FAQ - healthcare insurance
Here you can find 34 FAQ's on healthcare insurance. They are classified in the following categories:
- Employment
- Exception for people under 30 years of age coming to the Netherlands solely for study purposes
- Temporary stays
- Residence permits
- Burgerservicenummer and healthcare allowance
- Family members
- What should I do if I can’t get a public healthcare insurance?
- Other issues
Employment
1. If I am working, when do I need to take out a public healthcare insurance policy?
You are obliged to have a public healthcare insurance from the day your employment contract starts. For example, if you arrive in the Netherlands on 16 October, and your first day at work is 1 November, you must have a public healthcare insurance cover from 1 November. Some insurances provide the option to take out insurance in the period before your employment contract starts. It is worth to inform about this.
2. Am I considered to be in employment if I have a contract for zero hours?
Yes, even if your employment contract is for zero hours, you are considered to be in employment and must therefore have public healthcare cover.
Exception for people under 30 years of age coming to the Netherlands solely for study purposes
3. Why are people younger than 30 years of age who are in the Netherlands solely for study purposes exempt from the requirement to take out a public healthcare insurance?
The law exempts foreign nationals under 30 years of age who are in the Netherlands solely for study purposes from paying social security contributions (article 20 of the Access to Social Insurance (Additional Categories of Persons) Order 1999 ). If you are in this category, you will not have any entitlements under Dutch social security legislation. Because the public healthcare insurance is linked to a person’s entitlement to benefits under the General Medical Expenses Act (AWBZ ), which is a Dutch social insurance, foreign nationals under 30 who are in the Netherlands only for study purposes cannot take out a public healthcare insurance. More information about the exempt rule.
4. I’m a PhD student, and I don’t have any teaching duties; I’m just doing PhD research. Am I considered to be someone who is in the Netherlands solely for study purposes?
Yes, most likely the exempt rule is applicable to you. If you are unsure, contact your HRM department or the SVB. A special form has been designed to send to the SVB, named 'Do I need statutory basic healthcare insurance?’, which helps to formulate all the specific information the SVB needs to know in order to provide you with a quick answer.
5. What happens if I don’t need to take out a public healthcare insurance, but then I start a paid job?
You are obliged to have a public healthcare insurance from the day your employment contract starts. If you were exempt before this will now no longer apply to you.
Temporary stays
6. When, as a researcher, will my stay in the Netherlands be considered temporary?
When the centre of your social, legal and economic life takes place in the Netherlands, your stay will be considered permanent (you are seen as an ordinarily resident). Read more about temporary stay.
Residence permits
7. When does my right/obligation to take out a public healthcare insurance start in relation to my residence permit. Is it when I actually get the plastic residence permit card or sooner?
The date of issuing the residence permit pass, which can be found on your residence permit card is from when you are to take out a public healthcare insurance when all other requirements have been met.
8. Is a short-stay visa (VKV) the same as a residence permit?
No, a short-stay visa (visum kort verblijf) is not a residence permit (verblijfsvergunning).
Burgerservicenummer (BSN) and healthcare allowance
9. Do I need a burgerservicenummer before I can take out a public healthcare insurance?
Yes, you must obtain a burgerservicenummer (BSN) before you can take out a public healthcare insurance.
10. I’ve heard that people on lower incomes can get help with the premiums for a public healthcare insurance? Do international researchers also qualify for this?
If your income is below a certain level, you can apply for a healthcare allowance (zorgtoeslag) to help you pay your public healthcare insurance premiums.
11. Is the healthcare allowance regarded as public funds or as income?
Applying for the healthcare allowance will not be regarded as making use of public funds, thus it will have no consequences for your entitlement to a residence permit.
12. Do I need a burgerservicenummer before I can apply for the healthcare allowance?
Yes, you will need to obtain a burgerservicenummer before you can apply for the healthcare allowance.
13. Can I apply for the healthcare allowance retrospectively?
Yes, you can apply for the healthcare allowance up to three months following the end of the year you want to apply for. This means, for example, that you can apply for the healthcare allowance for 2009 until 31 March 2010.
Family members
14. Are my family members also covered by my a public healthcare insurance?
No, a public healthcare insurance policies provide cover on an individual basis. Family members who have joined you in the Netherlands will have their entitlement to a public healthcare insurance determined individually. They will be entitled if they are deemed a permanent resident of the Netherlands (the hub of their life is in the Netherlands) and, where applicable, they have a residence permit.
15. What does the public healthcare insurance cost for a family with children?
No premium is payable for children under the age of 18. Every adult pays a premium of around €1,200 per person per year.
16. Do family members also need a burgerservicenummer before they can take out a public healthcare insurance?
Yes, healthcare insurers must know your burgerservicenummer before they can issue a policy. Without it, they are unable to provide you with cover.
17. Do my family members need a burgerservicenummer before they can apply for the healthcare allowance?
Yes, anyone wishing to apply for the healthcare allowance must first obtain a burgerservicenummer. Without it, the tax administration will refuse to process the application.
What should I do if I can’t get a public healthcare insurance?
18. I don’t qualify for a public healthcare insurance. How can I get healthcare insurance?
There are other options for getting healthcare insurance cover: private insurance in the Netherlands, insurance in your home country that provides cover in the Netherlands, and the EU Health Insurance Card.
19. Can I take out a health insurance policy with a private insurance company, such as Lippmann or AON?
Yes, you can if you do not have to take out a Dutch public healthcare insurance.
20. I’m a national of another EU country. Does the EU Health Insurance Card provide me with the necessary cover?
Yes, if you’re an EU national and you do not have an employment contract and your stay in the Netherlands is temporary, your EU Health Insurance Card will provide you with the necessary cover.
21. Where do I get an EU Health Insurance Card?
If you are insured in your home country under the public healthcare scheme, you can get one from the responsible health insurance institution there. You will not be able to get one if you only have private health insurance.
22. Can every EU national get an EU Health Insurance Card?
No, you will only be entitled to an EU Health Insurance Card if you live in an EU country (EU, EEA and Switzerland) and you are insured there under the public healthcare scheme. If you only have private health insurance, you will not be eligible.
23. What entitlement does my EU Health Insurance Card give me in the Netherlands?
Your EU Health Insurance Card will provide you with the same level of cover provided by the public healthcare insurance and the General Exceptional Medical Expenses Act (AWBZ) for necessary medical expenses.
24. I’m a researcher and have an EU Health Insurance Card. Do I need to register with a Dutch healthcare insurer?
No, you can get medical care by showing your EU Health Insurance Card to the care provider.
Your care provider will then send the bill to Agis, who then passes the bill on to the responsible healthcare institution in your home country.
25. I’m an EU national, do I need to take out a public healthcare insurance?
If your stay is temporary and you are not working, you don’t need to take out a public healthcare insurance.
Other issues
26. What happens if I don’t take out a public healthcare insurance?
If you are required to take out a public healthcare insurance and you fail to do so, you could face a penalty. The penalty is 130% of the nominal premium for every month that you were uninsured, with a maximum of 5 years.
27. Who’s going to check whether I’m insured?
It is the job of health insurers to check that you have the necessary cover.
28. How much time have I got to take out a public healthcare insurance?
If you are required to take out a public healthcare insurance, you must do so within four months of qualifying. For example, if Juan’s obligation to take out a public healthcare insurance starts on 16 May, he must have taken out the necessary cover by 16 September. However, the policy will be backdated to the moment that the obligation to take out a public healthcare insurance started.
29. Can I take out a public healthcare insurance for just a few months?
Yes, this is possible if you are only entitled to this insurance for this limited period. However, we advise to first inquire with the insurance company what the cancelling procedure is.
30. What insurance cover should I get for my children?
No premium is payable for children under the age of 18. However, they do need to have a public healthcare insurance cover, and so you must register them with your healthcare insurer.
31. What insurance cover does my foreign partner need?
The public healthcare insurance is an individual insurance, so your partner will need insurance cover too. If your partner is a permanent resident of the Netherlands and has a residence permit, he or she will be required to take out a public healthcare insurance. If your partner is employed in the Netherlands, they will be required to take out a public healthcare insurance from the start date of their employment contract.
32. What sort of insurance cover is required for household contents and third-party liability?
A public healthcare insurance only covers the cost of medical expenses. If you want, you can take out insurance cover for your household contents and for third-party liability. However, this is separate from your healthcare insurance.
33. What does a public healthcare insurance cost for a single person?
The premium payable for a public healthcare insurance varies from one insurer to another, but is usually somewhere in the region of €1,100 per year. If you have a relatively low income, you may be able to get help with your premiums (up to a maximum of €403 a year).
34. What does a public healthcare insurance cost for me and my family?
For a family consisting of two parents and two children, for example, the parents would each have to take out a public healthcare insurance at a cost of approximately €1,200 a year (this assumes that both partners are obliged to take out a public healthcare insurance). No premiums would be payable for the children (until they reach the age of 18). The total cost would therefore be roughly: 2 x €1,200 = €2,400 per year (which is €200 a month). If you have a relatively low income, you may be able to get help with your premiums (up to a maximum of €1,200 a year).
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