The obligation hangs on two things: living in the Netherlands and having a motor vehicle in your name. Everything else you insure voluntarily or because a contract requires it.
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In brief
There are two statutory insurance obligations. The first is health insurance: anyone who lives in the Netherlands or pays wage tax here has to take it out under the Health Insurance Act. The second is Third-party liability insurance for motor vehicles, required by Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM). That obligation hangs on the registration being in your name, not on use: even a car that stands idle for months has to be insured.
What counts as a motor vehicle is wider than many people think. Besides cars, motorcycles, scooters and mopeds, it also includes the speed pedelec : that has a registration number and an insurance obligation. An ordinary electric bicycle with pedal assistance up to 25 kilometres per hour is not a motor vehicle.
Three categories that are often confused in practice.
On the road
Motor vehicles
Every registered motor vehicle has to have third-party liability cover.
Car, motorcycle, scooter and moped
The speed pedelec and the light quadricycle (brommobiel) too
Applies even when parked on private land
Only suspension with the RDW lifts it
For yourself
Health insurance
Compulsory for everyone who lives here or pays wage tax.
The basic package is laid down by law
Compulsory statutory excess
Supplementary cover remains voluntary
Enforcement runs through the CAK
Voluntary
The rest
Not compulsory, but sensible where the risk is large.
Personal liability, the AVP
Home contents, travel and legal expenses
Own-damage cover for your own vehicle
Buildings: usually a mortgage requirement
What is covered
Situation
Compulsory by law
Voluntary
A car, motorcycle or scooter with a registration
Yes
No
A speed pedelec with a registration
Yes
No
An electric bicycle with assistance up to 25 km per hour
No
Yes
Own-damage cover for your own vehicle
No
Yes
Health insurance for people living in the Netherlands
Yes
No
Home contents, travel and legal expenses
No
Yes
Buildings insurance is not in this table: it is not a statutory obligation but a condition in the mortgage deed.
Two points about the obligation
What the obligation hangs on, and what the compulsory policy does not pay for.
The obligation hangs on the registration
For as long as a registration is in your name, third-party liability insurance has to be in force. The RDW compares the vehicle register with the insurance register and imposes a penalty for any gap, even if you have not driven. If you want to stop that obligation temporarily, have the registration suspend the registration; the vehicle then has to be kept on private land. If an uninsured vehicle causes damage, the Waarborgfonds Motorverkeer pays the victim and recovers the amount from the party at fault.
A third-party liability policy pays only for damage to others, never for damage to your own vehicle; for that you need third-party, fire and theft or comprehensive cover. Also excluded is damage during speed contests, damage while the driver does not hold a valid licence or is under the influence, and damage caused by intent or recklessness under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
What does your premium depend on?
Type and value of the vehicle — registration, weight and list price
Type of cover — third-party liability, third-party, fire and theft, or comprehensive
No-claims years — determine your bonus-malus step
Region and where the vehicle is kept — theft and damage risk
Age of the driver — and the regular driver
Excess — higher amount, lower premium
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, risk and 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.
Two: health insurance for anyone who lives in the Netherlands or pays wage tax here, and third-party liability insurance for every motor vehicle registered in your name. Other policies are voluntary, or are required by a contract such as a mortgage deed or a tenancy agreement. Such a contractual requirement is not law, but it is binding.
Does a parked car have to be insured?
Yes. The insurance obligation hangs on the registration being in your name, not on driving. If the car stands idle for a long period, you can have the registration suspended with the RDW; while it is suspended both the insurance obligation and the vehicle tax lapse. The condition is that the vehicle is not on the public road.
Do I have to insure my electric bicycle?
An ordinary e-bike with pedal assistance up to twenty-five kilometres per hour does not count as a motor vehicle and carries no insurance obligation. A speed pedelec does: it has a registration number and falls under the WAM. Theft of a bicycle is not compulsorily insured in either case, but can be covered separately or through the home contents policy.
What happens if you drive uninsured?
The RDW identifies the gap between the vehicle register and the insurance register and imposes a penalty, which increases if it happens again. If you then cause damage, the Waarborgfonds Motorverkeer pays the victim and recovers the full amount from you. That registration also makes it harder to obtain insurance later.
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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