The Verklaring van Geen Bezwaar (VGB) is the formal personnel security clearance issued by the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) under the Wet veiligheidsonderzoeken (Wvo). It confirms that an individual presents no objection from a national security perspective and is a prerequisite for access to classified information, restricted facilities, or sensitive positions within Dutch government, defence, and affiliated international organisations.
The clearance is graded according to the sensitivity of the role: Vertrouwelijk (Confidential), Geheim (Secret), and Zeer Geheim (Top Secret). Employers in the defence, aerospace, and international-organisation sectors based in the Netherlands — including those near The Hague and at Noordwijk — routinely require candidates to hold or be eligible for a VGB before appointment. The investigation considers financial integrity, personal conduct, and potential vulnerability to foreign influence.
Employees seconded to or working alongside NATO bodies, the EU, or other international organisations in the Netherlands may require a VGB as a condition of access, even when the organisation itself issues a separate organisational security clearance. Processing times vary by level and individual circumstances; candidates should account for this in recruitment timelines.