Which health insurance counts for healthcare benefit?
Every basic insurance (basisverzekering) with a Dutch insurance company counts. You must take out this insurance if you are 18 or older and live or work in the Netherlands.
The basic insurance covers the costs of, for example, the doctor (huisarts), hospital or pharmacy. You don’t need additional insurance to get healthcare benefit.
When do you not have to take out Dutch health insurance?
If you are not required to take out Dutch health insurance, you cannot get healthcare benefit. This applies, for example, in these situations:
- You are a member of the military
- You are a conscientious objector
- You are insured abroad for healthcare costs.
However, you can still receive healthcare benefit if your insurance is managed by the Central Administrations Office (Centraal Administratie Kantoor, CAK). This may be the case if, for example, you receive a pension from the Netherlands.
If you have insurance but do not pay premiums, you also cannot get healthcare benefit. This may apply if you are detained.
Which health insurances do not count for healthcare benefit?
The following insurances are examples for which you cannot receive healthcare benefit:
- A temporary health insurance (tijdelijke zorgverzekering) for visitors
- A treaty policy (verdragspolis) for people living or working abroad
- A voluntary health insurance (vrijwillige zorgverzekering) for foreign students
Are you not Dutch?
You can still get healthcare benefit if you must take out Dutch health insurance. Check if you need to insure yourself against healthcare costs in the Netherlands at government.nl.
Which health insurance companies can you choose?
The CAK website lists the insurance companies you can choose from.
