Refrigeration certificate: category I, exam and renewal
The personal European certificate plus the regional recognition you need to work on cooling installations with fluorinated refrigerants.
| Who needs it, by law or by the site? | Anyone installing, maintaining, leak-checking or recovering refrigerant on installations with F-gases |
|---|---|
| Validity and renewal | Flanders: indefinite, with a refresher exam every five years |
| How do you get it? | Exam (theory, practice, brazing) at a recognised training centre, then registration with VEKA |
Who needs it, by law or by the site?
Anyone in Flanders working on stationary cooling installations (industrial refrigeration, freezers, air conditioning, heat pumps) with fluorinated greenhouse gases or ozone-depleting substances, or on cooling units of refrigerated trucks and trailers: installing, maintaining, repairing, decommissioning, leak checks and recovery. The recognition is personal; the company you work for must also be recognised as a refrigeration company and employ at least one recognised refrigeration technician. [1] [3]
Category I: all work on all cooling installations regardless of refrigerant charge; this is what employers ask of a refrigeration technician. Category II: installing, repairing, maintaining, decommissioning and recovery on installations with less than 3 kg of refrigerant (hermetically sealed and labelled: less than 6 kg), plus statutory leak checks without opening the refrigerant circuit. Category III: recovery only within the same 3 and 6 kg limits. Category IV: statutory leak checks only, without opening the circuit. [1]
With only a RESCert certificate for heat pumps you may not work on heat pumps with fluorinated greenhouse gases or ozone-depleting substances; for that the recognition as refrigeration technician and as refrigeration company is mandatory. [1]
Legal basis
Flanders: VLAREL, the Flemish regulation on environmental recognitions. The obligations of the recognised refrigeration technician are in article 34 (general conditions of use) and article 40/1 (special conditions of use). The Flemish Energy and Climate Agency (VEKA) manages the recognitions. [2]
Europe: categories I to IV are European certificates. Brussels Environment refers to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2067, which also governs mutual recognition of certificates between regions and member states; the Walloon Region cites Regulation (EU) 2024/573 on fluorinated greenhouse gases and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215 on certification as its basis. [7] [9]
Brussels: Decree of the Brussels-Capital Government of 22 March 2012 (minimum training requirements for refrigeration technicians, registration of refrigeration companies, recognition of exam centres); since 4 July 2011 refrigeration technicians must hold a certificate compliant with European legislation. Wallonia: certification is granted by the Agence wallonne de l'Air et du Climat (AwAC). [7] [8] [9]
How do you get it?
Flanders: you pass the exam at a recognised training centre. It has four parts: refrigeration theory, legislation theory, a practical test with refrigerants and a brazing test (categories III and IV are exempt from the brazing test). You pass with at least 60 percent per part and receive a European certificate of category I, II, III or IV. You then register with your eID through 'Mijn VLAREL-erkenning' and receive your recognition number by e-mail; without registration you may not start work. [1] [2]
If you already hold a European certificate from another region or member state, you first register and then report the use of the recognition in the recognition portal, with a copy of your certificate in Dutch, French, German or English. If that certificate is older than five years at registration, you must first pass the refresher exam at a recognised training centre. [1]
Wallonia: AwAC grants certification on application (online form, free of charge) to anyone who passed the exam for the chosen category at an exam centre recognised by the Walloon Region and works as self-employed or as an employee of a registered company; AwAC publishes the list of centres with their categories. Brussels: exam at an exam centre recognised by Brussels Environment; the lists of recognised exam centres and registered refrigeration companies are online. [9] [10] [7]
Length of the training
The authorities only define the exam; the length of the preparatory training differs per training centre. [1]
Validity and renewal
Flanders: the recognition is valid indefinitely, but every five years you must pass a refresher exam at a recognised training centre. If you fail to do so in time, your recognition lapses automatically and you may no longer carry out work that requires it; after the refresher exam you register again through Mijn VLAREL-erkenning. [2] [1]
Wallonia: renewal is requested with the same online form as the initial certification; the Walloon Region's page names no term. Brussels: Brussels Environment publishes a form for renewing the recognition, also without a term on the page. [9] [7]
Finding or requesting it
Flanders publishes the list of recognised refrigeration technicians, the list of recognised refrigeration companies and the list of recognised training centres as PDFs. If you are missing, report it to the Recognitions team with your name, address, recognition number and the place and date of your recognition. The training centre also registers your certificate in the Flemish qualifications database (LED), which you consult through Mijn Burgerprofiel; a copy of the certificate itself is requested from the training centre. [1] [4] [5] [6] [11]
Brussels: lists of registered refrigeration companies and recognised exam centres on app.leefmilieubrussel.be. Wallonia: list of recognised exam centres per category at AwAC (version of 18 June 2026). [7] [10]
What does it cost?
Flanders: a recognised refrigeration technician pays an annual fee for the supervision of the recognition: 36 euros in 2026, indexed yearly; the invoice arrives at the start of the calendar year. Non-payment leads to suspension and, thirty days later, lapse of the recognition. A recognised refrigeration company pays 145 euros in 2026. Wallonia: the certification itself is free. Brussels: registering a refrigeration company is free. The price of training and exam differs per training centre. [2] [1] [3] [9] [8]
Frequently asked questions
What is a category 1 refrigeration certificate?
Category I is the most complete European certificate: all work (installing, maintaining, repairing, leak checks, recovery, decommissioning) on all cooling installations regardless of refrigerant charge. It is the category employers ask of a refrigeration technician by default. Category II is limited to installations under 3 kg (or 6 kg hermetic), III to recovery, IV to leak checks. [1]
How do you obtain the refrigeration certificate in Flanders?
Pass the exam at a recognised training centre (refrigeration theory, legislation theory, practical test with refrigerants and brazing test, at least 60 percent per part), receive your European certificate and then register with your eID through Mijn VLAREL-erkenning. You may only work once you have your recognition number, and only for a recognised refrigeration company. [1][2][3]
How often do you have to renew the refrigeration certificate?
In Flanders you must pass a refresher exam at a recognised training centre every five years. If you fail to, your recognition lapses automatically and you must register again after the exam. In Wallonia and Brussels renewal runs through a form from AwAC and Brussels Environment respectively; their pages name no term. [2][9][7]
Where do you find the list of recognised refrigeration technicians and companies?
Flanders publishes three PDF lists on datasets.omgeving.vlaanderen.be: recognised refrigeration technicians, recognised refrigeration companies and recognised training centres. Brussels has lists of registered companies and recognised exam centres on app.leefmilieubrussel.be; AwAC publishes the Walloon list of recognised exam centres. [4][5][6][7][10]
How do you request your refrigeration certificate or check your recognition?
Check whether you are on the Flemish list of recognised refrigeration technicians; if you are missing, e-mail the Recognitions team with your name, address, recognition number and the place and date of your recognition. Your certificate is also in the LED (Mijn Burgerprofiel, theme Education and training). A copy of the paper certificate is requested from the training centre that issued it. [1][11]
Is my Flemish certificate also valid in Brussels or Wallonia?
The European certificate is mutually recognised, but each region has its own registration or certification: in Wallonia you apply for certification with AwAC, in Brussels the decree of 22 March 2012 and registration with Brussels Environment apply, and conversely anyone with a Walloon or Brussels certificate who wants to work in Flanders must register with VEKA (with a refresher exam if the certificate is older than five years). [7][9][1]
What does the refrigeration certificate cost?
Each training centre sets its own price for training and exam. What is fixed is the Flemish fee: 36 euros per year for the technician and 145 euros per year for the company in 2026, indexed yearly. In Wallonia certification by AwAC is free; in Brussels company registration is free. [2][3][9][8]
Vacancies that mention this certificate
Sources
Every paragraph points with a number to the source it rests on. What no official source says is not on this page; where the rule differs per employer or per training centre, it says so literally.
- Vlaanderen.be: erkenning als koeltechnicus (checked on 23 October 2026)
- Vlaanderen.be: informatie voor de koeltechnicus (verplichtingen, actualisatie-examen, retributie) (checked on 23 October 2026)
- Vlaanderen.be: erkenning als koeltechnisch bedrijf (checked on 23 October 2026)
- Departement Omgeving: lijst erkende koeltechnici (pdf) (checked on 23 October 2026)
- Departement Omgeving: lijst erkende koeltechnische bedrijven (pdf) (checked on 23 October 2026)
- Departement Omgeving: lijst erkende opleidingscentra koeltechniek (pdf) (checked on 23 October 2026)
- Leefmilieu Brussel: koelinstallaties, erkenningen en registraties (checked on 23 October 2026)
- be.brussels: registratie van koeltechnische bedrijven (checked on 23 October 2026)
- Wallonie.be: application for accreditation as a refrigeration technician (AwAC) (checked on 23 October 2026)
- AwAC: centres d'examen reconnus en technique frigorifique, 18 juni 2026 (pdf) (checked on 23 October 2026)
- Vlaanderen.be: een diploma raadplegen via de LED (Mijn Burgerprofiel) (checked on 23 October 2026)
This page is information, not legal advice. Your employer, its prevention advisor and the competent region remain responsible for what applies at your workplace.