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Bar staff serving drinks at a beach bar in the Netherlands

SVH Social Responsibility

Get your SVH certificate in English

Do you manage a bar, restaurant, hotel or liquor store in the Netherlands? Then you need the SVH Diploma Sociale Hygiëne. You can prepare for it and take the exam in English.

What is the SVH certificate?

The official Dutch name is SVH Diploma Sociale Hygiëne. In English it is often called the SVH Social Responsibility certificate or the social hygiene certificate. It shows that you know how to deal responsibly with alcohol, guests and the rules in a place where alcohol is served or sold.

SVH stands for Stichting Vakbekwaamheid Hospitality. SVH sets the requirements, runs the exam and issues the certificate. The three providers behind this site are all accredited by SVH to prepare you for it. The certificate is the same whether you take the exam in Dutch or in English, and it stays valid for life.

Who needs it?

Under the Dutch Alcohol Act (Alcoholwet), every manager listed on an alcohol licence must have knowledge of social hygiene. In practice you prove that with the SVH certificate. During opening hours, at least one person with the certificate must be present.

  • Owners and managers of a bar, café, restaurant, hotel or catering business
  • Managers in a liquor store
  • Managers of a sports club, community centre or institution canteen that serves alcohol
  • Anyone who needs to be added to an alcohol licence as a manager

To be listed as a manager on an alcohol licence you must be at least 21 years old. There is no minimum age for the exam itself.

Two ways to prepare in English

Online, at your own pace

Social Responsibility Video Training

Video lessons in Dutch with English subtitles, the SVH textbook and online practice exams in English. You decide when you study and when you take the exam.

Classroom, in English

Social Responsibility One-Day Course

One day of classes in English with a trainer, from 9:00 to 16:50, followed by the SVH exam at the same location.

Who is this course for?

All three providers are SVH-accredited and prepare you for exactly the same certificate. The difference is in the invoice. Choose what applies to you and we only show the price and registration that apply to you.

You are seeing the prices ofAcademie Sociale HygiëneHoreca OpleidingscentrumHoreca Stichting Nederland

Online, at your own pace

Social Responsibility Video Training

Video lessons in Dutch with English subtitles, the SVH textbook and online practice exams in English. You decide when you study and when you take the exam.

Exam: Computer exam in English at one of 18 exam locations. You book it yourself within a year and see your result straight away.

  • Video lessons in Dutch with English subtitles
  • The SVH textbook
  • Online practice exams in English
  • The SVH exam, to be booked within one year
  • Registration fee

For myself

Academie Sociale Hygiëne

€ 494,-

VAT-exempt

The training brand for people who get their certificate on their own. VAT-exempt, so the price you see is the price you pay.

Register now

For my hospitality business

Horeca Opleidingscentrum

€ 475,-

excl. VAT

€ 574.75 including VAT

KHN member price € 447.25 excl. VAT

Your business reclaims the VAT, so this is the cheapest option in net terms. Members of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland also get 15% off the tuition fee.

Register now

For a care institution, school, association or municipality

Horeca Stichting Nederland

€ 495,-

VAT-exempt

HSN is CRKBO-registered and therefore invoices without VAT. For organisations that cannot reclaim VAT, that saves 21% on the whole invoice.

Register now

All prices include the SVH exam fee, study materials and registration fee. 2026 prices. You register with the provider directly; the registration form is in Dutch. This site does not process payments and does not store your details.

Choose who the course is for to see the price and register.

Classroom, in English

Social Responsibility One-Day Course

One day of classes in English with a trainer, from 9:00 to 16:50, followed by the SVH exam at the same location.

Exam: Written exam in English, straight after the course day at the same location, starting at 17:10.

  • A full course day in English with a trainer
  • The SVH textbook
  • Online practice exams in English before the course
  • The SVH exam at the end of the day
  • Location costs, lunch, coffee, tea and soft drinks

For myself

Academie Sociale Hygiëne

€ 694,-

VAT-exempt

The training brand for people who get their certificate on their own. VAT-exempt, so the price you see is the price you pay.

Register now

For my hospitality business

Horeca Opleidingscentrum

€ 695,-

excl. VAT

€ 840.95 including VAT

KHN member price € 641.75 excl. VAT

Your business reclaims the VAT, so this is the cheapest option in net terms. Members of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland also get 15% off the tuition fee.

Register now

For a care institution, school, association or municipality

Horeca Stichting Nederland

€ 695,-

VAT-exempt

HSN is CRKBO-registered and therefore invoices without VAT. For organisations that cannot reclaim VAT, that saves 21% on the whole invoice.

Register now

All prices include the SVH exam fee, study materials and registration fee. 2026 prices. You register with the provider directly; the registration form is in Dutch. This site does not process payments and does not store your details.

Choose who the course is for to see the price and register.

The exam in English

Questions
40 multiple-choice questions
Pass mark
at least 29 correct
Time
40 minutes
Where
always at an exam location, under supervision

You cannot take the exam at home. Bring a valid ID. After you pass, SVH sends your certificate by post. If you work as a manager on an alcohol licence, you also register yourself in the Register Sociale Hygiëne.

Are you ready for the exam?

Try our free practice exam in English: 20 questions with an explanation after each answer, and your score at the end. No account needed.

Start the practice exam