Health Insurance

• If you are already insured for healthcare costs in your own country, you still have to take out health insurance in the Netherlands. It is compulsory for you to have Dutch health insurance throughout the entire period that you work in the Netherlands.
• You must take out health insurance from a health provider yourself. Every health insurance provider is obliged to accept you for insurance under the basic health insurance package.
• The healthcare covered by the basic package includes care by general practitioners and specialists, hospital care, medicines, dental care up to the age of 22, specialist dental care and dentures. 
• If you work in the Netherlands, any family members (partner and children) resident in a treaty country are entitled to have their healthcare costs in their country of residence paid for under their Dutch insurance policy. You must therefore pay a contribution for any family members over the age of 18. In order to receive this, your family members will need to register. Ask your healthcare insurance provider for a registration form. 
• If you are over 18, there is a compulsory excess of €385 for the basic health insurance package. This means that you will have to pay the first €385 towards your healthcare costs yourself. This compulsory excess does not apply for general practitioner care, natal care, maternity care, and the dental care package for people up to the age of 22. This excess does not apply for children up to the age of 18. 
• If you do not live in the Netherlands and resign or are dismissed from your job, you must cancel your healthcare insurance. If you prefer to have more extensive insurance coverage, you can opt for additional healthcare insurance. This is not compulsory. 

For more information about the various health insurance providers, please check Zorgwijzer-zorgvergelijker. 

If you want more general information about healthcare in the Netherlands, click here. 

When applying for health insurance, you need a BSN number, a Dutch bank account number, and a residence permit (if applicable). Once your health insurance policy has been confirmed, you can register with a GP near your home address, To find a GP near you, you can check the Yellow Pages, under Artsen-Huisartsen. 

For more information about health insurance in the Netherlands, please check the Ministerie van VWS website. 

Not everyone has the same level of income. In order to ensure that everyone can pay the health insurance premium, the Dutch government introduced a healthcare allowance (zorgtoeslag). This covers some of the costs of the premium. Eligibility for the healthcare allowance is dependent on income. If you earn less than a specific amount, you will be entitled to the healthcare allowance. The lower your income, the higher your healthcare allowance will be. 

For more information, please check Belastingdienst/Zorgtoeslag. 

Expats and their family who are not obliged to take out health insurance in the Netherlands should take out comprehensive, good-value health insurance with an international healthcare provider. Recommended international healthcare providers are:

• Allianz Worldwide Care
• Bupa Global
• Cigna Global Health Benefits
• Aetna International

All are renowned insurance providers who have a great deal of experience in insurance for expats.

AON/IPS Insurance offers a complete cross-border insurance policy for your stay abroad, anywhere in the world, for the duration of your stay. It covers students coming from abroad for an internship, to study, or for exchange programmes. The AON/IPS insurance policy offers extensive coverage for medical and urgent dental treatment, special expenses and assistance, liability, legal assistance, and loss of baggage. Visit the AON/IPS website for more information and to apply for direct cover. 

As an employee of the MPI you can take advantage of a collective agreement we have made with CZ for their health insurance. As a result, many colleagues are getting not only a discount on their general and additional insurance already, but also more than 20 extra benefits to help them stay fit and healthy. 

Please click here for more information. 

However, the Dutch government no longer allows health insurers to give a group discount on the general insurance policy. Discounts on additional insurance packages and dental insurance, on the other hand, are still allowed and will be maintained.