OOM Verzekeringen · compared independently · advice from Finass
Insurance when working abroad via OOM
Anyone leaving to work abroad usually loses their Dutch health insurance, while the employer's duty of care travels along to the foreign workplace unchanged.
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
Working abroad affects two things at once. Your obligation to insure under the Zorgverzekeringswet (the Dutch Health Insurance Act) depends on living, or working subject to payroll tax, in the Netherlands. If that shifts, basic health insurance ends and the reimbursement that rests on it lapses as well. Within the EU an A1 certificate can keep Dutch social security running; outside it, almost never. Anyone who only discovers this with the first hospital bill pays it themselves.
At the same time the employer does not disappear from the picture. The duty of care under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code applies to a workplace in Riyadh or Lagos too, and under Article 7:611 of the Dutch Civil Code an employer is expected to make proper provision for employees travelling for work. An expatriation package is therefore more often an employer's decision than a choice made by the employee.
We first take stock of the country of work, the length of the posting and whether the family is going too, and then set OOM's cover alongside that of other providers. If it concerns a temporary trip rather than a posting, a travel insurance is the cheaper and more appropriate solution.
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 when working abroad. 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.
Your basic health insurance ends sooner than the posting does
The obligation under the Health Insurance Act stops as soon as you are no longer a resident or no longer pay Dutch payroll tax. If basic health insurance continues after that, you pay premium for cover to which you are no longer entitled. If you stop too early, a gap opens up. We set the end date of the Dutch policy and the start date of the international cover on the same day, and record that date in writing.
The duty of care travels to the foreign workplace
An employee injured on a construction site or installation abroad can hold their Dutch employer to account under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code. The fact that the local client set the safety rules does not release the employer from its own responsibility. Medical cover does not replace that liability, but it does prevent the discussion about who pays from starting while the employee is still in hospital.
Repatriation and evacuation have firm limits
Medical transport to the Netherlands takes place only where the treating doctor and the emergency assistance centre jointly consider it medically necessary; treatment that can wait until the planned return falls outside it. Work in areas subject to negative travel advice, war zones and evacuation for political reasons are excluded as standard. If you are going to such a region, report it in advance, because there is no cover to be bought afterwards.
What you declare in advance determines whether payment follows later
When you apply, the duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code. A pre-existing condition, ongoing treatment or medication you fail to mention can be used by the insurer under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code to limit or refuse payment. The same applies to the nature of the work: offshore work, diving, working at height and motorised off-road transport are assessed differently from office work.
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Retroactive cover (prior risk) Included for your staff during work.
Defence & legal costs
What does your premium depend on?
Country and region of work. The local cost level of medical care and how easily help can be reached determine most of the premium.
Length of the posting. A secondment of a few months is assessed differently from a posting of several years.
Nature of the work. Office work, construction site work, offshore work and security duties fall into different risk classes.
Age of the posted employee. Expected demand for medical care rises with age and feeds through into the rate.
Family members moving with you. A partner and children are insured person by person; school-age children raise a cover question of their own.
Area of cover and excess. Whether or not the United States and Canada are included, and the personal contribution chosen, shift the premium noticeably.
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.
Can I keep my Dutch health insurance during the posting?
Only as long as you remain liable to insure, that is to say as long as you are a resident or pay payroll tax in the Netherlands. With a secondment within the EU under an A1 certificate that is often the case. If you move outside the EU, the obligation ends and you must cancel your basic health insurance. Continuing to pay gives no entitlement to reimbursement.
Is my family covered if they move with me?
Only if you have your partner and children named on the policy separately. Family members are not automatically covered because you are. For children there is also the question of whether they will come to the Netherlands during school holidays. The policy must then also provide cover during a temporary stay in the country of origin.
Who takes this out: me or my employer?
Both occur. On a posting from a Dutch employer, the policy is usually in the company's name, because the duty of care under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code lies there and the costs are built into the expatriation allowance. If you work as a self-employed professional (zzp'er) for a foreign client, you take out the policy yourself and there is no employer arranging anything for you.
What if I have to work in a country subject to negative travel advice?
Report it before you leave. Travel to or stays in areas subject to orange or red travel advice are excluded on standard conditions, as are acts of war and armed conflict. Some insurers offer a separate clause on amended conditions. Without that agreement in advance, nothing can be arranged once the posting is under way.
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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