Basic cover is required, and extra help exists for lower incomes
In the Netherlands you do not join a state health fund. Everyone who lives or works here must take out basic health insurance with an insurance company, and companies have to accept anyone who applies. You need a citizen service number (BSN) to sign up. On a low income, your municipality may offer a group policy with a lower premium, and a separate healthcare allowance from the tax authorities can reduce your costs.
How it works
Join a health insurance fund or apply for public healthcare cover.
How you get public healthcare depends on the country: you may need to join a health insurance fund or insurer, or ask the public health system to recognise your right to care. If you work, your employer often registers you; students, self-employed people and family members may need to arrange it themselves. You usually need your ID, proof of address, your social security number and proof of work, study or income. If you are already covered by another EU country, an S1 form or a European Health Insurance Card may apply. Once registered, you get a health insurance card or number for doctor and hospital visits.
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At a glance
Only a few cities have a help point
Some of these places belong to an insurer, others to the city and its low-income health insurance scheme. Most work by appointment or after a phone call, so reach out before you go. Check opening days and booking rules before you travel.
Guides
Related services
For Dutch citizens renewing a passport and for residents without a passport from their own country: who can apply and what to prepare.
Get a hand with applying for or activating DigiD, and with the online forms, messages and allowances that depend on it.
See who can apply for income support, what a municipality takes into account and where to get advice if the application is difficult.
For Dutch citizens who need a new or replacement ID card: who can apply, what to bring and how collection works.
For holders of a Dutch licence: how renewal works online or at the counter, how to replace a lost licence and where to collect it.
For newcomers and returning residents: what registering at the town hall means, who it applies to and what to prepare before your appointment.
Other countries
Moving on, or comparing before you decide? See how this works elsewhere.
Most offices in Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia
Most offices in Oberhausen, Berlin, and Cologne
Most offices in Poznań, Szczecin, and Białystok
Most offices in Seraing, Aalst, and Antwerp
Where to next
Places that answer insurance questions in person, city by city, and whether you need to call first.
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