Health Insurance in the Netherlands

Each person that lives or works in the Netherlands has to take up health insurance to cover your medical expenses. This is a legal obligation. You can take only the standard package, so you are covered for the basic expenses of consulting a general practitioner, hospital treatment and prescription medication. You can also take out additional insurance that covers for example, physiotherapy or dental care.

Consider changing your health insurance provider every year

You can change health insurer at the end of each year. This saves you money or you can find a policy that better fits your needs. There are a number of websites that compare prices and conditions of all the insurance policies. For example you can use the health insurance comparison tool of United Consumers. Or you can use the tool of Independer. After using a tool, you can also take on the insurance directly from these websites. So as it will only take a few minutes, compare health care insurers now!

The new health insurer will cancel your old insurance for you if you take out a new policy with them before 31 December. Insurers have a legal obligation to accept anyone for a standard package. Please note however this does not apply to additional insurance. You can most often also just change your standard package and leave the additional insurance as it is.

Your children under 18

Register your children within four months of their birth, or when you migrate here with your family. If registered, your children under the age of 18 do not pay premiums for the standard package.

Health care benefit

If your income is low, you may be eligible for health care benefit to help pay for health insurance. Check if you are eligible and request for health care benefit on the website of the tax administration.

Income-related health care contribution

Besides the nominal premiums for the standard package, you pay an income-related contribution. This is a percentage of your income known as the ZVW contribution. Your employer withholds this contribution on your salary. If you are working via your own personal company (e.g. your B.V.), you will pay the contribution through the payroll withholding. If you are self-employed (e.g. a sole proprietor), you pay the contributions on the taxable income you declare via your income tax return.