Medical Insurance

Everyone living in the Netherlands or paying wage taxes here is required by law to have health care insurance. Whether it’s a Dutch one or an international one depends on your situation.

Requirements for Dutch health insurance

You must have a BSN number and, if your nationality is from outside of the EU/EEA, a residence permit to apply. You can apply for temporary health insurance until you have a BSN number and, if necessary, a residence permit.

Insurance coverage should be obtained within 4 months of living in the Netherlands. The coverage will be retroactive to the validity date on the residence card (non-EU citizens) or from the date of registration with their local municipality (EU/EEA citizens). Many people are covered by their employer’s scheme. In this case, their HR manager advises them on the correct procedure. Those who need to take out their own health insurance must contact an insurance company. Under certain specific conditions, people may be exempt from this requirement (see here). To test if you are exempt, please visit this page on the SVB website.

Children (18 and younger) receive basic coverage free of charge and do not need to have their own policy. They must be named on the policy of one of their parents and will receive the same coverage as their parents.

Mandatory own risk

In the Netherlands, there is a mandatory deductible (own-risk) system. Adults have to pay part of their medical costs for selected services up to an amount of €385 per year, per person. There is also the possibility of choosing an additional personal liability of between 100 and 800 euros in exrta per year to help reduce policy costs. In this case, the amount of the additional deductible is paid before the health insurance begins to cover the costs.

If you are an international student or a posted worker, check the exemption pages for more information.

When coming to the Netherlands on a temporary residence permit (MVV), as a visitor or you are still waiting for your residence permit you are required to be insured but cannot take out the Dutch basic health insurance. You can choose for an international (travel) insurance or the OOM Provisional Residence in the Netherlands Insurance. They offer short term insurance and  a visitor insurance.

Insurance companies and policies

Everyone can still choose his or her own insurance company. International insurance companies generally work with a Dutch insurance company to provide health coverage for international employees who have health insurance from their home countries. International employees are advised to check their coverage with their insurance companies to find out the details.

The basic insurance package (basispakket) includes general medical care, most prescription medicine, hospital stays, pregnancy care, medical equipment, and ambulance transportation. One can also choose to take out supplemental coverage (aanvullende verzekering) for additional costs, such as physiotherapy. The average cost per person for the basispakket is approximately 146 euros per month. If you have low income you can apply for the health insurance benefit  to cover part of the costs of your Dutch health insurance.

Insurers offer a choice of different basic policies to the insured: naturapolis (standard policy), restitutiepolis (refund policy), or a mixture between the two. In the case of a Naturapolis, the insurers arrange contracts with care providers and pay directly for the services provided. You can go to any caregiver that is listed with the insurance company. With a Restitutiepolis, you choose the caregiver, pay the bills directly, and apply for reimbursement from the insurer. The insurer decides how much to reimburse. It may be worthwhile to shop around for the right insurance for you and your family.

Changing health insurance companies or policies

Health insurance cover changes annually and health insurance can be changed only once a year – in December, prior to 1 January. You might want to do this if you think you need services that were not previously covered, for instance. The increased coverage usually amounts to increased costs, which should be considered beforehand, as you must then wait until the next year before other changes can be implemented.

EU citizens – posted workers

EU citizens who can provide an S1 portable document (formerly called E106) from their home country can get a treaty policy and will be insured up to the level of Dutch basic coverage. Those with a European Insurance Card (EHIC) will also have access to Dutch health care.

More information

For more information, see this handy checklist provided by the Zorgverzekeringslijn. There are also several online services (ZorgWijzer, in English, and Independer, in Dutch) that can help compare different health insurers and policies.

Received a letter from the CAK?

If you have received a letter from the CAK stating that you are ‘not insured’, it means that you do not have a Dutch basic health insurance. If you think you should not have to take out a Dutch basic health insurance contact the SVB (in Dutch ‘Sociale Verzekeringsbank’) to request a Wlz assessment and check if you are obliged to take out basic Dutch health insurance or not.