Insurance

Medical insurance
Liability insurance
House contents insurance
Home owner's insurance
Travel insurance
Car insurance
Legal aid insurance
Insurance for valuables
Life insurance

In Holland, everyone must have third party liability insurance (aansprakelijkheidsverzekering). You are liable for everything your children and pets or anyone in your family does to inflict injury or damage on others or their property.

When purchasing a policy, be sure to understand and compare policies for what circumstances they cover. For example, homeowner's insurance could cover fire damage, but if the fire is caused by lightening they could claim that the damage was due to the storm and your policy may not cover that. Do some shopping around.

An insurance company often requires proof of residence before issuing a policy. This can be a problem, as it is also mandatory to have health insurance in order to be able to obtain a residence permit. Be sure you have interim insurance to cover this in between period. Your HR officer will help you through this impossible sounding situation.

Some types of insurance include:

Medical insurance

With effect from 1st January 2006, each individual in The Netherlands is required to obtain a basisverzekering. Issues that are of interest to look at when doing comparative shopping for a policy include the amount of money that is at your own risk, the coverage abroad if you fall ill or otherwise require medical care, level of dental care offered, and coverage of alternative therapies. Read more in our section on health insurance.

Liability insurance

Insurance coverage that offers protection against claims alleging that a property owner's negligence or inappropriate action resulted in bodily injury or property damage to another party.

House contents insurance

This would typically include cover for all your furniture, household goods, food and drink, televisions, videos, computers, stereo equipment, clothing and valuables, etc. in case of burglary or fire, although a policy should also pay if your possessions are damaged or lost as a result of an explosion, water leaks or if your home is vandalised. This is often for renters, as opposed to Home Owner's insurance (below).

Home owner's insurance

 An insurance policy that combines insurance on the home, its contents, and, often, the other personal possessions of the homeowner, as well as liability insurance for accidents that may happen at the home.

Travel insurance

This provides coverage for emergencies abroad such as illness, baggage loss, accidental death/dismemberment. This policy often includes trip cancellation insurance.

Car insurance

This is insurance against loss due to theft or traffic accidents. Basic coverage is mandatry if you drive, though there are many optional policy types (i.e. protection from you against people who don't have the proper insurance if they injur you, protection in case an accident is your fault, protection in case a passenger is injured while you are driving, protection in case you have an accident with a stationary object, etc.

Legal aid insurance

Insurance that covers you in the event you require professional legal advice, which can be costly.

Insurance for valuables

Cover for any item of particular value not covered by another policy is possible.

Life insurance

Life insurance is a policy that makes sure your loved ones (whomever you designate specifically) receive money when you die. It is to ensur that they are not left without resources when you are gone.

Sources: OutposttheHague, xpat.nl, householdersguide.com, google