Being insured is not just a good thing to be; it is actually mandatory for both non-EU and EU/EEA students. Knowing what insurance to choose and understanding the Dutch healthcare system is important.
- Student Insurance
- EHIC for EU/EEA students
- Dutch Basic Health Insurance (Zorgverzekering)
- What insurance providers are there?
- How much does it cost?
- How does it work?
Student Insurance
Now this sounds like the go-to solution for all students. However, it is targeted at non-EU/EEA students and is expected when you try to apply for your visa/residence permit. If you see a healthcare professional, you will usually have to pay them directly and then request reimbursement from your student insurance. This works well if you don’t have to see many healthcare professionals during your stay (great!).
“The” student insurance is Aon: https://www.aonstudentinsurance.com/en/home
Note that non-EU/EEA students are NOT ALLOWED to apply for public health insurance without having a work permit.
EU/EEA students pay attention to the next category:
EHIC for EU/EEA students
If you are currently insured in your home country, you most likely do not need to change your insurance at all. You can request a healthcare card from your current insurance. These have a blue backside called the European Health Insurance Card:
This card is valid in most European countries, allowing you to make use of emergency care and some more in the Netherlands as well.
Your insurance might require additional approval for specific uses such as surgeries or mental care.
If you start working in the Netherlands, you will be required to take out the basic Dutch health insurance outlined in the following section.
Dutch Basic Health Insurance (Zorgverzekering)
This is the standard insurance most Dutch nationals have as well. It covers most things that can happen to you in life or offers you extra policies (aanvullend) to extend coverage even more. But before we get to that, you might not be eligible to take out this kind of insurance:
TL;DR: You need to be employed in the Netherlands in order to be allowed to take out Dutch health insurance.
Failure to do so will result in you getting a letter from the CAK urging you to get insured properly. Failure to comply will result in a fine.
What insurance providers are there?
Many! There is even a tool to compare which one might be the best for you: https://www.independer.nl/zorgverzekering/intro.aspx
We think the following is important when looking for a health insurance provider:
- Good English UI
- Covers your local hospital(s)
Here are a few we would recommend checking out:
- Zilveren Kruis
- Menzis
How much does it cost?
The costs vary per insurance provider and the coverage you would like. For the basic coverage, you can expect to pay between 150 and 170 EUR per month. This sounds like a lot, but combined with the healthcare allowance, it’s almost as cheap as Netflix and Spotify these days! Also see the “Eigen Risico” in the next section.
How does it work?
When you need to visit a doctor, you usually go through a General Practitioner first, who can help you with general problems or send you to a specialist (verwijzing). Due to limited staffing, many GPs in the Netherlands are not accepting new patients. Check with your university if they have an agreement with a local GP.
During registration with a GP, you need to provide your BSN and a government ID document. From now on, you should not have to show your BSN or insurance policy anymore – everything is digital. The healthcare provider sends the bill to your insurance automatically.
Note: The first 385 EUR per specialist costs are for your own bill! This is called Eigen Risico (own risk). This is meant to show people how much healthcare really costs. Your insurance will charge you these costs extra if they occur.
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