Health insurance in the Netherlands | The application process

Nadia Wittebol

14-04-2026

3 min leestijd

Bijgewerkt op:21-05-2026

Wouter Heuvelink

Gecontroleerd door onze zorgexpert

What steps do you need to take before you can apply for a health insurance in the Netherlands?

Before you can apply for a Dutch health insurance you have to register in your new municipality, where you are going to live. Once you have completed your registration, you will receive your personal identification number also called social security number, known in Dutch as BSN: burgerservicenummer. Without a BSN, it is not possible to apply for a health insurance.

After completing your registration in the Netherlands, you have to apply for a health insurance within four months. The starting date of the insurance will be the date you completed your registration. This is also the day on which you start paying health insurance premium.

For example, You registered yourself on the 25th of June and applied for a health insurance on the 1st of August. This means that the starting date of your insurance will be the 25th of June. Therefore, you must also pay the health insurance premium for June and July.

How to apply for a health insurance?

Step 1: Start the application

Fill in your date of birth, gender and zip code. This is needed because some premiums are age-related. Next to this, based on your zip code you can check which hospitals are contracted in your area.

Step 2: ‘’Kies je eigen risico’’

Select the deductible excess you wish for your health insurance. A higher excess results in a lower monthly premium. Read more about the deductible excess.

Step 3: ‘’Jouw wensen’’

Select any additional medical care you wish the insurance to cover. If you don’t need any additional medical care next to the basic health insurance, you don’t have to select anything.

• Fysiotherapie (physical therapy): covers the selected amount of physical therapy treatments per year.
• Tandarts (dental care): covers the selected percentage/amount of dental costs per year.
• Kies je extra dekking: any other additional coverages can be selected in this section.

Step 4: Complete your application

Selected your medical needs? Click on "zoek de laagste premie". The website will show the best insurances for you by sorting the monthly premium. By clicking on "vraag aan" you can fill in your personal information and complete your application.
Once you completed the application, you will directly receive a confirmation email from ZorgKiezer.nl. Within five business days, you will receive your policy from the insurance company.

Healthcare allowance

Once you completed an application for a health insurance, you can apply for a healthcare allowance. This allowance helps people with a relatively low income to pay their health insurance. Learn more about the healthcare allowance

Dutch healthcare system

Want to know everything about the healthcare system in the Netherlands? ZorgKiezer.nl makes it possible for you to find a health insurance in the Netherlands that meets the care you need at the best price. Need any help? Call us! Our colleagues are here to help you to find the best insurance for you.