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When you come to the Netherlands as an international student, there are a number of things you need to take into account. One of those things is arranging your health insurance. In the Netherlands it is obligatory to have a basic health insurance. This can be a Dutch or a foreign insurance. It is mandatory to have a Dutch basic health insurance if you plan to work in the Netherlands. Where do you start when arranging your health insurance?
When you come to study in the Netherlands as an exchange student or international student, in some cases you will need to have a Dutch health insurance. It can take a lot of research to get clear about whether or not you need to have a Dutch health insurance in your situation. Therefore, we would like to give you a hand!
DO I NEED DUTCH HEALTH INSURANCE?
It is mandatory for a foreign student to have a Dutch health insurance if:
- If you study in the Netherlands and also work or intern part-time for at least the minimum wage.
- If you study in The Netherlands and you have a zero-hour working contract.
INTERNSHIP AND MINIMUM WAGE
If you are doing an internship and the allowance you receive is higher than the minimum wage, you often fall under the Long-term Care Act. This means that it is compulsory to arrange Dutch health insurance and that you are entitled to care allowance. If you receive a lower or no internship allowance, the health insurance from your home country will continue to apply. If the company where you are interning or your educational institution or university pays for your accommodation, this also counts as an allowance.
WHEN CAN YOU USE THE EHIC CARD?
You can use a European Health Insurance Card if you come from a country within the EEA, from Switzerland or from Australia and if you are only temporarily in the Netherlands for your studies. In theory, the EHIC gives you the same rights as Dutch citizens with basic health insurance.
More information about the EHIC can be found here.
WHEN DO YOU NEED PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE?
If you are not from the EU, EEA or Switzerland and you plan to study in the Netherlands for more than three months, you are required to apply for a residence permit. You should also check with your own insurance company whether they will cover medical expenses incurred in the Netherlands. If this is not the case, we recommend that you arrange private health insurance.
CARE ALLOWANCE
In most cases, foreign students with a Dutch health insurance are eligible for health care benefits.
This allowance is meant to help people with a lower income pay for their healthcare costs, such as the insurance and the compulsory personal contribution. To be eligible for care allowance, you must meet a number of requirements:
- You are 18 years of age or older
- You have a Dutch health insurance
- You have a BSN number
- Your salary is lower than 28,720 euros per year or 35,996 euros per year if you are fiscal partners
You can apply for care allowance on the website of the tax authorities.
Do you need to take out Dutch health insurance and do you want to compare the possibilities? You can do that on the website of Independer.nl, among others!
