Insurance is required

You are required to have appropriate health insurance for the duration of your stay in the Netherlands. For a diagram that indicates which insurance applies to you, please refer to the 'Healthcare for international students' section at http://www.nuffic.nl/international-students/docs/immigration/health-insurance.pdf.

You are also advised to take out an appropriate general third-party insurance (liability insurance). For non-EEA/EU students requesting a residence permit through the UvA, liability insurance is mandatory.

Please check before you come to the Netherlands whether your insurance will cover the complete period of your stay abroad, and what type of coverage it consists of.

Financial penalty

If you do not take out insurance, you risk having to pay a penalty of around 130% of the nominal premium for each month that you are uninsured plus a fine of around € 350 if you do not pay on time. You may also receive a notice from the Dutch government organisation College voor Zorgverzekeringen (CVZ) that you are not insured and will be fined, even if you have already arranged insurance for your stay in the Netherlands, e.g. AON or an European Health Insurance Card.

CVZ will initially contact you with a letter in Dutch. If you receive such a letter, you always will need to take action. By taking action you will prevent a lot of bureaucratic hassle and financial penalties for yourself. The attachment from Nuffic found below explains what steps you need to take.

If you, however, received such a letter, and did not take any action, but are insured, then you need to submit an appeal to the CVZ. The appeal form can be found at the link below. On that site, click on Bezwaarformulier to download the appeal form. Instruction on how to submit an appeal are available in the Instructions CVZ appeal which can be downloaded below.

Types of health insurance

Private insurance
If you are younger than 30, or if you are older than 30 but staying in the Netherlands for less than a year, and you are not employed, private healthcare agreements for international students will suffice for you. If not, you must choose a basic healthcare insurance at the start of your studies in order not to be fined.

Several private insurance companies such as Aon Consulting (see link below) offer similar products covering medical expenses, accidents, luggage, general liability and legal assistance in the event of physical injury.

Basisverzekering
The Dutch basisverzekering, or basic healthcare insurance, is compulsory for Dutch citizens. International students aged 30 and older who are planning to stay in the Netherlands for one year or longer are obliged under Dutch law to take out this basic healthcare insurance. Furthermore, from the moment you start a (part-time) job, you will have to take out basic healthcare insurance, even if you are an EU citizen and are covered by an EU health insurance card.

Dutch basic healthcare insurance is more expensive than private insurance, costing around € 1,100 a year. This might be more expensive than your current insurance. Keep this in mind if you want to seek employment in the Netherlands in addition to studying. The cost of basic healthcare insurance may make working less worthwhile as you would merely be working to pay your insurance.

AON, one of the world's largest insurance brokers, offers a complete student travel insurance package for your international study. They also provide special packages that are specifically tailored to international students from China. See the links below to learn more about your health insurance options. 

Citizen service number

You need to obtain a Citizen service number (Burgerservicenummer BSN-a unique ID number, equivalent to a tax and social security number) before you can take out basic healthcare insurance.

You will receive a BSN when you register with City Hall. You can find more information about the BSN at www.uva.nl/work.

Healthcare allowance

People with a low income, such as students, who are covered by the basisverzekering can apply for an allowance (zorgtoeslag in Dutch) to help cover the costs of basic healthcare insurance. If you earn less than € 29,069 a year (as of 2008) you can receive a healthcare allowance from the Dutch Tax Administration, up to a maximum of € 552 a year.The exact amount of healthcare allowance that you can receive depends on numerous factors. The Dutch Tax Administration can help you with applying for healthcare allowance. They are open from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm at their office at Kingsfordweg 1, Amsterdam.

More information can be found at www.toeslagen.nl (in Dutch only).

Health Insurance (Policy excess)

Basic healthcare insurance (basisverzekering) includes a yearly 'policy excess or eigen risico' of € 155 (for 2009). This means that you need to pay the first € 155 in healthcare costs* yourself before you can start to receive reimbursement from your insurance company.

*Eigen risico does not apply to costs for the following:

• General Practitioner (GP)
• Obstetric / gynaecological care
• Maternity care
• Dental care package for people below the age of 22.

Insurance companies

If you intend to take an occasional part-time job, make sure you choose an insurance company (such as AON) that allows you to switch easily between private insurance for international students and basic healthcare insurance. The following website allows you to compare the policies offered by the different insurance companies in the Netherlands: www.kiesbeter.nl (in Dutch only).

As a student of the University of Amsterdam you can also take out a student basisverzekering policy from Zilveren Kruis. See the link below for more information (in Dutch only).

European Health Insurance Card

Citizens of the European Union can apply for a European Health Insurance Card. The coverage of the European Health Insurance Card is determined by your insurance company, so check with your insurance company whether it provides adequate coverage for your stay in the Netherlands. Depending on the coverage you need, it may be better to purchase a different kind of insurance for the duration of your stay in the Netherlands.

For more information please contact your insurance company.