Health insurance for students in the Netherlands

The rule, as the government states it

If you only study and have no part-time job or paid internship, you remain insured for healthcare costs in your own country. If you have a residence permit for study and your foreign insurance covers the Netherlands, that is enough. If you work in the Netherlands, you must register for Dutch healthcare insurance.

The IND also lists being insured for healthcare costs in the Netherlands as a condition for the student residence permit, so your institution will ask you what cover you have. Check your policy covers the Netherlands for the whole of your stay.

Healthcare benefit (zorgtoeslag)

The tax authority, the Belastingdienst, says you can only receive healthcare benefit if you must take out Dutch health insurance. A student who only studies and stays insured abroad cannot claim it; a student with a paid job can apply once insured in the Netherlands. A paid internship counts if the allowance reaches the Dutch minimum wage. Temporary visitor insurance does not qualify. Income limits and other conditions apply too, so check your own case with the Belastingdienst.

What it costs

Study in NL, using Nibud 2024 figures, shows about €133 a month for basic Dutch health insurance for a student who works. Insurers set their own premiums every year, so compare current offers.

Timing

When Dutch insurance is compulsory for you, take it out as soon as possible and no later than four months after arriving. You cannot take out Dutch insurance until a decision has been made on your residence permit application.