Health insurance

Before you come to the Netherlands, make sure that you have made arrangements to be properly insured against the costs of medical treatment. There are several forms of insurance, depending on your situation.

There are three healthcare insurance possibilities:

  1. You have to take out a Dutch public healthcare insurance.
  2. Your insurance policy in your home country covers your stay in the Netherlands.
  3. You take out a new or special insurance policy for your stay in the Netherlands.
     

1.  You have to take out a Dutch public healthcare insurance

In certain circumstances, for example when you take on a part-time job next to your studies, or when you do a paid internship, you have to take out a Dutch public healthcare insurance. If this obligation applies to you, you can take out such an insurance with any Dutch public healthcare insurance company.

Most schools and employers sign a special contract with an insurance company to obtain a discount. Please check if you can join these schemes.

Dutch public healthcare insurance can be rather expensive, but people below a certain income level can receive a financial contribution towards their costs through the Healthcare Allowance (Zorgtoeslag).

If, after reading the factsheet, you are still unsure whether you are obliged to take out a Dutch public healthcare insurance, please fill in the form "Do I need statutory basic healthcare insurance?"* and send it to the Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB), who can clear things up for you.

* please note that the SVB can only tell you whether or not you are taking part in the Dutch social security system (volksverzekeringen). When you do take part in the Dutch social security system, you also have the right and the obligation to take out a Dutch public healthcare insurance.

 

2. Your insurance policy in your home country covers your stay in the Netherlands

The Netherlands has health insurance treaties with a number of countries, including most European countries.

If you are insured under the national health insurance scheme of one of these countries, then your insurance company can give you an international declaration form or a European Health Insurance Card. Make sure to bring this with you to the Netherlands, as you will need it when you go to see a doctor in the Netherlands.

If your insurance does not cover your stay in the Netherlands and if your country does not have an international treaty as described above, then you need to take out a private insurance policy.
 

3. You take out a new or special insurance policy for your stay in the Netherlands

If you are not covered under the public healthcare insurance of the Netherlands or your home country, then you will have to take out a new healthcare insurance. There are special policies available for international students in the Netherlands.

Nuffic has checked the policies and conditions of the following two insurance companies: 

Insurance documents in common European language

Regardless of the type of insurance you have, please make sure that the insurance documents are written in a common European language.

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