All residents in the Netherlands are legally obliged to have health insurance coverage. There are several insurance providers that offer health insurance for international students, such as Aon Insurance and InsureToStudy. We advise you to carefully check what is covered by the insurance and choose the policy that best fits your needs.*
*Students from ISS, your insurance will be arranged for you by your faculty.
Important considerations
When arranging your health insurance, you must make sure the following are covered:
- All medical costs: for both physical and mental healthcare, including hospitalisation;
- Pre-existing conditions you might have;
- Repatriation costs;
- Third-party liability insurance;
- Fire and home furnishing insurance - if you will be living in student accommodation.
What type of policy?
Find out what type of policy is suitable for you.
Find out what type of policy is suitable for you. Note that if you decide to work or do a paid internship during your studies, you must switch to Dutch public health insurance.
If you are doing an internship for which you are paid at least as much as the Dutch minimum wage, you are subject to compulsory insurance under the Wlz scheme. Check this explanation of the minimum wage.
If you receive expenses this will also count as remuneration for your internship. You should bear in mind that room and board may also be regarded as remuneration. Contact the SVB and start the Wlz assessment when you are in doubt.
You are required to have a Dutch basic health insurance if you have a (part-time) job.
You are legally not allowed to take out a Dutch public health insurance if you are in the Netherlands for study purposes only. Make sure you have a health insurance from your home country with enough coverage or take out a private health insurance (such as AON Insurance or InsureToStudy).
If you are from the EU/EEA you may be eligible to receive a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which covers your necessary medical costs during your stay. Please make sure you check this with your health insurer in your home country as this might differ per EU-member state. See the website of the European Commission for further information on EHIC.
If your existing health insurance does not cover all the important factors mentioned above, you should take out an international student insurance from a Dutch insurance provider, for instance the ICS Complete+ package from AON and the Masterplan+ package from InsureToStudy, as these cover pre-existing conditions, personal liability, household contents, and repatriation.
It is highly recommended to take out insurance before arrival, so you are covered from day one after arrival. If you have not managed to arrange this prior to arrival however, make sure to visit one of our One Stop Shops, which are organized on campus at the start of each semester. This will allow you to arrange your insurance in person. AON and InsureToStudy will be present to answer your questions and to check for you whether your current insurance suffices. We do recommend comparing the insurance policies of several providers to check which policy best matches your personal needs.
Many EU nationals may be covered for a temporary stay in the Netherlands by their home country’s health insurance scheme. However, we generally recommend that you also take out an international student policy as described above. This is because:
- some EU countries do not offer coverage if you are studying abroad;
- in some cases, there may be a limit on the length of time you are covered;
- the level of coverage might be lower than you anticipate.
Be aware that conditions of coverage are generally not stated on EU health insurance cards, therefore you must check the details with your home country’s insurance scheme in advance. Remember to request your EU health insurance card well in advance and bring it along with you.
Many home-country insurance policies do not offer sufficient coverage for medical costs incurred during a period of study abroad. Therefore we strongly advise that you take out an international student insurance policy instead, as mentioned above. If you do want to use a home-country insurance policy, check carefully that it covers all the important factors listed above, such as pre-existing medical conditions. Remember to bring your policy along with you to the Netherlands.
You might receive a letter from the CAK about your insurance obligation. You need to take action within 3 months or you will receive a fine of € 402,24. Even if you incorrectly received the letter from the CAK.
- It is important to contact the Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) to request (free of charge) an investigation of your insurance position under the Wlz scheme. For this request, please go to the website of the SVB.
- Keep in mind that it might take 6-8 weeks before you receive the outcome of the Wlz assessment. Therefore, take action immediately after receiving the letter from the CAK.
- Send a copy of the decision from the SVB about your insurance position to the CAK. Use the contactform and chose option ‘regeling onverzekerden’.
- CAK will close your file if the outcome of the Wlz assessment states that you are not to be insured.
Student support video’s
Before the start of each semester, AON organizes free online webinars for international students coming to the Netherlands.
The following topics will be discussed:
- Why take out insurance while staying in the Netherlands (healthcare costs, liability, etc.).
- Healthcare system in the Netherlands
- Law and regulations for EEA and Non-EEA students
- Legislation and regulations concerning part-time jobs
- Coverage Aon Student Insurance
- How to apply for the insurance
- Payment of premium
- How to file a claim
- Questions
Around the summer AON will host new webinars.
After the webinars, students can chat with Aon or ask questions at www.aonstudentinsurance.com
More information
- For more information on insurance matters for international students, please see the Zorgverzekeringslijn. They can also advise you on all the insurance companies in the Netherlands.
- Visit Study in NL website.
If you get a compensation for your internship that is more than the minimum wage, then you'll need a basic health insurance. For the calculation of the minimum wage that applies to your situation, please see the following tool (only available in Dutch).
We advise you to make sure you’re properly insured before entering the Netherlands. If you have doubts about whether your insurance is sufficient, you can visit AON Insurance or InsureToStudy at one of our One Stop Shops to ask your questions about insurance in person.
This is different for each insurance company.
- For example, if you have the AON Complete insurance, you will keep this during your entire study period and will not be able to switch to AON Complete+. If you chose InsureToStudy, you are able to switch from one coverage plan to another.
- If your situation changes and you start work or an internship for a short period only, possible to change to a basic health insurance for that period.
If you seek more advice, please contact your insurance company.
No, because you don't fit the criteria to get a basic health insurance. Please note: it sometimes occurs that Dutch Health insurers (Nederlandse Basiszorgverzekeraars) accept international students. This is against the rules and you might get a fine!
If you have received a letter from the CAK regarding your insurance obligation it is important to contact the Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) for an assessment of your insurance position under the Wlz scheme. You need to take action within 3 months or you will receive a fine of approximately €400. Even if you incorrectly received the letter from the CAK.