You are not Dutch - can you get healthcare benefit?

Will you be living or working in the Netherlands? If you have to take out health insurance in the Netherlands, you may be eligible for healthcare benefit. The Dutch government pays this benefit to keep your health insurance affordable.

Check your situation

• You live in the Netherlands with a partner

  You and you partner must both be legally in the Netherlands to get healthcare benefit. You must also meet the other conditions for healthcare benefit.

  In some cases, extra rules apply. Read below to see if this applies to you.

  Do you and your partner have the nationality of an EU country, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland?

  The applicant must have a valid residence permit which entitles them to benefits. Your partner must also have a valid residence permit. The municipality (gemeente) will inform us if this is the case.

  Does your partner have a nationality other than that of an EU country, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland?

  In that case, you can only get benefits if your partner has a valid residence permit. The municipality will inform us whether that is the case. For more information on residence permits, check the website of the IND.

  Does your partner not yet have a valid residence permit? You can still get benefits in the following situations:

  • Your partner is waiting for a decision on the application for a residence permit.

  Your partner has objected to or appealed the rejection of a residence permit and is allowed to wait for the decision in the Netherlands.

  Tip

  Do you get benefits and is your permit or that of your partner about to expire? Apply for an extension of the permit so you remain entitled to benefits.

  Does your partner have the nationality of an EU country, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland, but you don't?

  In that case, you can only get benefits if you have a valid residence permit and your partner has a valid residence status. The municipality will inform us if this is the case. For more information on residence permits, please check the website of the IND.

  Do you and your partner both have a nationality other than that of an EU country, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland?

  You can only get healthcare benefit if the applicant has a valid residence permit that entitles them to benefits. Your partner must also have a valid residence permit. The municipality will inform us if this is the case. For more information, please check the website of the IND.

  Does your partner not yet have a valid residence permit? You can still get benefits in the following situations.

  • Your partner is waiting for a decision on the application for a residence permit.
  • Your partner has objected to or appealed the rejection of a residence permit and is allowed to wait for the decision in the Netherlands.

  Tip

  Do you get benefits and is your or your partner's residence permit about to expire? Apply for an extension of the permit so you remain entitled to benefits.

  Check your health insurance

  You can only get healthcare benefit if you have Dutch health insurance. Read more about which health insurance entitles you to healthcare benefit.

  Does your partner not have Dutch health insurance? In that case, you are entitled to half of the benefit amount you would normally get together. Your partner’s income still counts when determining the amount of the healthcare benefit.

  You can apply for healthcare benefit yourself in Mijn toeslagen

  This can be done as soon as you and your partner are registered with the municipality and have taken out Dutch health insurance. Find out how to apply for healthcare benefit.

• You live in the Netherlands without a partner

  To get healthcare benefit, you must be legally in the Netherlands. You must also meet the other conditions for healthcare benefit.

  In some cases, additional rules apply. Read below to find out whether this applies in your case.

  Do you have the nationality of an EU country, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland?

  You must have a valid residence permit which entitles you to benefits. The municipality will inform us if that is the case.

  Do you have a nationality other than that of an EU country, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland?

  You can only get benefits if you have a valid residence permit which entitles you to benefits. The municipality will inform us if that is the case. For more information on residence permits, check the website of the IND.

  Tip

  Do you get benefits and is your or your partner’s permit about to expire? Apply for an extension of the permit so you remain entitled to benefits.

  Check your health insurance

  You can only get healthcare benefit if you have Dutch health insurance. This is usually the case if you’re coming to live in the Netherlands. Read more about which health insurance entitles you to healthcare benefit.

  Do you have a partner abroad? Additional rules apply then as well

  Normally, you get healthcare benefit together with your benefits partner. Does your partner not have Dutch health insurance? In that case, you are entitled to half of the benefit amount you would normally get with your partner. Your partner’s income still counts when determining the healthcare benefit amount.

  In some cases, it’s possible to co-insure your partner through the CAK (Central Administrative Office). However, you may have to deal with the country of residence factor (woonlandfactor). This may result in you receiving less benefits than normal. For more information on insurances and the country of residence factor, please visit hetcak.nl.

  You can apply for healthcare benefit yourself with Mijn toeslagen

  This can be done as soon as you and your partner are registered with the municipality and have taken out Dutch health insurance. For your partner, you first have to apply for a Dutch citizen service number (burgerservicenummer, bsn). Afterwards, you can apply for healthcare benefit.

• I work in the Netherlands and live in another country

  You can still get healthcare benefit if you meet the conditions. In some cases, you may have to deal with additional rules.

  Check your health insurance

  You can only get healthcare benefit if you have Dutch health insurance. That is usually the case if you’re coming to live in the Netherlands. Read more about which health insurance makes you eligible for healthcare benefit.

  Do you have a partner abroad? Additional rules apply

  Normally, you get healthcare benefit together with your benefits partner. Does your partner not have Dutch health insurance? In that case, you are entitled to half of the benefit you would normally get together. Your partner’s income still counts when we calculate the healthcare benefit.

  In some cases, it's possible to co-insure your partner through the CAK (Central Administrative Office). This allows you to get healthcare benefit for your partner as well. However, you may have to deal with the country of residence factor (woonlandfactor). This may result in you receiving less benefits than normal. Please visit the website of the CAK for more information on insurances and the country of residence factor.

  You can apply for healthcare benefit yourself with Mijn toeslagen

  This can be done once you have taken out Dutch health insurance. Because you live abroad, you first have to apply for a Dutch Citizen Service Number (burgerservicenummer, bsn) for yourself and your partner. After that, you can apply for healthcare benefit.

Can you still get healthcare benefit if you are a student?

Find out what to do if you're coming to study in the Netherlands.

Are you a refugee from Ukraine and do you live in the Netherlands?

If so, other rules apply in your situation. Find out what the rules are for Ukrainians.