OOM Verzekeringen · compared independently · advice from Finass
Insurance for au pairs via OOM
An au pair is not in paid employment and therefore falls outside the Dutch basic health insurance scheme. On top of that, she spends the whole day among the host family's belongings.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
We compare the offerings of several insurers
An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
An au pair comes to the Netherlands on a residence permit for cultural exchange, with a recognised au pair agency acting as sponsor at the IND (the Dutch immigration service). She carries out light household tasks within a limited number of hours and receives pocket money, not wages. Because there is no employment relationship, there is also no obligation to take out basic health insurance under the Health Insurance Act; she cannot obtain Dutch basic health insurance. The IND and the placement agency do, however, ask for proof of private medical cover.
The second risk is liability inside the home. An au pair handles the host family's belongings every day: the laptop on the kitchen table, the induction hob, sometimes the car used to collect the children. Damage to items she has in its keeping falls under the care, custody and control exclusion and is in fact excluded under many personal liability policies. What is more, a live-in au pair is sometimes treated as a member of the household, which means damage to the family's property is left outside cover altogether.
Finass assesses both layers at the same time: the medical cover for the period of stay and the liability in and around the home. See also the overview insurance for students or au pairs.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Basic cover
The basic cover insures the core of your au pair insurance. We show what OOM and other insurers offer within it.
Injury to persons
Property damage to third parties
Employees included
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Extended cover
On top of that to damage to third parties, employers' and product liability and damage during work at the client's premises.
Employers' liability at the client's premises
Product liability
Agency workers, interns & volunteers
Care, custody and control (property in your care)
Complete package
The most complete cover. We compare OOM's extended version with the market.
Environmental impairment (unforeseen, limited)
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Higher sums insured
What we do
What we do
At Finass
Direct with OOM Verzekeringen
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Sometimes
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Sometimes
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether OOM Verzekeringen is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
This overview concerns our service, not the cover. What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurer's insurance card (verzekeringskaart); you receive both before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
No employment, so no basic health insurance
The obligation to insure under the Health Insurance Act arises from living in the Netherlands and working here in paid employment. An au pair does not perform work in that sense and pays no national insurance contributions. If paid work is nevertheless carried out outside the au pair agreement, the obligation does arise after all, the CAK can impose an additional levy, and the private policy lapses because it assumes a situation in which there is no obligation to insure.
Care, custody and control: the most common claim
A phone dropped in the bath, a burn mark on the dining table, a cracked glass door. These are items the au pair had in her charge at the time, and that is precisely the situation the care, custody and control exclusion is written for. Check the policy conditions to see whether items in her charge are covered, up to what amount, and whether damage to the host family's property is not separately excluded because the au pair lives in.
Where the host family itself stands
The au pair is liable for her own wrongful acts under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code. Because she is not a subordinate in an employment relationship, you cannot simply fall back on Article 6:170 DCC. Check whether your own family policy covers guests and live-in residents. If it does not, the au pair needs her own liability cover running from the date of arrival.
What is not included
Cover normally does not extend to complaints and treatment that already existed on arrival, the continuation of existing medication, pregnancy and childbirth, dental care other than emergency treatment, injury or damage arising during paid work outside the au pair agreement, and damage involving the family car where driving was not notified in advance. Costs arising after the end date of the residence permit are also excluded.
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Retroactive cover (prior risk) Included for your staff during work.
Defence & legal costs
What does your premium depend on?
Length of stay. The policy runs in step with the au pair period. A year costs more than six months, and an extension is assessed separately.
Age of the au pair. The age band determines the expected use of medical care and sometimes acceptance itself.
Country of origin. For someone from the EU or EEA with an EHIC, the structure looks different from that for someone from a third country.
Modules chosen. Medical costs alone is narrower than a package that also includes liability, baggage and personal accident cover.
Excess. An excess per event reduces the premium but leaves the first costs with the au pair or the host family.
Travel outside the Netherlands. Holidays or family visits during the period of stay call for an extension of the area of cover.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Does an au pair need Dutch basic health insurance?
No, and in most cases she cannot obtain it either. The obligation to insure depends on living here and working in paid employment. An au pair carries out light household tasks in return for pocket money and falls outside that. Health insurers may refuse someone who is not required to insure. A private international policy for the period of stay is therefore the appropriate route, and the IND asks for proof of it.
Is damage to the host family's belongings covered?
Only if items in her care, custody and control are covered and the conditions do not exclude live-in residents. Those two points in particular vary widely between policies. Broken laptops, phones and furniture are the most common claims in an au pair situation, so this is the section where you should read the conditions word for word before you sign.
Who takes out the policy, the host family or the au pair?
Both occur. Having the host family as policyholder is practical for payment and correspondence, but you then carry the duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 DCC in respect of someone else's health. Ask for those details in writing beforehand. If the au pair takes out the policy herself, agree that you are to be given the policy schedule and proof of payment.
What if the au pair stays in the Netherlands afterwards?
The basis then changes. If she goes on to study, student cover is appropriate. If she goes on to work, the obligation to insure arises and basic health insurance must be taken out. If there is a gap between the end of the au pair period and the new situation, look at the bridging insurance to bridge it.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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