Healthcare and insurance

Job

As soon as you start working, you are obliged to take out Dutch healthcare insurance, called 'basiszorgverzekering' in Dutch. This obligation also applies to self-employed students. If you do not meet this requirement you risk a huge fine.

Internships

You are also required to buy Dutch health care insurance when you are doing an internship for which you are paid at least the Dutch minimum wage. You can easily calculate the lawful minimum wage that is applicable in your case yourself. Even though the tool is in Dutch it is easy to fill in the details.

You can request an assessment of your insurance situation at SVB when you are still unsure whether you need to take out a Dutch health insurance. It is free of charge.

Insurance companies

There are many insurance companies. The Hanzehogeschool has an agreement with Menzis and Zilverenkruis who will give you a discount on their premium. Another insurance company whom we have a good relation with is AON. You are, of course, free to chose any other Dutch health care insurance. Websites like Zorgwijzer and Studenten verzekeringen can help you make a choice.

Healthcare allowance

You can apply for health care allowance ('zorgtoeslag' in Dutch) right after you have applied for Dutch healthcare insurance. Depending on your income you can receive up to € 94 per month.

To apply for zorgtoeslag you will need your DigiD at hand as well as your BSN number. You can apply for a DigiD at www.digid.nl. Make sure that you have your BSN number at hand. Within two weeks after having applied for your DigiD, you'll receive a letter with codes to activate it. Once you have activated your DigiD you can apply for zorgtoeslag.

For emergencies, dial: 112

Only call this number in case of an emergency. In all other situations contact your General Practitioner (huisarts in Dutch) for advice first. Insurances do not cover the costs when you call the emergency number or go straight to the hospital when it is not really necessary.

StudentArts

Hanze UAS and the University of Groningen have their own doctor's practice, StudentArts, on campus as well as in the city centre.

General Practicioner

Via ZorgkaartNederland you can look for a GP near you. Type in your Postal code at the top. In the left menu check under 'Beroep: 'Huisarts' (which means General Practitioner). Also in the left menu you can select the maximum distance (kilometres) in which you want to look for a GP. Once you find one there will be a link to their website. You can contact them by looking up their phone number or e-mail address. Try to register with one of them. Call in the morning to book an appointment.

After office hours your phone call to your GP will be directed to a special doctor's service number, which is 0900-9229. Don't call this number directly unless your appointment cannot be postponed until the next day. You could be charged €80 or more just for calling this telephone number for advice. Medical problems that could have waited until the next day are not covered by your insurance.

In case you want to cancel your appointment for whatever reason, you should do so at least 24 hours in advance, otherwise you will still be presented with a bill.

HelloDoc - Online consultation

Another option is HelloDoc. AON insurance company partners with HelloDoc. This online telehealth service is available for foreign nationals who have arrived in The Netherlands and who are in need of a GP. HelloDoc gives advice and treatment in case you are not able to register with a GP and require non-urgent medical care. Their team includes doctors from different nationalities, including Russian, Indian, Belgian, Australian, British, Spanish, Peruvian, and Cameroonian. Billing can often be arranged directly with Aon Student Insurance. You can find more information on the website of HelloDoc.
 

Medicine can be bought at all pharmacies. For most of them, you will need a prescription from the doctor. Reclaiming the paid money for medicines is done through your own health insurance. Should you need to see a specialist, you always need a referral note from your GP first. Only in case of emergency, you can visit the hospital directly.

Important!

• You need to make an appointment with your GP before you can visit a hospital.
• You need to bring your insurance card to the doctor at all times.
• You need a referral note from your GP for a specialist.
• Dutch doctors do not always automatically prescribe medicine.
• Go directly to the hospital only in case of emergency.

The details of Aon Policy Terms and Conditions, summary of cover can be found here.

Yes, by law students who study and/or work are legally required to have health care insurance.

Yes, at the AON Student Insurance portal you can extend your insurance. You can access the portal using your email address and password which you have received from Aon. For more information just contact [email protected].

You cannot cancel your AON student insurance yourself. If you wish to end your AON insurance because you found a job or you are no longer enrolled at Hanze UAS, send us an email at [email protected] and we'll help you out.

No, please ask your previous educational institute to cancel your insurance and fill out this form in order for us to arrange a new one for you.

Visit the CAK website to find answers to your questions. You can also watch the video.

SVB is an official office who investigates whether it is applicable for you to take out the mandatory Dutch Basic Health insurance.

To find out if you need the Dutch Basic Health insurance you can follow the SVB Health Insurance Check at https://www.svb.nl/en/the-wlz-scheme.

No, as soon as you start working you are required to take out the Dutch Basic Health insurance.

Only if you are paid a least the minimum wage you need to take out the Dutch Basic Health insurance.

International students with a Dutch health insurance are usually eligible for a healthcare allowance.

You can only switch once a year, between 12 November and 31 December. When switching, your new insurance will be valid from 1 January. Your old insurance is automatically cancelled for you by your health insurance provider.

To compare Dutch health insurances and prices zorgwijzer (website in English) or Independer.

No, but you can buy an additional insurance (aanvullende verzekering) for dental care.

Go to zorgwijzer for more detailed information about EHIC and Health insurance for students in The Netherlands.