Deregistration · medical cover · property left behind
Insurance for pensioners living abroad
Anyone who moves abroad permanently after retiring loses their Dutch basic health insurance. What takes its place depends on the country and on your health at the time of application.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Verzekeringen voor pensionado's in het buitenland.
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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.
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- 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.
In brief
Dutch health insurance is tied to residence. If you deregister with your local authority and settle elsewhere permanently, your obligation to insure in principle ends and with it your basic health insurance. If you live in an EU or EEA country or in a treaty country and receive a Dutch pension, you may fall under a treaty arrangement under which you receive care according to the system of your country of residence. Outside those countries that route does not exist and you need private medical cover. OOM Verzekeringen specialises in cover for Dutch nationals outside the Netherlands; we act as intermediary for it.
Arrange your application before you leave. Private medical insurance involves medical acceptance: a health declaration is required and, under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code it must be entirely accurate. Pre-existing conditions lead to an exclusion on the policy schedule, a premium loading or refusal. If you fail to disclose something, the insurer can, under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code limit or refuse reimbursement, even years later. Insurers also apply age limits for new applications.
Besides medical care, property is often left behind in the Netherlands. A home standing empty or being let does not simply fall under the existing buildings policy; vacancy is generally a circumstance you must notify and which limits cover to a short list of events. See the home left behind. Your personal liability travels with you abroad and calls for cover set up for that; see personal liability abroad.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare car insurance.
What to look out for
Four points that most often cause problems on departure.
Deregistration is the pivotal moment
From the day of deregistration your entitlement to basic health insurance lapses, and usually the family cover on your Dutch policies too. Make sure the new cover starts on that same date. A gap of a few weeks cannot be closed retroactively, and an accident in that very period is not insured.
What medical cover does not reimburse
Excluded as standard are conditions that already existed at the start unless they have been accepted, treatment aimed mainly at comfort or cosmetic improvement, and care with no recognised medical necessity. In addition, dental treatment is often only included in a separate module, and treatment during a stay in the Netherlands may be subject to a maximum duration or to prior authorisation.
Country, safety and length of stay
The policy names the area for which it is valid. If you move to another country, that is a change you must report. Excluded are the consequences of war, armed conflict and civil unrest in the area where you are staying, and travel to destinations subject to negative travel advice can affect cover.
Repatriation and death
Transport to the Netherlands after illness or death is not part of ordinary medical cover. There is a separate provision for that, explained under the SOS cover. Arrange in advance who calls the emergency assistance centre and what details it needs; costs incurred without prior authorisation are often not reimbursed.
What does your premium depend on?
- Country of residence and health system — the cost of medical care varies widely between countries
- Age at inception — determines acceptance and premium band
- State of health — established from the health declaration
- Level of cover chosen — hospital care only, or the GP and medication as well
- Excess or personal contribution — a higher personal contribution reduces the premium
- Area of cover — whether or not care during a stay in the Netherlands is covered
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
What is covered
| Situation | Basic | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency admission to a hospital in your country of residence after a heart attack | Yes | Yes |
| A visit to the GP and the medication prescribed | No | Yes |
| A crown fitted by the dentist after a broken tooth | No | Provided that |
| Physiotherapy in the months after a hip operation | No | Provided that |
| Treatment of the back complaint you already had when you left | No | No |
| An eyelid correction without medical indication | No | No |
Work out what you pay yourself: a lower level of cover reduces the premium, not the hospital's bill.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
May I keep my Dutch health insurance?
Not if you deregister permanently and no longer work in the Netherlands. The obligation to insure follows from residence or from paid employment here; if that falls away, so does basic health insurance. Notify your health insurer of your departure in good time. If you continue to pay premium without being liable to insure, there is no entitlement to reimbursement and only part of the premium paid is refunded.
What is a treaty arrangement?
If you live in an EU or EEA country, in Switzerland or in a country with which the Netherlands has a social security treaty, and you receive a Dutch pension, you may retain the right to care under the rules of your country of residence, paid for through a contribution deducted from your pension. The level of that care is that of the country of residence and can differ from what you were used to in the Netherlands.
What happens to my house in the Netherlands?
For a buildings insurer, vacancy is a change of risk that you must report. Cover is then generally limited to a short list of events such as fire, storm and lightning strike, while burglary and water damage lapse. If you let the property, a different regime applies and a tenant's contents are not your concern. Report the situation before you leave.
Am I insured twice when I am visiting the Netherlands?
That does occur, for example alongside a travel policy covering medical costs. Medical insurance is an indemnity insurance, and Article 7:960 of the Dutch Civil Code prohibits you from receiving more than the costs actually incurred. You choose which insurer to claim from; the second reimburses the remainder at most. Double premium therefore does not produce a double payout.