During your stay in the Netherlands you must make sure you are adequately insured, both for your health and other risks. Your host institution can advise you on which insurance to take out/bring. Here information is provided both on the health insurance system and on when you are adequately insured.

Find out which insurance applies to you
Healthcare insurance flowchart

Types of insurances

Dutch public health insurance
You will participate in the Dutch public healthcare insurance if you fall under the Dutch social security - either through being employed by a Dutch employer or through having the centre of your social, economic and cultural life in the Netherlands (ordinarily resident).
If you do, you are obliged to take out a Dutch public healthcare insurance within 4 months after you arrived in the Netherlands. If you do not, you have to make other insurance arrangements.

The Dutch public healthcare insurance system consists of three tiers: basic, additional and exceptional medical care. For the basic and additional medical care an insurance policy needs to be taken out (obligatory for the basic and voluntary for the additional medical care). Exceptional medical care covers costs such as long lasting nursery care. For the exceptional medical care (Wlz) you will automatically be insured if you meet the criteria.

Cost
The basiszorgverzekering is a standard insurance which costs about 100€ per adult person. People with a lower income can apply for a healthcare allowance, which will compensate some of the costs. You might be able to find a discount scheme, perhaps through your employer.

Dutch private health insurance
Several private insurance companies sell policies designed especially for students and researchers coming to the Netherlands. Three of these insurance companies include: AON,InsuretoStudy and StudentsInsured (IPS).

These insurance companies provide an insurance package including healthcare insurance, as well as liability insurance, accident insurance, theft insurance, travel insurance, repatriation insurance and legal aid insurance. They provide adequate healthcare cover and information in English. The latter is something that most Dutch healthcare insurance companies lack. The cost of the package is reasonable (about €45 per month).