When you move to The Netherlands, you need to arrange health insurance. Living to The Netherlands means you are obliged to have it. But how do you apply for health insurance? And what else is there to know about healthcare services?
There’s a lot to arrange once you move to The Netherlands. Insurances might be one of your biggest priorities. As soon as you move to The Netherlands, you will need at least health insurance.
Applying for health insurance
You have four months to apply for health insurance from the date you travel to the Netherlands. It comes into effect retroactively from the start date of your employment.
If your family members move with you, they need to apply for a permit separately. Therefore, they apply for health insurance in a different way. They might not have a residence permit from day one. But they can first request a temporary insurance.
When your family gets their permit, they can take the same health insurance as you have. Or they can choose another one depending on their preferences. Good to know: if you have kids under 18 years old, they can be included in your insurance. This means you don’t have to pay extra for them to be insured.
How does health insurance work?
In The Netherlands, all residents have to be insured for healthcare. There are many different providers of health insurances, all of which have their own premiums. A basic health insurance package covers the same healthcare at each provider, but the costs can differ.
Your basic insurance can be supplemented with additional coverage for extra healthcare, such as getting glasses, braces or physiotherapy. The additional packages come at varying prices and are different depending on the provider. This is something to do research on: what package matches your needs?
What does health insurance cost in 2025?
Even though every Dutch inhabitant needs to pay for health insurance, it is quite expensive and the costs are still rising. For 2025, the basic health insurance is estimated to cost around 156 euros per month. For additional coverage, the estimated premium is 19.70 euros, which makes the total cost for health insurance about 180 euros per month; 2,160 euros for the whole year.
Expectations are that the price of health insurance will keep rising during the upcoming years. “The increased demand for healthcare is part of the reason for the increase. Due to the aging population and the increase in chronic diseases, more people are relying on care. This entails higher costs,” according to Independer health insurance expert Mirjam Prins.
Insurance for Dutch healthcare
When you have health insurance, you can use many Dutch healthcare services, from a visit to a GP to home care. In some cases, you still need to pay ‘eigen risico’, which translates to ‘own risk’. This is a maximum amount per year that you need to pay for yourself. This is the case with a lot of medications and for example a visit to the psychologist. But when you are prepared for your move to The Netherlands, the Dutch healthcare system will look after you very well.