For servicing and repairing cars in the Netherlands you need no trade diploma or licence. The law that used to require one was withdrawn in 2007. The paperwork you do need is tied to particular tasks: MOT testing, working on air conditioning, working on the high-voltage system of an electric car, and programming keys or immobilisers.
For MOT testing you need an approval from the RDW, with a certificate of conduct (VOG), and a qualified inspector. In the first year that costs € 715.80 in RDW fees. For air conditioning work a training certificate is required from 1 January 2027.
In short
- You may start a garage without a diploma. For MOT testing you need an RDW basic approval with conduct certificate, an MOT approval and a qualified inspector.
- Work on a car's air conditioning requires a training certificate from 1 January 2027. A company certificate is not needed for that.
- You only work on a high-voltage system when it is de-energised. NEN 9140 is the industry standard for doing that safely, the e-certificate is voluntary.
In this article
- Do you need a diploma to start a garage?
- What is the RDW basic approval and why does the RDW ask for a certificate of conduct?
- What does an MOT approval cost in 2026?
- Who may carry out the MOT test?
- What changes on 1 January 2027 for air conditioning work?
- May you work on an electric car without a certificate?
- When do you need SERMI and must you register odometer readings?
Do you need a diploma to start a garage?
No. Until 2007 the Establishment Act applied, with requirements for the trade knowledge of whoever ran a garage. That act has been withdrawn (Bulletin of Acts and Decrees 2007, 232). Since then anyone may start a business servicing and repairing cars.
That does not mean there are no rules. The requirements are now tied to what you do to a car. Anyone who carries out MOT tests, works on air conditioning, works on high voltage or programmes keys needs an approval, certificate or attestation for it. The overview below shows which.
What is the RDW basic approval and why does the RDW ask for a certificate of conduct?
The basic approval is the layer underneath all other RDW approvals. You apply for it together with your first approval, for example MOT. Since 1 January 2026 you must provide a certificate of conduct with it, and a new one every 3 years after that (RDW, the basic approval).
The certificate of conduct is a government statement that your past is no objection to this task. The RDW can withdraw the basic approval in the case of criminal activity, even outside the approvals. If a business no longer meets the basic rules, the RDW withdraws all approvals at once (RDW, the basic approval).
A garage that does no MOT tests may still want an approval. With trade plates (green plates) a business that repairs or cleans cars for others may collect, deliver and test a car after repair. Private use is not allowed (RDW, trade plate scheme).
What does an MOT approval cost in 2026?
On application you pay € 44.55 for the basic approval, € 526.25 for the MOT approval and € 145 for the company visit. That is € 715.80 in total. With a floor measurement the visit is € 217.50. After that you pay € 36.80, € 267.50 and € 25.25 a year for the secure connection to the RDW, € 329.55 in total (RDW, approval costs 2026).
You pay the annual costs per calendar year, with an invoice in January. They are owed by whoever holds an approval on 1 January, and anyone who stops halfway gets nothing back (RDW Fees Regulation 2026, article 6). If you start during the year, the first annual invoice therefore comes the following January. Have the RDW confirm that when you apply.
The RDW fees are the smallest part. The inspection area must be heated, lit, covered and lockable. Measuring equipment such as the brake tester and the smoke meter must be approved by the NMi and listed in the Register of Measuring Instruments. The RDW has 8 weeks to decide, and the time for your certificate of conduct does not count towards that (RDW, applying for MOT approval).
After a test the RDW can check with a spot check whether the pass was justified. That supervision has a reason. In the Californian market for emission tests, customers were 30% more likely to return to a firm where their car had previously passed than to one where it had failed (Hubbard, 2002). That gives an inspector an incentive to be lenient. The RDW spot check is a counterweight to that.
Who may carry out the MOT test?
Only a qualified MOT inspector with a valid Dutch MOT diploma. You obtain that diploma by passing the exam at IBKI. To stay qualified, you pass the renewal exam every 2 years (Ondernemersplein, carrying out MOT tests).
For the light vehicles exam you normally need an MBO diploma in Vehicles and Mobile Machinery at level 3 or higher, in car or commercial vehicle technology. There are other routes, such as an MTS or HTS diploma with a statement of practical experience or an EVC certificate, proof that your experience has been assessed. On registration IBKI asks for a certificate of conduct no older than six months (Government Gazette 2026, 21849). Ask IBKI for the exam price.
You do not have to be an inspector yourself. An employee with the qualification is enough. If you are an inspector yourself, you can also test at a colleague's garage while your own workshop does not yet meet the requirements.
What changes on 1 January 2027 for air conditioning work?
From 1 January 2027 you need a training certificate to work on a car's air conditioning. Until 31 December 2026 the work may continue. That is stated on the latest page of IPLO, the government information point (IPLO, transition to the certificate system). An earlier IPLO page still mentioned 7 October 2026.
If you have a certificate in Recovering Mobile Air Conditioning obtained before 7 October 2026, you may work with it until 12 March 2029. If you are enrolled in the training, you may work for up to 24 months under the supervision of someone with a certificate. Without a certificate or valid qualification you may not buy refrigerant either (IPLO, new F-gas rules).
The certificate is personal. IPLO only asks businesses to make sure the people doing the work have the right qualification. IPLO does not mention a separate company certificate for air conditioning work on cars (IPLO, new F-gas rules).
May you work on an electric car without a certificate?
A statutory certificate does not exist, but a strict rule does. Work on or near an electrical installation is only allowed when it is de-energised. Work that can be dangerous may only be done by competent and authorised people (Working Conditions Decree, article 3.5). Those rules also apply to the self-employed person without staff (Working Conditions Decree, article 9.5).
NEN 9140 is the industry standard for working safely on electric vehicles. It has three roles: the sufficiently instructed person (ev-VOP) for servicing and repair, the skilled person (ev-VP) who also does diagnosis and dismantling, and the person in charge of the work (ev-WV) who issues the work permit (OOMT, e-certification).
The industry e-certificate is not mandatory. It is, however, the usual way to show that someone works according to NEN 9140. Employees under the collective agreement for the motor vehicle and two-wheeler sector get a € 75 discount on exam and certification from the training fund OOMT (OOMT, e-certification). If you work alone, you are also your own person in charge of the work. In that case take that training as well.
When do you need SERMI and must you register odometer readings?
SERMI is the European certificate that gives an independent garage access to the manufacturer's security information. You need it for keys, ignition and door locks and the immobiliser. It has been mandatory since 1 April 2024 (Kiwa, SERMI frequently asked questions). For ordinary diagnosis and servicing it is not needed.
At 2024 rates Kiwa quotes € 750 for a business with one employee, € 204 per additional employee and € 595 for the on-site inspection, excluding VAT and for 5 years. A self-employed person without staff only needs a personal certificate of conduct (Kiwa, SERMI frequently asked questions). Check the current price.
Registering odometer readings is a duty for businesses with an RDW approval (Road Traffic Act 1994, article 70n). If you have one, even just MOT or trade plates, you report the reading at every repair, every service and every tyre change, with no minimum amount (RDW, mandatory registration moments). Without an approval you have no such duty. Turning back an odometer is forbidden for everyone.
Sources
- Act of 11 May 2007 withdrawing the Establishment of Businesses Act 1954, Bulletin of Acts and Decrees 2007, 232. officielebekendmakingen.nl
- RDW, The basic approval, accessed 22 October 2026. rdw.nl
- RDW, Approval costs (from 1 January 2026), accessed 22 October 2026. rdw.nl
- RDW Fees Regulation 2026, Government Gazette 2025, 40185, article 6. officielebekendmakingen.nl
- RDW, Applying for MOT approval, accessed 22 October 2026. rdw.nl
- RDW, Trade plate scheme, accessed 22 October 2026. rdw.nl
- Ondernemersplein, Carrying out MOT tests, accessed 22 October 2026. ondernemersplein.overheid.nl
- Regulation on conditions for the inspector exam, Government Gazette 2026, 21849, 19 June 2026. officielebekendmakingen.nl
- IPLO, Transition to a new certification system for mobile passenger air conditioning, updated 28 September 2026. iplo.nl
- IPLO, New F-gas rules: transition from certificates to training certificates for vehicle air conditioning, 12 June 2026. iplo.nl
- Working Conditions Decree, articles 3.5 and 9.5, in force from 1 August 2026. wetten.overheid.nl
- OOMT, E-certification, accessed 22 October 2026. oomt.nl
- Kiwa, SERMI certification, frequently asked questions, accessed 22 October 2026. kiwa.com
- Road Traffic Act 1994, articles 70m and 70n, in force from 1 September 2026. wetten.overheid.nl
- RDW, Mandatory odometer registration moments, accessed 22 October 2026. rdw.nl
- Hubbard, T.N. (2002). How do consumers motivate experts? Reputational incentives in an auto repair market. The Journal of Law and Economics, 45(2), 437-468. doi.org