General Terms and Conditions for Participation in SECO-Institute Examinations
1. Definitions
In these General Terms and Conditions, the following capitalised terms have the meanings set out below.
1.1 Agreement: the agreement between SECO-Institute and the Candidate for the Candidate’s participation in an Examination.
1.2 Availability Period: the period within which the Candidate may take an Online Examination.
1.3 Board of Appeal: the committee appointed by SECO-Institute to hear and decide appeals lodged by Candidates.
1.4 Candidate: the natural person who registers for, or has taken, an Examination.
1.5 Certificate: the certificate (diploma) issued by SECO-Institute confirming that the Candidate has met the examination criteria set by SECO-Institute for a specific Examination.
1.6 Examination: an examination from the SECO-Institute examination portfolio, whether taken online, at an Examination Location or orally.
1.7 Examination Location: a location designated by SECO-Institute at which Examinations are held.
1.8 Examination Materials: all materials, in electronic or printed form, provided to the Candidate in connection with an Examination or an inspection session, including examination questions and answers.
1.9 Examination Rules and Regulations: SECO-Institute’s rules governing, among other things, the conduct and assessment of Examinations, fraud and irregularities, results, inspection and appeals, as published on the SECO-Institute website.
1.10 Examination Voucher: a voucher that the Candidate may use to pay the examination fee for an Examination.
1.11 General Terms and Conditions: these general terms and conditions.
1.12 Online Examination: an Examination taken online under remote supervision (online proctoring).
1.13 SECO-Institute a DNV company/ DNV Business Assurance B.V.: registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under number 24273935
1.14 SECO-Institute Systems: the computer systems, platforms and software used by SECO-Institute to perform the Agreement.
2. General
2.1 These General Terms and Conditions apply to every registration for an Examination and to every Agreement between SECO-Institute and a Candidate.
2.2 SECO-Institute expressly rejects the applicability of any general terms and conditions of the Candidate.
2.3 Any deviation from, or addition to, these General Terms and Conditions is valid only if SECO-Institute has confirmed it in writing. Confirmation by email counts as confirmation in writing.
2.4 SECO-Institute may amend these General Terms and Conditions and its examination portfolio. Amendments will be published on the SECO-Institute website at least [thirty (30)] days before they take effect. Amended General Terms and Conditions apply to registrations made on or after their effective date. Registrations already confirmed remain subject to the version in force at the time of registration, unless the amendment is required by law or is to the Candidate’s advantage.
2.5 If any provision of these General Terms and Conditions is void or is annulled, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect. SECO-Institute and the Candidate will then agree on a replacement provision that comes as close as possible to the purpose of the original provision.
2.6 These General Terms and Conditions do not apply to Examinations organised by partners of SECO-Institute, such as accredited training or examination centres and computer-based testing providers. Those Examinations are subject to the terms and conditions of the partner concerned.
2.7 The Examination Rules and Regulations apply to every Examination and form part of the Agreement. SECO-Institute may amend the Examination Rules and Regulations; the version published on the SECO-Institute website on the date of the Examination applies. If these General Terms and Conditions and the Examination Rules and Regulations conflict, these General Terms and Conditions prevail, unless these General Terms and Conditions expressly provide otherwise.
3. Registration
3.1 The Candidate registers for an Examination through the SECO-Institute website.
3.2 The Candidate must complete all mandatory fields of the registration form fully and accurately. The Candidate’s name will appear on the Certificate exactly as entered during registration and must match the Candidate’s identity document. SECO-Institute is not responsible for errors in information provided by the Candidate. If a Certificate has to be adjusted or reissued because of such an error, article 5.6 applies.
3.3 The Candidate must keep all login details, access codes and examination links issued by or on behalf of SECO-Institute confidential and must not share them with anyone. The Candidate must report any loss, misuse or suspected misuse to SECO-Institute immediately. Until SECO-Institute has received such a report, the Candidate bears the consequences of any use of those details, whether authorised or not, unless the misuse is attributable to SECO-Institute.
3.4 Some Examinations have a registration deadline. All registration deadlines are published on the SECO-Institute website. Candidates are advised to register well in advance.
3.5 The Agreement is concluded when SECO-Institute confirms the registration to the Candidate by email.
3.6 SECO-Institute may refuse a registration, or attach conditions to it, if it has reasonable grounds to do so, for example if the Candidate has previously failed to pay examination fees, has been excluded from Examinations under these General Terms and Conditions or the Examination Rules and Regulations, or does not meet the entry requirements for the Examination.
3.7 For an Online Examination, the confirmation email includes the access code or link and states the Availability Period. The Candidate may take the Online Examination at a time of their choice within the Availability Period.
4. Conditions for Participation
4.1 Some Examinations have entry requirements, such as the completion of a training programme at an accredited institution. The entry requirements are published on the SECO-Institute website. The Candidate must meet all applicable entry requirements at the time of registration.
4.2 SECO-Institute may ask the Candidate to submit supporting documents. Uploading these documents, and their approval by SECO-Institute, form part of the registration procedure. If it later appears that the Candidate provided incorrect or false information, SECO-Institute may cancel the registration, declare the Examination invalid and refuse to issue, or withdraw, the Certificate.
4.3 To take an Online Examination, the Candidate must have a computer with a working webcam and microphone and a stable broadband internet connection that meet the minimum system requirements published on the SECO-Institute website. Before registering, and again before the Examination, the Candidate must check that their equipment meets these requirements, using any system check provided. The Candidate is solely responsible for their own equipment, software, internet connection and testing environment.
4.4 Online Examinations are monitored and recorded (including video, audio and screen activity). The Candidate can take an Online Examination only if they agree to this monitoring and recording and accept the terms of use of the online proctoring software used by SECO-Institute.
4.5 When the Candidate takes an Examination at an Examination Location, the house rules of that Examination Location apply, in addition to the Examination Rules and Regulations.
4.6 Where an Examination consists of a practical part and a theoretical part, the following rules on retakes apply:
(a) the Candidate must pass the practical part before taking the theoretical part;
(b) a Candidate who fails the practical part may retake it no earlier than twelve (12) months after the failed attempt;
(c) a Candidate who fails the theoretical part may retake it once without a waiting period;
(d) a Candidate who fails that retake may take the theoretical part again no earlier than twelve (12) months after the failed retake. The same twelve-month waiting period applies after every subsequent failed attempt.
4.7 A Candidate who requires special arrangements, for example extra time because of a disability, must submit a request to SECO-Institute early as possible, preferably when registering, and in any case no later than [ten (10) working days] before the Examination, together with supporting documentation. SECO-Institute decides on the request at its reasonable discretion.
5. Examination Fees and Payment
5.1 The examination fees and the currencies accepted for payment are shown during the registration procedure. Prices shown to Candidates include VAT where VAT applies.
5.2 The examination fee must be paid in full at registration, by credit card, Examination Voucher, payment code or any other payment method offered on the SECO-Institute website. SECO-Institute confirms the registration only after payment has been received.
5.3 SECO-Institute may change its examination fees. Changes do not apply to registrations that SECO-Institute has already confirmed.
5.4 If the examination fee has not been paid in full, or if SECO-Institute discovers, at any time, irregularities relating to the payment – including fraudulent use of a payment card or an unjustified chargeback – SECO-Institute may refuse the Candidate’s participation in the Examination, declare the Examination invalid, and refuse to issue, or withdraw, the Certificate. In serious cases, SECO-Institute may also exclude the Candidate from future Examinations. This is without prejudice to any other rights of SECO-Institute.
5.5 If an amount due is not paid on time, SECO-Institute will send the Candidate a payment reminder allowing at least fourteen (14) days to pay. If the amount remains unpaid after that period, the Candidate owes statutory interest and extrajudicial collection costs as set out in the Dutch Extrajudicial Collection Costs Decree (Besluit vergoeding voor buitengerechtelijke incassokosten).
5.6 SECO-Institute may charge an administrative fee for adjusting or reissuing a Certificate at the Candidate’s request, for example to correct an error in the information provided by the Candidate or to reflect a change of name. SECO-Institute will inform the Candidate of the amount of the fee before making the adjustment and will make the adjustment only after the fee has been paid. No fee is charged if the adjustment is needed because of an error made by SECO-Institute.
6. Cancellation of a Registration
6.1 The Candidate may cancel a registration for an Online Examination or for an Examination at an Examination Location free of charge and without giving reasons within fourteen (14) days of the date on which the Agreement is concluded (article 3.5).
6.2 To cancel, the Candidate must notify SECO-Institute Client Support by email at securitytraining@dnv.com.
6.3 The date of cancellation is the date on which SECO-Institute receives the cancellation. SECO-Institute will confirm the cancellation by email without delay, and in any event within seven (7) days of receipt.
6.4 The right to cancel under article 6.1 ends before the fourteen-day period has expired if the Candidate has expressly requested at registration that the Examination may take place within that period, has acknowledged that the right to cancel will then be lost, and:
(a) has started the Online Examination, by entering the access code or otherwise; or
(b) has taken the Examination at an Examination Location.
6.5 Article 6.1 does not apply to:
(a) oral Examinations, for which article 6.6 applies; and
(b) registrations made on the Candidate’s behalf by an employer, training provider or other organisation. The cancellation of such registrations is governed by the agreement between SECO-Institute and that organisation.
6.6 For oral Examinations, the following applies:
(a) if the Candidate cancels at least fourteen (14) days before the start of the examination week (the examination week starts on Monday), no examination fee is due;
(b) if the Candidate cancels less than fourteen (14) days before the start of the examination week, the full examination fee is due.
Example: for an oral Examination scheduled in week 12, the full examination fee is due if the Candidate cancels after the Monday of week 10 (that is, from the Tuesday of week 10 onwards), regardless of the day of the Examination in week 12.
7. Refunds
7.1 If the Candidate cancels a registration in accordance with articles 6.1 to 6.4 or article 6.6(a), SECO-Institute will refund the examination fee paid, using the same payment method and in the same currency as the original payment, within fourteen (14) days of receiving the cancellation.
8. Rescheduling
8.1 The Candidate may reschedule an Examination only as permitted by this article 8.
8.2 An Examination at an Examination Location may be rescheduled to another examination date once. The Candidate must submit the request to SECO-Institute Client Support no later than one (1) day before the start of the Examination.
8.3 An Online Examination may be rescheduled in accordance with the rescheduling rules that can be found in the Student Syllabus.
8.4 If the Candidate is unable to take an Online Examination within the Availability Period because of unplanned maintenance of the SECO-Institute Systems or because of force majeure, the Candidate may ask SECO-Institute to extend the Availability Period. SECO-Institute will inform the Candidate as soon as possible whether the request is granted.
8.5 Rescheduling under articles 8.2 and 8.4 is free of charge. SECO-Institute will confirm the new examination date or Availability Period by email without delay, and in any event within seven (7) days of receiving the request.
8.6 Oral Examinations cannot be rescheduled. They can only be cancelled in accordance with article 6.6.
8.7 Registrations made by an organisation, such as an employer or training provider, can only be rescheduled by that organisation.
8.8 If the Candidate does not attend or does not start the Examination, and has not cancelled or rescheduled it in accordance with these General Terms and Conditions, the examination fee is not refunded.
9. Online Examinations
9.1 The Candidate may take an Online Examination at any time within the Availability Period, taking into account any planned maintenance of the SECO-Institute Systems announced by SECO-Institute. SECO-Institute makes reasonable efforts to keep the SECO-Institute Systems available but does not guarantee that Online Examinations or the SECO-Institute Systems will be available at all times or without interruption.
9.2 Before starting an Online Examination, the Candidate must read the Examination Rules and Regulations carefully. They contain, among other things, rules on fraud, the testing environment, identification and conduct during the Examination.
9.3 The Candidate must comply strictly with the Examination Rules and Regulations. After the Online Examination, SECO-Institute will review the session, including the recording, for irregularities. Any breach or irregularity may lead to exclusion from the Examination, invalidation of the result and/or withdrawal of the Certificate or any other document issued, as set out in the Examination Rules and Regulations. In that case, the examination fee is not refunded.
9.4 SECO-Institute may declare an Online Examination invalid if:
(a) the Candidate is unable to complete the Online Examination because of a computer or internet failure; or
(b) any other failure interrupts the audio or video recording, or prevents the Candidate’s answers from being saved in full.
In that case, SECO-Institute will investigate the cause of the failure and inform the Candidate of the outcome.
9.5 If the failure is not attributable to the SECO-Institute Systems – for example, if it is caused by the Candidate’s equipment, internet connection or testing environment – the Candidate must register and pay for the Examination again.
9.6 If the failure is attributable to the SECO-Institute Systems, SECO-Institute will allow the Candidate to retake the Online Examination free of charge or, if that is not reasonably possible, refund the examination fee.
10. Examinations at an Examination Location
10.1 Before taking an Examination at an Examination Location, the Candidate must read the Examination Rules and Regulations carefully. They contain, among other things, rules on fraud, identification and arriving on time.
10.2 The Candidate must comply with the Examination Rules and Regulations and follow the instructions of the examination supervisor. Any breach or irregularity may lead to exclusion from the Examination, invalidation of the examination work or result and/or withdrawal of the Certificate or any other document issued, as set out in the Examination Rules and Regulations. In that case, the examination fee is not refunded.
11. Results, Inspection, Appeals and Complaints
11.1 SECO-Institute communicates the result of an Examination to the Candidate in writing or by email. Results are not given by telephone.
11.2 The Candidate may appeal to the Board of Appeal against the assessment of an Examination and against other decisions, as set out in the Examination Rules and Regulations.
11.3 Detailed rules on the communication of results, inspection of examination work and appeals are set out in the Examination Rules and Regulations.
11.4 Complaints that do not concern the content or assessment of an Examination may be submitted to SECO-Institute orally or in writing, in accordance with the complaints procedure in the Examination Rules and Regulations.
12. Examination Materials, Confidentiality and Intellectual Property
12.1 The Candidate must keep the Examination Materials strictly confidential. Without the prior written permission of SECO-Institute, the Candidate must not remove, copy, photograph, record, transcribe or otherwise reproduce any Examination Materials, in whole or in part; disclose or discuss their content, including on websites, forums or social media or by entering it into any artificial intelligence tool or other online service; or make them available to any third party in any other way.
12.2 All rights to the Examination Materials, including copyright and other intellectual property rights, belong exclusively to SECO-Institute and its licensors. The Candidate may use the Examination Materials only to the extent necessary to take the Examination.
12.3 If there is evidence that the Candidate has breached this article 12, SECO-Institute may exclude the Candidate from the Examination, declare the Examination invalid, and refuse to issue, or withdraw, the Certificate. In serious cases, SECO-Institute may also exclude the Candidate from future Examinations. The sanctions are set out in more detail in the Examination Rules and Regulations. This is without prejudice to SECO-Institute’s right to claim compensation for any damage suffered.
13. Personal Data
13.1 SECO-Institute processes the Candidate’s personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and its privacy statement.
14. Force Majeure
14.1 Force majeure means any circumstance beyond SECO-Institute’s reasonable control that prevents SECO-Institute from performing its obligations, including power failures, internet outages, disruptions of the SECO-Institute Systems caused by circumstances beyond SECO-Institute’s reasonable control (such as cyberattacks), failures of third-party suppliers (including online proctoring and hosting providers), government measures, epidemics, strikes and postal delays.
14.2 During force majeure, SECO-Institute’s obligations are suspended for as long as the force majeure lasts, and SECO-Institute is not liable to pay any compensation. Where possible, SECO-Institute will offer the Candidate a new examination date free of charge.
14.3 If the force majeure lasts thirty (30) days or longer, both SECO-Institute and the Candidate may terminate the Agreement in whole or in part. SECO-Institute will then refund any examination fee paid for an Examination that has not been taken.
15. Liability
15.1 If the Candidate is unable to take or complete an Examination, or must retake it, because of a failure attributable to SECO-Institute, SECO-Institute will allow the Candidate to retake the Examination free of charge or, if that is not reasonably possible, refund the examination fee.
15.2 Except as provided in article 15.1, SECO-Institute’s total liability to the Candidate, on any legal ground, is limited to the examination fee paid by the Candidate for the Examination concerned. If the Candidate paid with an Examination Voucher, SECO-Institute’s liability is limited to the fee SECO-Institute charged Candidates for that Examination at the time the damage occurred. A series of related events counts as a single event.
15.3 SECO-Institute is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, including loss of income or profit, missed career or business opportunities, or decisions taken by employers or other third parties on the basis of an Examination result.
15.4 SECO-Institute is not liable for damage caused by the Candidate’s own equipment, software, internet connection or testing environment, or by the Candidate’s failure to comply with these General Terms and Conditions or the Examination Rules and Regulations.
15.5 The limitations of liability in this article 15 also apply to SECO-Institute’s employees, examination supervisors, suppliers and subcontractors, who may rely on them directly.
15.6 The limitations of liability in this article 15 do not apply in the event of intent or gross negligence on the part of SECO-Institute or its management, nor to any liability that cannot be limited or excluded by law, including liability for death or personal injury.
16. Applicable Law and Disputes
16.1 These General Terms and Conditions and every Agreement are governed exclusively by Dutch law. This does not deprive a Candidate who lives outside the Netherlands of the protection of the mandatory consumer law of their country of residence.
16.2 Disputes concerning the assessment of an Examination or a sanction imposed under the Examination Rules and Regulations are handled by the Board of Appeal in accordance with article [31] of the Examination Rules and Regulations. The Candidate is asked to use this procedure before starting court proceedings. This does not affect the Candidate’s right to bring a dispute before the competent court.
16.3 Subject to article 16.2, all disputes between SECO-Institute and the Candidate will be submitted to the competent court of the District Court of South Holland, the Netherlands. A Candidate acting as a consumer may, within one (1) month after SECO-Institute has invoked this article in writing, choose to have the dispute decided by the court that is competent by law instead.
17. Contact and Final Provisions
17.1 Questions, comments, requests and complaints about these General Terms and Conditions may be sent to securitytraining@dnv.com or by post to:
SECO-Institute a DNV company/ DNV Business Assurance B.V.
Zwolseweg 1
2994 LB Barendrecht
The Netherlands
17.2 If these General Terms and Conditions are translated into another language and the versions differ, the English version prevails.