When people talk about ABDO screening for Dutch defence work, they usually mean the security vetting of an individual, carried out inside a contract that falls under the ABDO rules. If you are bringing in a security contractor, that vetting decides your start date far more than the paperwork at company level does.
The two get mixed up easily. ABDO covers the supplier as an organisation. The person you want on site still needs their own clearance, and that takes weeks.
What ABDO actually covers
ABDO is short for Algemene Beveiligingseisen voor Defensieopdrachten, the general security requirements for Dutch defence contracts. They apply to companies that handle classified information, systems or sites for the Ministry of Defence. The version still in use is ABDO 2019, and it looks at the whole business: governance, staff, physical security and digital security.
Staff is where hiring comes in. Anyone filling a position of trust (a vertrouwensfunctie) needs a certificate of no objection, known in Dutch as a VGB. It is issued only after a security investigation by one of the two Dutch intelligence services, the AIVD or the military MIVD.
From ABDO to ABRO in 2026
On 1 January 2026 the Dutch government brought in the ABRO framework decree. ABRO stands for Algemene Beveiligingseisen voor Rijksoverheidsopdrachten: one set of security requirements for central government contracts that touch national security, built on the requirements already used for defence contracts. Buyers first run a quick scan and, where needed, a risk analysis. If risks remain after that, ABRO applies.
Defence is moving across in stages. The ministry keeps using ABDO 2019 for existing contracts and switches to ABRO for new contracts during 2026. Extending a current contract keeps it under ABDO.
Compliance is checked by the new National Bureau for Industrial Security (NBIV), staffed by experts from the AIVD and MIVD. Every company holding an ABRO declaration must have a security officer, and that person is always vetted.
ABRO reaches well beyond defence. Organisations have two years to adopt it. The police and the ministries of General Affairs, Defence and Finance, along with the core Ministry of Justice and Security, already apply it. The cabinet also wants independent agencies, provinces, municipalities, water boards and energy companies to follow. Suppliers that fall short do not win the contract, and a running contract can be halted.
Contractors need clearance too
The Ministry of Defence states plainly that security investigations also apply to contracted staff. An interim security officer, SOC analyst or penetration tester going into a position of trust faces the same investigation as a permanent employee.
"I've already been cleared" is the other trap. A VGB is tied to one position with one employer. It lapses when the person leaves that position and cannot be carried over to another one. Time spent in a vetted environment tells you something useful about a candidate. It does not give them clearance for your contract.
Allow eight weeks, sometimes more
According to the ministry, the UVO, the unit that handles the investigations, has eight weeks to complete one. It can take longer if more information is needed, in which case the candidate is told by letter. After six weeks you can ask for a progress update through your security officer.
The ministry is open about what slows things down. Long periods abroad, by the candidate or their partner, can trigger extra checks. If a stay abroad cannot be verified, the clearance may even be refused. The investigation also covers criminal records, finances and membership of or support for organisations that threaten the democratic legal order. There are three levels, A, B and C, and the level partly determines how far back the investigation looks.
How to plan a contract hire around vetting
My advice is to work back from the vetting when you set a start date. Intake and selection can be done in a few days. The security investigation cannot.
- Decide at the request stage whether the role is a position of trust and at which level, and write it into the assignment description.
- Involve your security officer from day one. Registration and progress requests go through them.
- Ask candidates early about long stays abroad. Don't select on it; it simply helps you estimate the timeline.
- Register the chosen candidate for the investigation the same day. Every day you wait pushes the start back.
- Agree with your security officer what the contractor can do while waiting and what has to wait for the VGB.
- Think about extensions. An existing ABDO contract keeps the old rules; a new contract comes under ABRO.
If you also work for a ministry, the police or, before long, a municipality, expect the same pattern, because ABRO is based on the defence requirements. I wrote earlier about hiring cyber security contractors in Dutch government more generally.
The roles most affected
The security officer is always vetted. Beyond that, it makes sense that the roles shaping security come first: the security officer or CISO, and the GRC specialist who turns ABDO or ABRO requirements into policy and controls. Next are the people with access to classified systems, such as SOC analysts, network specialists and penetration testers.
Our page on cyber security for defence and security lists the profiles we supply in this sector. Looking for a specialist for a contract with ABDO or ABRO requirements? Through MVPeople we place interim security professionals and build the vetting into the plan from the first day. Call or email me via our contact page and we can work out what is realistic.
