BRL 200 F-gases — what your technician's personal certificate covers

BRL 200 — in full *Beoordelingsrichtlijn 200: Vakbekwaamheid F-gassen* — is the personal certificate a technician needs in order to be allowed to work on F-gas installations, regardless of the CO₂-equivalent size of the installation. It is the Dutch implementation of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215 — since 29 March 2026 the successor to EU 2015/2067 — and is issued by Kiwa (opent in nieuw tabblad), Normec (opent in nieuw tabblad) and a number of other certification bodies. Want to know how to apply for it — for your technicians and for your company? That is set out step by step in Applying for an F-gas certificate.

The six categories (since 29 March 2026)

Not every technician has to hold every authorisation. Since 29 March 2026, BRL 200 has six categories, introduced via Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2215 and tied to the refrigerant type and the charge — they replace the old categories I through IV:

• A1 (successor to category I): all operations, all installations with F-gases or hydrocarbons, regardless of the charge
• A2 (successor to category II): all operations except leak checking, limited to installations with a charge of <3 kg (or <6 kg for hermetically sealed systems labelled as such)
• B (new): all operations on installations with CO₂ (R-744) as refrigerant, regardless of the charge
• C (new): all operations on installations with ammonia (R-717) as refrigerant, regardless of the charge
• D (successor to category III): recovery of refrigerant only, on installations <3 kg (or <6 kg hermetically sealed)
• E (successor to category IV): leak checking only without opening the circuit — no kg limit

For most Dutch installation companies, A1 and A2 are the relevant ones. Anyone who only installs heat pumps (R-32, typically 2–5 kg) can manage with A2. A crew that also does commercial refrigeration (R-410A, R-452A, 8–25 kg) needs A1. Certificates on the old categories I through IV remain valid until their own expiry date, with a hard cutoff of 12 March 2029 at the latest — see New F-gas certification A1/A2 2026 for the full transition arrangement.

Period of validity and renewal

Up to 2026 the personal certificate was valid indefinitely. The EU revision replaces that with a period of validity of 7 years with mandatory recertification, phased in between 2026 and 2029. That recertification involves a re-assessment — a combination of theory and practice — at a recognised examination institute. The practical assessment is not a formality: leak detectors, pressure measurements, recovery equipment, all parts are assessed hands-on.

Tip: have technicians schedule their assessment at least 3 months before expiry. Anyone who waits until the last week runs the risk that a particular assessment date is fully booked.

What happens when the certificate expires?

An expired BRL 200 certificate means the technician may no longer sign off work orders for F-gas installations. The work order is then invalid — at an audit Kiwa will reject it. Worse: an inspection by the Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT) can impose fines on both the technician and the company, because work was carried out without valid authorisation.

For the company this is an audit stopper. That is why at Koldwerk we have built in a certificate gate: work order sign-off is blocked if the technician does not hold a valid BRL 200 at the moment of signing off. Plus: reminders automatically go out at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days before expiry to the certificate holder and to the workspace owner.

How do you record it in your administration?

As a minimum you need: the certificate number, the category held, the issuer (Kiwa, Normec, etc.), the date of issue, and the validity date. A PDF scan of the certificate belongs with it too — handy for audits, and accepted evidence in the rest of Europe.

At Koldwerk this sits on the technicians tab under each user profile. Want to be extra thorough? Attach the scope description of the certificate as well — that helps at audits where the auditor comes from healthcare and doesn't know exactly what "A2" means.

Further reading

• Applying for an F-gas certificate — step by step — the complete application procedure for the company and personal certificate.
• New F-gas certification A1/A2 2026 — what changes in the category classification from 2026.
• F-gas Regulation EU 2024/573 — the European legislation behind the personal certificate.
• STEK vs BRL 100 — company certificate and personal certificate: what do you need when?

Disclaimer: BRL 200 is revised regularly. Since 29 September 2025 additional requirements apply to alternative / natural refrigerants (CO₂ R-744, propane R-290); the transition to the new A1/A2/B/C/D/E certification scheme was completed for new issues as of 29 March 2026. Check with your certifying body for the current scope.