Insurance
It is very important that you are properly insured during your stay in the Netherlands. By law, everyone in the Netherlands must have health insurance for medical expenses. It is also strongly advised to take out supplementary insurance, which covers liability, repatriation, household contents, luggage, and legal aid.
Dutch public health insurance
From the moment you have a part-time job, you are required to have a Dutch public healthcare insurance. If you intend to do a paid internship in the Netherlands, you might need to have the Dutch public healthcare insurance as well (depending on the remuneration you receive). Please click here for more detailed information. Once you have the Dutch public healthcare insurance you can apply for health care allowance through the Dutch Tax office. You can contact the International Students Service Point (ISSP) for assistance.
EU-students
As an EU-student, you are not required to take out Dutch public healthcare insurance if you are already insured in your home country. Your insurance company can provide you with the European Health Insurance Card(EHIC). Before you leave your home country, we would advise you to check with your insurance company whether everything is covered for your study abroad. For example, in addition to your EHIC, you can take out the ICS Start or ICS Start+ in from AON Student insurance. This is a reliable company with sufficient coverage but of course you are free to take out insurances with a company of your choice.
Non-EU students
Non-EU students need to take out private international healthcare insurance. You can choose to take out one in your home country, but we advise you to take out insurance in the Netherlands because foreign insurance companies do not cover liability in the Netherlands. For example, the ICS complete package from AON Student insurance is a reliable company with sufficient coverage but of course you are free to take out insurances with a company of your choice.
Important note
Letter from CAK (central administrative office of Dutch authorities). Although you are exempt from the obligation to take out a Dutch Basic Healthcare insurance, you still might receive a letter from CAK about your insurance obligation. You need to take action within 3 months or you will receive a fine of approximately €380. Even if you unjustly received the letter from CAK! 1. It is important to contact Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) to ask for an investigation regarding your insurance situation under the Wlz scheme (free of charge). 2. Send a copy of the decision from SVB about your insurance situation to CAK.