BIG Register
The BIG register is the Dutch registry for healthcare professionals. Every doctor, nurse, physiotherapist, and pharmacist in the Netherlands must be registered before they can practice. For decades, this registration has lived on paper — certificates mailed to professionals, manually checked by employers, and filed away in cabinets.
With verifiable credentials, the BIG register enters the digital age. Registrations become cryptographically signed digital credentials that professionals carry in their personal wallet — always available, instantly verifiable, and fully under their control.
This use case follows Sophie, a physiotherapist, through two key moments in her career: receiving her BIG registration and using it to start a new job.
Part 1: Sophie Receives Her BIG Registration
Sophie has completed her training and passed all her examinations. She is ready to become a registered physiotherapist.
She logs into the BIG register portal to complete her registration. After filling in her details, something new happens — instead of being told to wait for a letter in the mail, a QR code appears on her screen.
Sophie pulls out her phone, opens her personal wallet app, and scans the code. Within seconds, a new credential slides into her wallet: her official BIG registration. It contains her name, her BIG number, her profession, and her specialism — all cryptographically signed by the BIG register.
No envelope, no waiting, no paper. Her registration is digital, tamper-proof, and always with her.
For Sophie
She receives her registration instantly. It's stored safely in her wallet, always accessible, and she decides who gets to see it.
For the BIG register
Registrations are issued digitally via a simple API call. No printing, no postage, no delays. Every credential is cryptographically verifiable.
Want to build this? See the full technical guide: Issue BIG Registration
Part 2: Sophie Uses Her Credential
A few months later, Sophie applies for a position at Amsterdam UMC, one of the largest academic hospitals in the Netherlands.
In the past, onboarding would have been a bureaucratic maze — printed copies of certificates, manual checks against government databases, days of waiting. But Amsterdam UMC has modernized their process.
During the online application, the hospital portal asks Sophie to prove her BIG registration. A QR code appears. Sophie opens her wallet app, scans the code, and sees exactly what the hospital is requesting: her BIG registration credential. She reviews the request, taps "Share", and that's it.
Within seconds, Amsterdam UMC's system has cryptographically verified that Sophie is a registered physiotherapist. Her qualifications are confirmed. No phone calls, no paperwork, no waiting.
Sophie is approved on the spot. She can start treating patients next Monday.
For Sophie
She stays in full control. She sees exactly what is requested and chooses what to share. No one accesses her data without her consent.
For Amsterdam UMC
Credential verification is instant and cryptographic. No manual checks, no risk of forged documents, and onboarding takes minutes instead of days.
Want to build this? See the full technical guide: Verify BIG Registration
Why Verifiable Credentials?
From registration to credential in the wallet — no postal delays
Sophie decides who sees her credentials — full privacy control
Cryptographically signed — impossible to forge or alter
Built on OpenID4VCI and OpenID4VP — works with any compliant wallet