Checking a VCA certificate: look up a candidate or company
You can check a candidate's VCA diploma for free in the Central Diploma Register of BeSaCC-VCA, by diploma number or by name and date of birth. A company certificate is looked up in the certificate database. Here is how to do it step by step, and where it often goes wrong.
The short answer: in Belgium, personal VCA diplomas are listed in the Central Diploma Register of BeSaCC-VCA (besacc-vca.be, under Diplomaregister). A lookup is free and takes a minute. You search by diploma number, or by name combined with date of birth. The register shows the diploma type and until when it is valid. Company VCA certificates are in a separate certificate database on the same site.
Diploma or certificate: two different things
In practice everyone says 'VCA certificate', but there are two kinds and you check them in different places. A person obtains a diploma after an exam: Basic Safety (B-VCA) for operational staff, VOL-VCA for supervisors and VIL-VCU for consultants and managers in the temporary staffing sector. Such a diploma is valid for ten years. A company obtains a certificate after an audit of its safety management system: VCA* for companies without subcontractors, VCA** for main contractors and VCA Petrochemicals for work on petrochemical installations. That certificate is valid for three years, with interim audits. The knowledge base entry on VCA explains what the levels cover.
Checking a candidate in five steps
1. Ask for the diploma number or the date of birth. The register does not release lists: you need a diploma number, or the name and the date of birth. Simply ask the candidate and say what you will use them for.
2. Look up the diploma in the BeSaCC-VCA Diploma Register. Diplomas from Belgian recognised exam centres have been included automatically since 1 January 2010.
3. Look at the type. A foreman or site supervisor with only Basic VCA does not meet what most clients ask: anyone who supervises needs VOL.
4. Look at the expiry date and compare it with the duration of the assignment. A diploma that expires in three months is valid today but requires a new exam during the project. There is no renewal: after ten years you sit the exam again.
5. Keep a screenshot or note the date of your check in the personnel file. A client or prevention service may ask for it during an access check or an audit.
If you cannot find the diploma
That does not immediately mean it does not exist. The four common causes: the diploma was obtained in the Netherlands and is then in the Dutch SSVV register (cdr.ssvv.nl), which you consult in the same way. The diploma dates from before 2010 and the data has not yet been fully verified; for diplomas from before 2009, searching by number does not always work. The name is spelled differently than on the diploma, which often happens with compound or foreign names. Or the document is not an official VCA diploma: BeSaCC-VCA itself warns about unofficial passes and attestations. In that last case only what is in the register counts. When in doubt, the exam centre named on the diploma can confirm that it was issued.
Checking a company
If you work with a subcontractor or want to know whether a supplier is certified, look up the company name in the BeSaCC-VCA certificate database. Check three things: the level (one star, two stars or Petrochemicals), the end date and the scope, because a certificate applies to the activities and sites listed on it. Dutch companies are in the SSVV Central Certificate Register. A certified company must also be able to show that its operational staff hold a valid diploma, so the two checks are linked.
What this means for your hiring
State in the vacancy which level you ask for and whether you see it as a requirement or an asset. Rejecting a strong maintenance technician for lacking VCA is rarely wise: training and exam take one or a few days and a limited amount, while an open vacancy costs far more. Do agree on who pays for the exam and schedule it before the first day on site. In the same move, check the other certificates the role requires: BA4 or BA5 for anyone working on electrical installations, and the certificate of a worker with a forklift certificate, which has no central register and so has to be right on paper. Our guide on technical certificates shows which ones pay back fastest.
For candidates we present, we check the certificates the role requires and state the expiry date in the file. If you need reinforcement for a site with a VCA requirement, describe your need via the companies page.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a VCA certificate valid?
A personal VCA diploma (Basic or VOL) is valid for ten years; after that you sit the exam again. A company VCA certificate is valid for three years, with interim audits. The exact end date is in the register.
Can I look up a VCA diploma by name only?
No. The Belgian register asks for a diploma number, or the name together with the date of birth. It is meant to verify one specific diploma, not to retrieve lists of people. So ask the candidate for the details.
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