Exams

You must sit an exam if you want to use maritime radio equipment or want to become an amateur radio operator. You can sit this exam at the Authority of Digital Infrastucture.

Exam and operator certificate for maritime radio equipment

You must possess an operator certificate if you want to use a marine radio or other maritime radio equipment. This can be obtained by sitting an exam at the Authority of Digital Infrastucture. Do so via the registration form.

You can sit exams for 3 types of operator certificates:

  • The Basic Marine Radio or VHF Certificate is the most basic certificate, and is intended for using maritime radio equipment on inland waterways and in the immediate surroundings of the islands.
  • The Restricted Operator's Certificate (ROC) or Marcom-B is intended for using maritime radio equipment on inland waterways and coastal waters.
  • The General Operator's Certificate (GOC) or Marcom-A is the most extensive certificate, and is intended for using maritime radio equipment on inland waterways, the open seas and the oceans.

Here you can see which equipment can be operated with each type of certificate. If you have a Short Range or Long Range Certificate (Royal Yacht Association), this is also sufficient in certain cases.

Amateur radio operator exam

You must first sit an exam if you want to become an amateur radio operator. This exam tests whether you know enough about (international) rules and whether you can use radio communication equipment in the correct manner. For instance, your frequency use cannot disrupt the radio communications of, for example, the airline industry or the emergency services. If you pass the exam, you must apply for authorisation from Agentschap Telecom. You will then be able to start transmitting.

The exam is a written exam and is more or less identical to the exams offered in the Netherlands. The only differences are the call signs and the frequency bands.

Do you want to sit the amateur exam? Then please contact the Authority of Digital InfrastuctureBES@RDI.nl