The Dutch Hunting Exam: Expensive, Closed, and Untouchable?

In the Netherlands, becoming a hunter costs more than €1,500. In Belgium, where the qualification is legally considered fully equivalent, you pay €200. More than six in ten candidates fail the Dutch exam. A single resit for just the shooting component costs more than the entire Belgian hunting trajectory.

How is this possible? And why has nothing changed for years?

Hunters Club investigated. We compared examination systems across 15 European countries, examined legislation from 2001 through 2026, and submitted formal questions to the Ministry of LVVN, the Stichting Jachtexamens, the Stichting Jachtopleidingen Nederland and the Jagersvereniging. What we found is not a story about bad people. It is a story about a system that sustains itself at the expense of the hunter.

What It Actually Costs

Anyone who wants to pass the Dutch hunting exam pays. Not a little, but seriously.

The mandatory SJN course costs €715 in 2026. The complete exam — theory and practical — costs €472. Then come the surcharges: €37 for the shotgun exam, €25 for the rifle exam. The first hunting permit costs €138 in administrative fees. And then there are the hunting practice lessons: €129 extra, not legally required but actively promoted by SJN as indispensable preparation.

Total: approximately €1,516 in mandatory and strongly recommended costs — before you spend a single day in the field.

But that only applies if you pass first time.

According to officially published SJN results, only 37% of candidates passed the full exam in spring 2025 — in 2023 it was 36%. Six in ten people fail and pay again. A resit for just the practical component costs €368. Shotgun only: €206.

For comparison: the full hunting exam in Belgium costs €200 to €250. That qualification is fully recognised in the Netherlands. A candidate who fails the shotgun component and sits a resit pays more than someone who completes the entire Belgian trajectory — and thereby qualifies to hunt in the Netherlands.

Dutch Hunters Are Going Abroad, and the Numbers Are Growing

That route exists, and more and more people know about it. Figures from the Dutch supervisory authority show that in 2017, 3% of new Dutch hunting permit holders had obtained their qualification abroad. By 2020 it was 6% — a doubling in three years.

With an annual intake of around 1,200 candidates, 6% means approximately 72 Dutch people per year are deliberately choosing a foreign exam, despite the language barrier, the travel distance, and the fact that this option is nowhere actively communicated by the ministry or the Jagersvereniging.

More recent figures are not available. Why this trend is not published annually is one of the questions Hunters Club put to State Secretary Van Aerts.

The Hardest Shooting Requirement in Europe

Why do so many people fail? Part of the answer lies in the requirements themselves.

For the practical shotgun exam, a Dutch candidate must hit 18 of 25 clay pigeons, spread across five shooting stations. This is the strictest hard hit-count requirement of all 15 countries Hunters Club investigated.

In Belgium, 5 or 6 hits out of 10 shots suffices. In Sweden, you need to hit 4 out of 6. Denmark has no minimum hit requirement for the basic exam at all — only safe shooting technique is assessed.

All of these countries — including Belgium — hold a qualification that is recognised in the Netherlands as equivalent. The skill required to obtain the qualification varies enormously. The legal value of the qualification does not.

Whether the Dutch requirement of 18/25 has ever been evaluated in comparison with the countries with which we have mutual recognition, Hunters Club asked the Stichting Jachtexamens. Director Kemperman's response was brief: "No, the SJE adheres to the examination requirements as laid down in Dutch law."

This officially confirms that the requirements have never been compared with countries with which the Netherlands has an equivalence recognition.

One Provider, One Location, and the Law That Enshrines It

In Belgium, anyone may offer hunting training. In Germany, dozens of schools compete for candidates. In France, local federations run their own programmes per department.

In the Netherlands there is one recognised training provider: the Stichting Jachtopleidingen Nederland, known as SJN. This is not a market outcome. It is written into law — more explicitly than the ministry initially suggested.

When Hunters Club asked whether the law permits multiple providers, State Secretary Van Aerts initially replied that the law does not exclude multiple providers. But Article 3.34 of the Omgevingsregeling, updated to May 2026, states literally that only exams conducted "by the Stichting Jachtexamens" are recognised. Not a category of organisations. A name.

In follow-up questions, Hunters Club pressed on this point. Van Aerts then acknowledged: "No standard procedure has been established for recognition." A new provider wishing to be recognised must approach the ministry, whereupon it will be assessed whether the legal criteria are met. Article 3.34 must then be amended via public consultation, a ministerial decision, and publication in the Staatscourant.

Van Aerts added: "The ministry is prepared to consider a serious application for recognition of an organisation that conducts exams for a hunting firearm activity."

The door is officially open. But in 25 years no one has walked through it, and no procedure exists to actively enable this. The question that remains: why has the Jagersvereniging — which represents the interests of hunters and is historically entwined with the current system — never encouraged or facilitated a competitor?

Meanwhile, all practical exams take place at one location: Dorhout Mees in Biddinghuizen. The recognised examination institution designates that location itself, without ministerial oversight. Van Aerts confirms: "The organisation recognised by the minister to conduct hunting exams is free to determine where it has the practical exams take place."

SJN director Kemperman confirms the commercial partnership with Dorhout Mees for joint five-day exam training courses at €3,500 per person, and states that this costs "comparably, perhaps even less" than the regular trajectory. The regular trajectory already costs more than €1,500.

The Triangle

To understand how this system has grown this way, it helps to map the connections.

The Stichting Jachtopleidingen Nederland — the sole recognised training provider — emerged from the Koninklijke Nederlandse Jagersvereniging. Director Kemperman confirms: "SJN originated decades ago as a division of the KNJV and has been an independent autonomous foundation since 1987."

The secretary of the Stichting Jachtexamens — the sole recognised examination body — previously held a position at the Jagersvereniging. Kemperman nuances this: "The current secretary held a position at the KNJV in the distant past, as all board members in some way represent the broad knowledge domain of hunting and wildlife management."

The Jagersvereniging is the organisation expected to represent the interests of Dutch hunters. It is the voice of the hunter towards politics and policy. At the same time, it is historically entwined with the only training provider and the only examination body in the country. And while the ministry says it is open to new providers, the Jagersvereniging has never publicly advocated for competition in the training market to benefit its own members.

Whether the Jagersvereniging has ever lobbied the ministry for lower costs, multiple providers, or reform of the examination structure, Hunters Club asked director Laurens Hoedemaker.

The Koninklijke Nederlandse Jagersvereniging did not respond within the stated deadline of 10 working days. Even after a reminder on 20 June 2025, a response was not forthcoming.

The Ministry Already Knew

In October 2020, someone submitted a WOB (Freedom of Information) request to the then-ministry of LNV — specifically about the agreements with the Stichting Jachtexamens and the audits conducted on pricing and costs. After an objection procedure running through to March 2021, 96 pages of documents were made public.

State Secretary Van Aerts indicated she was unable to locate the WOB documents herself. Her response: "We currently have no further information about pricing audits. The regulation on exams has not materially changed since 2020."

SJN confirms that cost-price calculations exist, but that these are not public. For an organisation that manages a statutory monopoly and conducts exams for more than 1,000 candidates per year, this is a notable choice — particularly in light of pricing audits whose results have gone missing.

The Bill for the Hunter

There are no indications in this story that individual persons have broken the law. SJN is a foundation. Dorhout Mees is a legitimate business. The Jagersvereniging is an organisation with a long history.

But a system does not have to be corrupt to cause harm.

Director Kemperman closes his response with: "If it's not broken, don't try to fix it." For the 63% of candidates who fail each year, for the hunter who pays more for a resit than a Belgian pays for the full trajectory, and for the aspiring hunter who goes abroad because it is too expensive at home, it is broken.

The percentage of Dutch people going abroad doubled in three years. The pass rate has been below 40% at the spring exam for years. The shooting requirement has never been compared with countries with which the Netherlands has a mutual recognition agreement. The cost-price calculations are not public. The WOB documents have gone missing. The law names one organisation and no standard procedure exists for a new provider.

And the Jagersvereniging — expected to represent the interests of its members — has encouraged no competitor, initiated no procedure, and did not respond to Hunters Club's questions.

The Netherlands has 1.6 hunters per 1,000 inhabitants — one of the lowest hunter-to-population ratios in Europe. Whether the high costs and high failure rate play a role in this, nobody has ever investigated.

That is not coincidence. That is architecture.

Responses from All Parties Involved

Ministry of LVVN — State Secretary Thalina van Aerts

Van Aerts responded within 24 hours to Hunters Club's first letter of inquiry. Her full response to the follow-up questions:

On the recognition procedure: "Article 3.72 of the Besluit kwaliteit leefomgeving lays down that the minister of LVVN may recognise an organisation when it meets the criteria in Article 11.91 of the Besluit activiteiten leefomgeving. No standard procedure has been established for recognition."

On the absence of an open procedure: "If a party wishes to be considered for recognition, the ministry will assess whether that party meets the statutory criteria. Recognition then requires an amendment to Article 3.34 of the Omgevingsregeling, for which a public consultation, a ministerial decision, and publication are required."

On the willingness to admit new providers: "The ministry is prepared to consider a serious application for recognition of an organisation that conducts exams for a hunting firearm activity."

Stichting Jachtopleidingen Nederland / Stichting Jachtexamens — Director Eric Kemperman

Kemperman responded on 25 June 2025. He opened by noting that Hunters Club's findings "are only a small selection of what could be reported about hunting education, the hunting exam, and the responsible organisations" and requested a "correct and complete picture."

On SJN's origins: "SJN originated decades ago as a division of the KNJV and has been an independent autonomous foundation since 1987."

On the secretary of the Stichting Jachtexamens: "The current secretary held a position at the KNJV in the distant past, as all board members in some way represent the broad knowledge domain of hunting and wildlife management."

On the Dorhout Mees location: "For the proper and safe organisation of hunting exams for more than 1,000 candidates, a location is required that has the facilities to examine these numbers. The company Dorhout Mees has no substantive involvement in the conduct of the exams."

On the comparison with Belgium: "It would be incorrect to compare the training and examination in Belgium with that in the Netherlands. The Dutch hunting qualification is held in high international regard and is accepted everywhere as evidence of hunters' competence."

On cost-price calculations: "Yes, cost-price calculations underlie them. These are not public."

On the shotgun requirement of 18/25: "No, the SJE adheres to the examination requirements as laid down in Dutch law."

In closing: "If it's not broken, don't try to fix it."

Hunters Club's Response to Kemperman's Response:

The claim that the Dutch hunting qualification "is accepted everywhere" is demonstrably incorrect. France does not recognise the Dutch qualification — Hunters Club verified this via official sources. Mutual recognition applies exclusively to the Benelux and Germany.

The assertion that a comparison with Belgium is "incorrect", while Dutch law recognises the Belgian qualification as equivalent, is internally contradictory. If the qualifications are equivalent in law, a cost comparison is by definition relevant.

The fact that cost-price calculations are not public for an organisation with a statutory monopoly and more than 1,000 paying candidates per year is a matter for the supervisory authority.

Koninklijke Nederlandse Jagersvereniging — Director Laurens Hoedemaker

The Koninklijke Nederlandse Jagersvereniging did not respond within the stated deadline of 10 working days. Even after a reminder on 20 June 2025, no response was forthcoming. The organisation expected to represent the interests of Dutch hunters chose not to take a public position on the costs and structure of the hunting examination system.

What Hunters Club Is Asking For

Amendment of Article 3.34 of the Omgevingsregeling — from a named organisation to open, transparent recognition criteria that multiple organisations can meet, with a published application procedure.

Opening of the examination market to multiple recognised institutions, following the example of Belgium, Germany, and virtually every other European country.

Multiple recognised examination locations, so candidates are not dependent on one commercial party in Biddinghuizen.

Transparency regarding the 2020 pricing audits and publication of the cost-price calculations for an organisation with a statutory monopoly.

Annual publication of the percentage of Dutch people going abroad for the hunting exam.

An independent evaluation of the practical requirements, in particular the shotgun requirement of 18/25 clay pigeons, measured against the requirements of countries with which the Netherlands has mutual recognition.

Your Experience Counts

Have you had to pay for the Dutch hunting exam multiple times? Did you obtain your qualification in Belgium or Germany? Or do you have information relevant to this investigation?

Share your story via the Hunters Club community. Your experience makes this story stronger, and helps us keep the pressure in the right places.

Hunters Club sent formal letters of inquiry on 6 June 2025 to the Ministry of LVVN (addressed to State Secretary Thalina van Aerts), the Stichting Jachtopleidingen Nederland, the Stichting Jachtexamens, and the Koninklijke Nederlandse Jagersvereniging (addressed to Director Laurens Hoedemaker). All parties were given a response deadline of 10 working days.

Update July 2026:
Following the publication of this research, the Ministry of LVVN has opened a public consultation on amending Article 3.34 of the Omgevingsregeling. For the first time in Dutch history, a second examination organisation is being recognised: the Stichting Examens Groene Sector. The application was submitted in September 2025 and has been positively assessed by the ministry. The intended effective date is 1 January 2027. Hunters Club will soon publish a full follow-up article on this development.

Sources
- Omgevingsregeling, Article 3.34 and 3.31 (working version updated 18 May 2026) — iplo.nl
- Besluit kwaliteit leefomgeving, Article 3.71 and 3.72
- Besluit activiteiten leefomgeving, Article 11.90 and 11.91
- Jachtregeling 2001, Article 7 — Staatscourant 2001, 244
- SJN (jachtopleiding.com) — course costs 2026 and pass rates 2023/2025
- Examens.nl (Stichting Jachtexamens) — resit costs (screenshots, 2025)
- Rijksoverheid.nl — WOB decision on agreements between Stichting Jachtexamens and LNV, October 2020/March 2021
- Toezichthouder.nl — percentage of Dutch people with foreign hunting qualification: 3% (2017), 6% (2020)
- Personal correspondence State Secretary T. van Aerts, LVVN (June 2025)
- Personal correspondence Director E. Kemperman, SJN (June 2025)
- Hunters Club European comparison of hunting exams, Part 1 (June 2025)
- Agentschap Natuur en Bos (Belgium) — examination requirements and costs Flanders