Basic cover
- Injury to persons
- Property damage to third parties
- Employees included
- Retroactive cover (prior risk)
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.
- several insurers compared objectively
- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
- AFM licence 12016589
- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
This page in another language: Nederlands
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
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
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 same independent view, whatever insurer
We work with dozens of insurers and choose whichever fits your situation best — not whichever pays us the most. That means advice built around you, not around one brand.
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Through Finass or direct with OOM Verzekeringen?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
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.
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.
Why arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
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.
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
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
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.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
Read more
Ready to compare?
Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
About our service
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.
This page was compiled by Finass Verzekert (LinkedIn). Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.