Health Insurance
Health insurance is a legal requirement for everyone working and studying in the Netherlands. Unless you plan to do paid work while you’re here, your health costs must be covered by insurance or the health service in your own country. On this page, you can find the advice to match your situation.
Make sure you are covered
If you don’t have health insurance for the duration of your stay in the Netherlands, you could receive a large fine. Please check the health insurance in your home country and take out extra if needed.
Get to know all about health insurance in the Netherlands
Zorgverzekeringslijn, the independent official organisation for reliable advice on health insurance in the Netherlands, hosted an informative webinar on 4 July 2024. Take a look at the recording (0:42 mins):
EU/EEA (study only)
If you’re from the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland you are covered for emergencies and basic medical procedures with a European Health Insurance Card(opens in new window) (EHIC). Apply for the EHIC prior to departure – the European Commission's website tells you what it covers. We recommend that you take out supplemental health insurance to cover the medical costs that the EHIC does not cover. This often includes urgent dental and psychological care. See a plan we recommend below.
Students with Dutch nationality
Students with Dutch nationality need to take out a health insurance plan from a Dutch insurance company. More general information about insurance can be found on our information page about Dutch health insurance.
Non-EU/EEA (study only)
If you’re only here to study (and not working), you must have health insurance from your own country or through an international provider. Please make sure your cover includes psychological and urgent dental care. If not, see our recommendation for taking out extra cover below. Note: UK students can take out a Global Health Insurance Card, which replaces the EHIC (see above). Again, it may not cover you for all your needs while here.
Working while studying (including internship)
If you plan to have a job alongside your studies, you must have health insurance from a Dutch health insurer, whether you are working full- or part-time.
If you are self-employed (known in Dutch as ZZP'er), please contact the Sociale Verzekeringsbank. They will carry out a free assessment to see what your health insurance needs are. Please note, this assessment can take 6-8 weeks.
Internship
Students on paid internships also need to use a Dutch insurer to take out insurance – but only if they earn at least as much as the Dutch minimum wage through it. Expenses - such as accommodation, travel and food - also count as being paid. If these exceed the Dutch minimum wage, you need to use a Dutch health insurance provider. If you're unsure, please contact the Sociale Verzekeringsbank. Please note this assessment can take 6-8 weeks.
Extra health insurance
Usually, insurance plans from your home country don't cover all you need while here. Check with your own insurance company if all costs are covered in the Netherlands. Different plans are available and you should shop around to find one you're comfortable with. We recommend AON's insurance. They have a specialised international student plan.
To provide more information about their student insurance in particular, AON hosts webinars for both EU/EEA students and non-EU/non-EEA students in July/August and in January. Previous webinar recordings: