl
- European Commission, Regulated Professions Database, Netherlands, accessed 24 October 2026. ec.europa.eu
- Buildings (Living Environment) Decree (Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving), articles 3.106 and 4.199, in force from 24 September 2026. wetten.overheid.nl
- InstallQ, EchteInstallateur.nl, accessed 24 October 2026. echteinstallateur.nl
- Akerlof, G.A. (1970). The market for "lemons": quality uncertainty and the market mechanism. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 84(3), 488-500. doi.org
- Dranove, D. and Jin, G.Z. (2010). Quality disclosure and certification: theory and practice. Journal of Economic Literature, 48(4), 935-963. doi.org