There are various options for health insurance and which suits you best is dependent on your individual situation. Follow the article and find out how to get health insurance coverage.
If you’re in the Netherlands for study purposes only
Are you moving to Maastricht to study, and don’t intend on working or conducting a paid internship? Then you should know that you are legally not allowed to take out Dutch public health insurance. The insurance you do need will then depend on where you’re from:
EU student with a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
If you’re coming to Maastricht to study and you don’t plan on getting a job or paid internship, and you have a EHIC, then there may be less for you to worry about! In principle, you have enough health insurance coverage to not run into any legal problems during your stay in the Netherlands.
So in theory, if this is your situation, you don’t need to do anything about your health insurance. Basic medical costs in the Netherlands will most likely be covered – however, be aware that you may have to pay yourself first and then request a refund from your EHIC provider. However, there are also additional options for health insurance. We recommend everyone to consider a private health insurance (for example by AON) that will cover any additional healthcare costs that are not covered by EHIC.
You should always be careful about relying too much on the EHIC, as it might not cover the same costs in the Netherlands as in your home country. While the card should be enough for a young, healthy person who doesn’t require any specialist medical care, if you have particular health needs, you should check with your national insurance provider to see if your EHIC offers you sufficient coverage for these needs. If this is not the case, you should arrange for supplementary private insurance.
Despite having an EHIC, some students receive a CAK letter each year. Our page dedicated to this issue can be found here.
EU student without an EHIC
If you’re an EU student coming to Maastricht to study, you don’t plan on getting a job or paid internship, and you don’t have an EHIC, you can either look into applying for an EHIC, or you can opt for private insurance. For the latter case, Maastricht University recommends Aon Student Insurance. In some EU countries, the governments provide citizens with an EHIC but you may need to apply separately for it, so make sure you know what the case is in your country.
Non-EU student
If you’re a non-EU student coming to Maastricht to study and you don’t plan on getting a job or paid internship but you’re already insured (e.g. in your home country, or under an international insurance), you should contact your provider to check whether your current policy sufficiently covers you in the Netherlands. If this is the case, then you’re fine!
If all the above applies to you but you’re not already insured, or your current insurance doesn’t cover you in NL, you will need to apply for an international or private insurance. Again, Maastricht University recommends Aon Student Insurance. You can find more information about the Aon Student Insurance here. There are also other insurance providers. Examples include Allianz’s and ISI, and OOM provide international student health insurances. Please make sure to do your own research on companies that provide international students with health insurance to find a company that suits your needs.
If you’re in the Netherlands to study and plan on working or interning
You are legally obliged to take out Dutch public health insurance (basisverzekering) if you are a student in the Netherlands who:
- Has a zero-hour (casual) working contract,
- Gets a (part-time) job (that pays at least the Dutch minimum wage), or
- Undertakes a paid internship (NB: any expenses covered by your internship – e.g. housing – are considered payment)
Your health insurance must be valid from the first day of work. Not doing so could result in hefty (upwards of €300) fines from the government.
You can also check out the flowchart from Zorgwijzer to see which insurance applies to your case.
