Health care in the Netherlands

January 2022 — By Isabella Brüning

When you move to a foreign country, one of the topics that could create a lot of uncertainty is the topic of health care. Rarely do you know exactly where to go in case of illness and what kind of insurance you need in order to be treated. In this blog post I want to create more clarity on this.

Health Insurance

The first question that probably comes to you mind is: Do I need to register for health insurance when moving to the Netherlands? This depends on a few factors.

• Students from the EU/EEA/Switzerland can receive healthcare coverage through the European Health Insurance Card, so in that case, you do not need Dutch health insurance unless you decide to work alongside your studies.
• Students who are not from this area (EU/EEA/Switzerland) will need to purchase private health insurance even if not working.
• You can choose the health insurance plan according to your necessities and preferences. Many students choose Anderzorg since it provides a good service and it is one of the cheapest in the Netherlands but there are various other providers you can choose from.
• Once you register for healthcare insurance, you can check if you are eligible for governmental subsidy (in Dutch: zorgtoeslag) to obtain (part of) the money you pay back. This however has a few requirements, your income has to be under a specific threshold and you need to be Dutch or legally in the Netherlands. To check all the requirements and see if you are eligible it’s best to check the website of the Belastingsdienst.

General Practitioner (GP)

But what if you indeed get sick, where do you need to go? In case of minor or non-urgent medical problems, you first go to a General Practitioner (‘huisarts’). If necessary, the GP will refer you to a specialist or give you a referral letter for the hospital.

Good to know is that you can already register with a General Practitioner when you arrive to the Netherlands, so they already have your data and you know where to go. To find a General Practitioner, you can click here.

Covid-19

Of course, Covid-19 is also still an issue that we have to think about. If you would like to be tested, you can make an appointment at a location near you online using your DigiD via this link www.coronatest.nl.You can also schedule schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination or booster vaccination by the Municipal Public Health Services (GGDs). This can only be done online, via www.coronavaccinatie-afspraak.nl. For more information on this, you can click here.

I hope this blog shed a bit of light on this topic. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions you still have!

Best,
Bella