It is a legal requirement to have health insurance in the Netherlands. It is your responsibility to make sure you are sufficiently covered during your stay. You will be fined if you have registered with a Dutch address while not having health insurance. Find health insurance companies here.
Do you need health insurance? Read below.
- If you already have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and you are not planning on working during your time studying in the Netherlands, then you don’t need to take out any Dutch health insurance. You are legally not allowed to take out Dutch public health insurance if you’re only here to study.
- If you already have a private health insurance in your home country that covers you in the Netherlands and you don’t plan to work next to your studies then you don’t have to take out any Dutch health insurance.
- If you have a job or an internship (even if it is unpaid) alongside your studies in the Netherlands you will have to take out Dutch public health insurance. This is regardless of what other health insurances you may have.
- If you do not have an EHIC or health insurance that covers you in the Netherlands then you need to take out Dutch private health insurance. These are provided by several companies, such as, Aon and OOM. It is a legal requirement to have health insurance in the Netherlands.
The International Student Helpdesk (ISH) has made this decision tree to guide you through the decision of whether to take out health insurance and which kind.
Dutch public health insurance can be quite expensive. If you do not earn much money in the year (which most students don’t) then you may be eligible for the Zorgtoeslag. Read our subsidy page in order to find out how the government can help cover your health insurance costs.
If you are feeling confused and you’re not exactly sure what you should do, you can call the Zorgverzekeringslijn. Their website has incredibly detailed information for international students, as well as a hotline that you can call from abroad if you have questions. They also have a full dictionary of Dutch health terms!
If you have received a letter from the CAK regarding health insurance, you can check out our dedicated page to learn how to deal with this.
