Getting an AGB code as a freelance healthcare worker in the Netherlands

Freelancing in Dutch healthcare, you will quickly be asked for your "AGB code". Insurers, institutions and staffing agencies all rely on it. The good news: applying is free and done online. Here is what it is and how to get one.

What is an AGB code?

AGB (Algemeen GegevensBeheer) is the national register of healthcare providers and healthcare businesses in the Netherlands, managed by Vektis. Your AGB code is an eight-digit number that identifies you in that register, including your qualifications and practice details. The whole system uses it for claims, contracts and quality checks. Often you need two codes: a personal one as a care provider and one for your business.

Who needs one?

• Claiming from health insurers, directly or via a billing agency: without an AGB code a claim is not processed.
• Contracts with insurers or municipalities.
• Working via staffing agencies or as a subcontractor of an institution: they almost always ask for your code, even when they do the claiming themselves.

If you work entirely outside insured care, the code is not always mandatory, but clients ask for it so routinely that it is worth having anyway.

How to apply

Apply through the Vektis AGB register, free of charge. Have your KvK (Chamber of Commerce) number ready and, depending on your profession, your BIG registration or diplomas. Vektis checks whether you meet the requirements for your qualification. Processing takes days to a few weeks.

On your invoice

Healthcare clients expect the AGB code on your invoice next to your KvK and VAT number, so they can match your invoice to the right provider. The normal invoice requirements still apply.

How Finq handles it

Enter your AGB code once in Settings. It then appears automatically in the header of every invoice, next to your KvK and VAT number. See what else Finq does for healthcare freelancers on the healthcare page.