Health insurance
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Insurance is mandatory
You are required by law to have appropriate health insurance for the duration of your stay in the Netherlands.
You are also advised to take out an appropriate general third-party insurance (liability insurance). For non-EEA/EU students requesting a residence permit through the UvA, liability insurance is mandatory.
Please check before you come to the Netherlands whether your insurance will cover the complete period of your stay abroad, and what type of coverage it consists of.
Financial penalty
- If you do not take out insurance, you risk having to pay a penalty of around 130% of the nominal premium for each month that you are uninsured plus a fine of around €375 if you do not pay on time.
- The Dutch government organisation Zorginstituut Nederland will initially contact you with a letter in Dutch, stating that you are not insured and will be fined, possibly even if you have already arranged insurance for your stay in the Netherlands, e.g. AON or a European Health Insurance Card.
- If you receive such a letter, you always will need to take action. By taking action you will prevent a lot of bureaucratic hassle and financial penalties for yourself. The attachment from Nuffic found below explains what steps you need to take.
- If you, however, received such a letter, and did not take action, you need to submit a form called ‘AWBZ insurance position’ to the SVB (Social Security Bank). See the link below ‘About the letter’ for more information on what you should do.
Types of health insurance
(Please refer to the links below or menu links on the left.)
- Private health care insurance
If you are not employed, private health care agreements for international students will most likely suffice for you. - European Health Insurance Card
(EHIC)
If you are a citizen from the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you can apply for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). You can obtain the European Health Insurance Card free of charge by contacting your local health authority. EHIC will cover the most basic and emergency healthcare costs. - Governmental health care
agreements
The Dutch Government has signed Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with Australia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Cape Verde, Croatia, Tunisia and Turkey. International students from these countries are entitled to assistance with the basic cost of medical treatment in the Netherlands. For the specific assistance, contact your health insurance provider. - Basic health insurance
(Basisverzekering)
From the moment you start a (part-time) job or an internship that pays more than €150 per month, you are required by law to take out basic health care insurance, even if you are covered by another health insurance provider.