Do you need to take an F-gas course for the BRL 200 certificate?

For the F-gas personal certificate (BRL 200) you do not have to take a mandatory course. You do have to pass the exam at a recognised examination body. IPLO (Dutch Living Environment Information Point) notes on its requirements page for natural persons that no mandatory course is named, but that preparation through training providers and training centres is possible. For vehicle air conditioning the situation is different. Since 7 October 2026, a mandatory training certificate applies there after a course with a designated training provider.

If you are looking for a course, first decide which route applies to your work. Read the step-by-step plan to obtain the certificate for the order of steps, and the personal certificate for the categories.

In short: a course is a choice for your own preparation, not a legal condition for taking the exam. For vehicle air conditioning, the course is mandatory if you want to work without an existing certificate.

Difference between course, exam and certificate

Many people use the words course, exam and certificate interchangeably. They are three different things.

Term	What it is	Who provides it	Mandatory?
Course or training	Preparation for the subject matter, often theory and practice	Vocational colleges (ROCs, Dutch regional vocational colleges), private training providers, sometimes the examination bodies themselves	Not for the personal certificate, yes for mobile air conditioning
Exam	Test of theory and practice for a category	Recognised examination body	Yes, if you want a personal certificate
Personal certificate	Proof that you have passed and are registered	Examination body, registered in the CRT	Yes, for anyone who works with F-gases
Training certificate	Proof of a mandatory course for mobile climate control	Designated training body	Yes, for vehicle air conditioning without an existing certificate

A course therefore does not give you a certificate. You take the exam yourself, and the exam decides whether you pass.

Why fitters often take a course anyway

The exam tests knowledge that you often already have in practice, but it also tests theory that you do not use every day. Think of the rules for leak checks, the properties of different refrigerants and the safety measures for flammable substances such as propane.

A course helps you go through that material in a focused way. Especially fitters who take an exam again after years, or who move to a new category, find that the difference is large.

Example: two fitters, two routes

Suppose two fitters. Sander has ten years of experience with split air conditioners and now wants to obtain category A2. He studies the theory himself from a sample book and takes the exam after two weeks. He has not taken a course and passes first time.

Lisa has just started as a fitter at a heat pump company. She takes a preparatory course of a few days with a training provider and then takes the exam. She also passes. The difference lies in the preparation, not in the result.

Both routes lead to the same personal certificate, as long as the exam is taken at a recognised body.

When is a training certificate mandatory?

For vehicle air conditioning and other mobile climate systems, the system works differently. IPLO describes that the certificate for recovering mobile air conditioning (Terugwinnen Mobiele Airco, BRL 200 version 1.2) remains valid until 12 March 2029 for those who obtained it before 7 October 2026. Anyone who wants to work from 7 October 2026 without that transitional arrangement needs a training certificate.

You receive the certificate after the mandatory course with a designated training body. It concerns work on car air conditioning, buses, trains, metro and trams, so not stationary refrigeration.

If you work on vehicle air conditioning without a course or certificate, while the transitional arrangement does not apply to you, you are working outside the rules. Check which arrangement applies to you before you start.

What you may do without a certificate

IPLO names a few exceptions. Anyone who is enrolled for a course may work for up to 24 months under the supervision of someone with the right certificate. That person must remain responsible for the work.

Situation	May you work?
Certificate obtained before 7 October 2026	Yes, until 12 March 2029
No certificate, no training	No, not from 7 October 2026 without a training certificate
Enrolled for a course	Yes, for up to 24 months under supervision
Earlier training but no certificate	Possibly an exemption for parts, provided the competences can be shown

Note: the rules for recovering refrigerant from mobile air conditioning are stricter. Without a completed course, you may not do that work on your own, except under supervision.

How do you choose a good course?

Not every course is the same. A course that prepares you well for the exam fits your category and the work you do. Check these points before you enrol:

Is the course aimed explicitly at the category you want to obtain, such as A1, A2 or E?
Does the course include practical exercises, or only theory?
Is the course given by a training provider that is recognised for this category?
Does the programme match the exam content of the chosen examination body?

For vehicle air conditioning the question is sharper: is the training body designated? IPLO reports that Rijkswaterstaat (Dutch national water and infrastructure agency) checks and designates companies and training providers. If in doubt, ask for the designation before you pay.

What a course costs

Course costs vary greatly by provider, duration and category. This page gives no amounts, because they do not come from an official source. Ask the provider for a written quote that states the content and the duration. See also costs for the exam fee and the costs of the company certificate.

Common mistakes

Thinking a course gives you the certificate. The course is preparation. The certificate comes from the exam.
Choosing a course without knowing the category. Always start with the work you do, and then choose the category.
Carrying on after 7 October 2026 without a certificate. Anyone who has no certificate from before that date and is not enrolled for a course may not work on vehicle air conditioning.
Choosing a training provider that is not designated for mobile air conditioning. The certificate is then not valid.