OOM Verzekeringen · compared independently · advice from Finass
Insurance for international students in the netherlands via OOM
An international student who only studies cannot obtain Dutch basic health insurance; anyone who takes a part-time job alongside their studies must in fact have one within a few months.
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
That tipping point is the heart of this insurance. Studying is not work in paid employment, so no obligation to insure arises under the Health Insurance Act and the student has to rely on private student cover. As soon as paid work is added, including a part-time job of a few hours a week or a paid placement, the obligation does arise. A four-month period then applies for taking out basic health insurance, with retroactive effect to the first working day.
Anyone who misses this receives a reminder and then a fine from the CAK, still pays the missed premium and is not covered in the meantime, because the private policy ends at the moment the obligation arises. So it is not a choice between two products but a sequence that depends on your situation.
On top of that, for a study residence permit the IND (the Dutch immigration service) requires proof of medical insurance and of sufficient means, and the educational institution is a recognised sponsor that also monitors this itself. If you are instead studying abroad from the Netherlands, the picture is reversed; see insurance for students abroad.
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 international students 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.
The part-time job is the tipping point
A few hours a week in hospitality, a paid placement or an assistantship at your faculty makes you liable to insure. From the first working day, basic health insurance must be in place within four months, starting on that first day. Report it to your private insurer straight away, because that cover does not continue alongside an obligation under the Health Insurance Act, and double premium does not produce double reimbursement.
What student cover includes and what the institution requires
Cover includes the GP, hospital treatment and medication during the period of study, often in a package with liability and baggage because the IND and the institution look at the overall picture. The term follows the academic year or the duration of the residence permit. Renewal for a second year of study is not automatic and must be applied for actively before the old period ends.
Liability in student accommodation
A shared kitchen, a pan left on the hob, water running through to the neighbours below. Liability rests on Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code, but damage to the rented room itself is tenant's liability and is not included in every personal policy. The landlord can also hold you directly to account under the tenancy agreement, regardless of what your insurer thinks of it.
Where the cover ends
Cover normally does not extend to complaints that already existed on arrival, the continuation of existing medication, pregnancy and childbirth, dental care other than emergency treatment, sport at competition or professional level, and all care from the day you become liable to insure. Care you need during a holiday outside the agreed area of cover also falls outside it without an extension.
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Retroactive cover (prior risk) Included for your staff during work.
Defence & legal costs
What does your premium depend on?
Age. Student cover works with age bands; above a certain limit, different rates or conditions apply.
Nationality and treaty position. If you hold an EHIC or a treaty form, the cover is structured differently.
Length of study and residence permit. The term follows the permit. A multi-year course is rated differently from a single semester.
How the package is put together. Medical care only, or medical care with liability, baggage and legal expenses alongside.
Excess. An excess per event or per year reduces the premium and increases what you pay up front yourself.
Travel within Europe. Including travel during the period of study widens the area of cover and with it 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.
Do I need Dutch basic health insurance as an international student?
Not as long as you only study. There is then no obligation to insure and a health insurer may refuse you. Private student cover for the duration of your residence permit is the right route, and that is also what the IND and your institution require as proof. That changes the moment you start doing paid work.
I am going to take a part-time job. What do I need to do?
You become liable to insure from your first working day and must take out basic health insurance within four months, starting on that day. If you do not, a reminder follows and then a fine from the CAK, plus the premium for the period missed. Cancel your private policy at the same time, because it ends as soon as the obligation arises.
Will my university accept this policy?
Institutions generally look at whether the cover is valid in the Netherlands, spans the entire period of stay and actually reimburses medical costs. Some also ask for liability cover. Ask for the list of requirements before you choose, and make sure the policy schedule is drawn up in a language the institution and the IND accept.
I am an EU citizen with an EHIC. Is that enough?
It is for necessary care during a temporary stay, but a multi-year course is more than a temporary stay. The card does not cover planned care, liability or repatriation, and can be refused if it is clear that you live here. For the residence permit, the card is also often not sufficient as proof.
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.
