Health insurance in the Netherlands | Expats

If you live or work in the Netherlands, Dutch law requires you to have health insurance — and for most expats, that means taking out a Dutch policy, not relying on insurance from your home country. Where you're from doesn't decide this directly: it works through the immigration rules that determine when you're allowed to live or work here at all, and from that point, insurance is mandatory either way. EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens need no residence permit, so the obligation — and the four-month deadline to arrange it — starts as soon as you're actually living or working here. Non-EU expats usually need a residence permit first, and then have four months from that permit date to take out a Dutch policy. Below you'll find who needs to register, what it costs in 2026, how the application works, and the situations where an international policy makes more sense. 

Do I need Dutch health insurance as an expat? 

Yes, in almost every case. Dutch law (the Zorgverzekeringswet) says that anyone who lives in the Netherlands, or works here under Dutch conditions, must take out Dutch basic health insurance (basisverzekering). What actually triggers the obligation isn't your nationality directly — it's your employment and residency situation. Nationality still matters, but indirectly, through the immigration rules that decide when you're allowed to live or work here in the first place: 

• EU, EEA, or Swiss citizens don't need a residence permit at all — your passport or ID is enough proof of lawful residence, and you're free to work without a work permit. That freedom to live and work here doesn't make insurance optional, though: you are legally required to take out Dutch basic insurance as soon as you start living or working here, and you have four months to actually arrange it. In practice that four-month clock starts on whichever comes first: the day you start working under a Dutch employer (paying loonbelasting), or the day you register as a resident at your municipality (which itself becomes mandatory once you've been in the Netherlands for more than four months). Miss that window and you're uninsured in the eyes of the CAK, exactly as if you were Dutch. 

• Non-EU, non-EEA citizens usually need a residence permit before they're allowed to live or work in the Netherlands at all. The insurance obligation still applies in full once that permit is granted — it's just that the four-month clock can only start running from the permit date, since you're not legally allowed to live or work here before that. 

When working in the Netherlands makes it mandatory 

If you work in the Netherlands, you're required to take out Dutch basic insurance once all three of these apply: you have a Dutch employer, you work for them on a fixed or permanent basis, and you pay Dutch income tax (loonbelasting) on that work. This applies regardless of your nationality — it catches EU, EEA, Swiss, and non-EU workers alike, as soon as those conditions are met (and, for non-EU workers, once their residence permit is in place).  If you work for a foreign employer instead — for example you're posted to the Netherlands temporarily by a company based elsewhere — you may be able to keep your home-country insurance instead, under rules set by the Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB). It's worth checking your specific situation with the SVB rather than assuming either way. 

Living in the Netherlands without working 

Move here but don't work? You still need to register with your municipality once you've been here more than four months, and the SVB will then assess whether the Dutch insurance obligation applies to you — it's not something you can opt out of by simply not registering. 

The EHIC misunderstanding 

A common mistake is assuming your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is enough once you've moved here. It isn't: the European Commission is explicit that the EHIC only covers medically necessary care during a temporary stay, and if you move to the Netherlands and make it your home, you should register with the S1 form instead of relying on the EHIC. The main exception is a genuine secondment: if your employer sends you here temporarily (usually under an A1 or S1 certificate) for less than two years, you can often stay insured in your home country for that period. 

Non-EU, non-EEA expats and the residence permit 

If you're from outside the EU, EEA, or Switzerland, you generally need a residence permit before you can take out Dutch insurance, and you then have four months from the date that permit takes effect to do so. Insure within that window and your policy — and the premium you owe — can be backdated to the date your permit started, so it's not necessarily cheaper to wait. Until your permit and BSN (citizen service number) come through, you may need short-term or international coverage to bridge the gap. 

Exceptions 

A small number of people are exempt, including staff of EU institutions (like the European Medicines Agency) who are covered by the EU's own scheme (GSZV/JSIS), and people with a religious objection to insurance (gemoedsbezwaarden), who pay a substitute tax instead. If you're unsure whether you fall under one of these categories, the SVB can assess your situation. 

What does Dutch health insurance cost in 2026? 

The basic insurance (basisverzekering) is a fixed package set by the government, so the coverage is nearly identical everywhere — it's mainly the premium and service that differ between insurers. 

• Average monthly premium: around € 159,30 in 2026, with plans ranging from about € 142,40 to € 185. 

• Mandatory deductible (eigen risico): € 385 per year. This is the amount you pay yourself for care from the basic package before your insurer starts reimbursing — a visit to your GP is an exception and doesn't count towards it. 

• Voluntary deductible: you can raise your deductible by up to € 500 (to a maximum of € 885 total) in exchange for a lower monthly premium. This only pays off if you expect to use little care. 

• Supplementary insurance (aanvullende verzekering): optional, and covers things the basic package doesn't, like dental care, physiotherapy, or glasses. Premiums vary widely by provider and coverage level. 

Can I get financial help with the premium? 

If your income is below a certain threshold, you can apply for zorgtoeslag, a healthcare allowance from the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax authorities) that helps cover part of your premium. In 2026, you qualify if your annual income stays below roughly € 40.857 (single) or € 51.142 (with a fiscal partner), and the maximum allowance is around € 129 per month for a single person or € 258 for a household with a partner. The exact amount depends on your income, so it's worth doing a trial calculation on the Belastingdienst website. 

How do I apply for Dutch health insurance? 

1. Register with your municipality (gemeente). This gives you a BSN, which you need to take out insurance, open a bank account, and work legally in the Netherlands. 

2. Compare and choose a policy. Insurers offer the same basic coverage, so compare on premium, customer service, and whether your preferred hospitals and GPs are contracted (a "restrictive" or naturapolis plan only fully reimburses contracted providers). 

3. Apply online or with the insurer directly. You'll need your BSN, ID, and proof of residency. Processing is usually quick, often within a week or two. 

4. Add supplementary coverage if you want it. This has to be arranged at the same time as your basic policy in most cases, since insurers can refuse supplementary applications later or apply health questions. 

Missed the four-month deadline? You can still take out insurance, but it may not be backdated, and any care you used while uninsured is billed to you directly. Want the full step-by-step process, including document checklists? See the application process for expats. 

What happens if I don't take out Dutch health insurance? 

The CAK (Centraal Administratie Kantoor) checks whether everyone registered with a BSN also has valid Dutch basic insurance. If you don't, here's the exact sequence: 

1. Warning letter. You get three months to either take out Dutch basic insurance or, if you think you don't need one (for example if you work for a foreign employer or study without working), request a Wlz assessment from the SVB to prove that. 

2. First fine: € 529,74. This applies if you've taken no action three months after the letter. The amount isn't arbitrary: it's three months' worth of an average premium plus expected deductible (about € 176,58 per month in 2026), because that's roughly what someone with insurance pays in the same period. 

3. Second fine: another € 529,74. This follows if you still haven't acted three months after the first fine. 

4. CAK arranges insurance for you. If you still haven't taken out a policy within a year of the original letter, the CAK takes out Dutch basic insurance on your behalf. You then pay an administrative premium of € 172,70 per month in 2026 — deducted from your salary if you have Dutch income, or billed by the CJIB if you don't — for at least 12 months, and you can only switch to a different insurer yourself at the end of that period, around the turn of the calendar year. 

If you do take out genuine Dutch basic insurance within three months of the original letter, any fine already issued is cancelled automatically, and anything you already paid gets refunded — so it's always worth sorting it out immediately rather than assuming it's too late. It's a common trap for expats who assume their international or private insurance (from providers like Cigna, Allianz, AON, or OOM) counts as Dutch insurance — according to the CAK's own guidance, it doesn't, unless it's specifically a registered Dutch basic policy. 

Basic insurance versus international health insurance 

Not every expat is required — or eligible — for Dutch basic insurance. If you're posted to the Netherlands short-term under a secondment agreement, or you're here without a residence permit or BSN yet, an international policy can bridge the gap or serve as your only option. Keep in mind that international insurance is usually more expensive than a Dutch basisverzekering and doesn't come with the same government-set minimum coverage. If you do become a Dutch resident or start working here, you're expected to switch to a Dutch policy. Read more in our guide to international health insurance.

Switching or cancelling your health insurance 

Every year, insurers must publish their new premiums for the coming year by 12 November, so from around 13 November you can start comparing next year's plans. You then have until 31 December to switch to a new insurer for the new coverage year — your old policy is cancelled automatically once you sign up elsewhere, and you get 14 days to change your mind. If you're newly arrived in the Netherlands, this yearly switching window doesn't apply to you yet: you simply need to take out insurance within your own four-month deadline, regardless of the time of year. 

If you leave the Netherlands permanently and deregister from your municipality, you should cancel your Dutch insurance too — otherwise you'll keep paying the premium. If you're only leaving temporarily (for example, less than a year while still employed or registered in the Netherlands), you usually need to keep your Dutch policy active.