Active personal dosemeters (APDs) are well accepted as useful and reliable instruments for individual dosimetry measurements. The increasing concern about studying the behaviour of APDs in pulsed fields is illustrated through revision of the results of the most representative studies on the performance of APDs in the last 5 y. The deficiencies of APDs in pulsed fields are discussed together with proposals to overcome them. Although there are no legal constraints or technical limitations for recognising APDs for legal dosimetry in facilities with continuous radiation fields, APDs continue to be mainly used as operational dosemeters. The approval procedures applicable to APDs, especially the approach undertaken by Germany, are presented. Finally, some trends in the developments and use of APDs are summarised.