There is only one type of health insurance in the Netherlands, namely the basic health insurance (“basisverzekering”). Everyone living in the Netherlands is obliged to have this insurance, which costs around € 85.00 per month. This has a number of consequences for people from abroad whose residence in the Netherlands is temporary. On this information sheet, we have summarised what this means for you as a student.
Please note: the information below only applies to students under the age of 30!
Students from the EU/EEA or Switzerland
All you need to do is demonstrate that you have health insurance in your own country by means of a so-called EU health insurance card. If you do not have an EU health insurance card, you must have private health insurance or take this out in the Netherlands.
Students from the following regions:
Australia, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Vojvodina, Kosovo, Tunisia, Turkey and Cape Verde. Provided that your stay in the Netherlands is temporary and you have a special form (111), which can be requested from your insurer in your country of origin, you are covered for emergency medical care (i.e. care that cannot wait until your return to your own country). If you do not possess this form or your stay in the Netherlands will be longer than one year, you need to have private health insurance or take this out in the Netherlands.
Students from countries not mentioned above
In this situation, you must take out private health insurance in the Netherlands or be able to demonstrate that you are sufficiently insured in your country of origin.
What to do?
There are a few insurers in the Netherlands that offer special international insurance packages for students. Contact one of these companies for private health insurance:
Lippmann or tel. +31 70 302 8598
AON
HollandZorg
Are you going to get a job or do a work placement (and receive a wage for this work placement)?
If so, basic health insurance is mandatory.
Other insurances
It is also important to have proper insurance cover for liability insurance, repatriation, household contents, luggage and legal aid. The international student packages mentioned above incorporate several insurances in one package.
Important
Avans University of Applied Sciences cannot be held liable if a student/trainee does not have (sufficient) health insurance cover. Every student enrolled at Avans is expected to have fulfilled his insurance obligations.
More information
Insurance is a complicated subject. What's more, some of the sites mentioned above only provide information in Dutch. If you are having difficulty, contact the International Office at internationaloffice@avans.nl or on +31 76 523 80 01. Do this in any case if you are over the age of 30, as other regulations then apply in some circumstances.
