OOM Verzekeringen · compared independently · advice from Finass
Insurance for foreign nationals in the netherlands via OOM
Whether you have to take out Dutch basic health insurance, or in fact cannot obtain it, depends not on your nationality but on whether you live and work here.
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
The Health Insurance Act ties the obligation to insure to residence and to work on which Dutch payroll tax is paid. Anyone staying here without working, awaiting a residence permit, as an accompanying partner or as a pensioner, is usually not required to insure and therefore cannot take out basic health insurance either. Health insurers are allowed to refuse such a person. A private international policy is then the alternative.
The other way round, the risk is greater. Anyone who is required to insure and does not register receives a reminder from the CAK and then a fine, while paying the bills themselves in the meantime. A private policy does not solve that. It stops precisely at the moment the obligation arises. The order is therefore: first establish whether you fall under the Health Insurance Act, and only then choose what to take out.
With almost every residence application, the IND (the Dutch immigration service) asks for proof of medical insurance and of sufficient means of support. Finass assesses whether the policy meets that requirement and whether it matches the expected length of stay. See also the insurance for a temporary stay in the Netherlands.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Basic cover
The basic cover insures the core of your insurance for foreign nationals in the netherlands. 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.
Living and working: the test that decides everything
The SVB (the Dutch social insurance bank) assesses residence by reference to the centre of your social life, not merely by your entry in the population register. A few hours of paid work can already trigger the obligation to insure. From that moment a four-month period applies for taking out basic health insurance, with retroactive effect to the day the obligation began. You still pay the premium for that intervening period.
What a private international policy does do
This policy covers medical care during your stay and runs in step with the period you are here, without your paying national insurance contributions. Unlike basic health insurance, there is medical acceptance. The duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code applies in full. If an existing condition is not declared, the insurer can refuse or reduce payment under Article 7:930 DCC.
EU, treaty country or third country
An EHIC covers only necessary care during a temporary stay and ceases to have effect as soon as you settle here. Anyone bringing a benefit or pension from another EU country may enter the Dutch system by means of an S1 form. If those routes do not apply, there is no public entry point and only private cover remains for the duration of the stay.
What is not covered
Cover normally does not extend to care already planned or indicated before arrival, the continuation of chronic medication, pregnancy and childbirth within a waiting period, dentistry other than emergency treatment, and all care from the day you become required to insure under the Health Insurance Act. Costs arising after your right of residence has expired are also excluded, even if the policy formally still runs.
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Retroactive cover (prior risk) Included for your staff during work.
Defence & legal costs
What does your premium depend on?
Age. The heaviest factor in private medical cover, because expected use of care rises with age.
Expected length of stay. A policy for a few months is rated differently from cover for several years.
Level of cover chosen. Emergency care only, as against a package covering the GP, specialist care, medication and physiotherapy.
Excess. A higher excess per year or per event reduces the premium but shifts the first costs to you.
Area of cover. The Netherlands only, or travel to your country of origin during your stay here as well.
Medical underwriting. A medical history can lead to an exclusion clause or to a loading on the premium.
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.
May I take out Dutch basic health insurance if I do not work here?
No. Basic health insurance exists for those who are required to insure, and that obligation arises from living and working here. If that does not apply to you, a health insurer may refuse you and a policy taken out nonetheless can be challenged afterwards. A private international policy for the duration of your stay is then the right route.
What happens if I start working here?
The obligation to insure then arises on your first working day and you must take out basic health insurance within four months, with retroactive effect to that day. Your private policy ends at that moment. Report the change to your insurer straight away, because running both covers side by side means double premium without double reimbursement.
Is my EHIC sufficient?
Only for necessary care during a temporary stay. As soon as your stay takes on the character of settling here, the basis for the card falls away and you can no longer derive any rights from it. A care provider may also refuse the card if it is clear that you live here. So do not rely on it for a longer stay.
Does the IND accept this insurance?
That depends on the permit you are applying for and on what the policy says. What is generally required is cover that is valid in the Netherlands, spans the entire period of stay and actually reimburses medical costs. Ask for the policy schedule in a language the IND accepts and check that the start date falls before the intended date of arrival.
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.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
