Switching period · obligation to accept · supplementary cover

Why you can still change cover in January

We arrange insurance; we do not act as an intermediary for health insurance. Here you can read how the switching period around the turn of the year works and where its limits lie.

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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Waarom u in januari nog van dekking kunt wisselen.

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

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A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.

In brief

The Zorgverzekeringswet (the Dutch Health Insurance Act) links health insurance to the calendar year. If you cancel your policy with effect from the end of the year, you then have a short period in January to choose a new insurer; that insurer covers you retrospectively from 1 January. In this way no uninsured period arises.

Many insurers apply the same January period to changes within their own policy : a different type of policy, a different excess or a different supplementary package. That is, however, the insurer's own policy and not a statutory right. Ask about it or read the conditions; insurers differ on this.

One limit is firm: the obligation to accept applies only to the basic insurance. If you want to extend your supplementary cover, the insurer may ask health questions, impose a waiting period or refuse you. Reducing cover is usually permitted. Finass Verzekert does not act as an intermediary for health insurance; you arrange this directly.

Cover
Points to note
What to look out for
Frequently asked questions
Contact

Who does what?

How the roles are divided between our office and your health insurer.

Different licence

What we do not do

Healthcare falls outside our licence for non-life insurance.

No advice on basic or supplementary cover
No changes or cancellations
No intermediation when switching

In January

What to look out for

The points that determine whether a change is still possible.

Was notice given in time
Does the period also apply to your package
Acceptance when extending supplementary cover

Non-life insurance

What we do provide

The risks that need cover alongside healthcare.

Personal liability
Income in the event of disability
Legal expenses cover for disputes

What is covered

Situation	At Finass Verzekert	With your health insurer
Cancelling or switching around the turn of the year	No	Yes
Adjusting the type of policy or the excess	No	Yes
Extending or reducing the supplementary package	No	Yes
Personal liability insurance (AVP)	Yes	No
Home, contents and motoring	Yes	No
Disability and sickness absence	Yes	No

Which periods your insurer applies exactly is set out in its policy conditions and on its website.

Where things go wrong in practice

Four points that determine whether your change takes effect on 1 January.

Cancelling and choosing are two separate steps

The statutory scope in January applies to choosing a new insurer after you have given notice in time. Anyone who does nothing in December simply continues with their current insurer. If you switch, in practice the new insurer cancels the old policy for you; check that you have confirmation from both parties , otherwise you are insured twice or not at all.

Extending supplementary cover can be refused

The basic health insurance is subject to duty to accept. On supplementary insurance it does not. If you want a more extensive dental or physiotherapy package in January, the insurer may ask for a health declaration, impose a waiting period or exclude existing conditions. Ongoing treatment is often precisely the reason an extension is no longer accepted.

A change does not work retrospectively on a bill

A package you extend in January usually takes effect from 1 January, but that does not mean that treatment already started will be reimbursed after all. Many supplementary packages exclude costs arising from a condition that was already known when the cover was taken out. The excess also continues as normal: that runs per calendar year and does not change because you change your package.

Check the healthcare contracts, not just the premium

If you change the type of policy, the contracted healthcare providersoften change too. With an in-kind policy the insurer pays for care from providers it has a contract with; if you go elsewhere, you pay part yourself. Contracts run per year. If your practitioner is no longer listed, that often weighs more heavily than a small difference in premium.

What to look out for when comparing

Notice given in time — before the end of the calendar year
Your insurer's period — a statutory right or the insurer's own policy
Acceptance for supplementary cover — health questions and a waiting period
Contracted care — is your practitioner still listed
Excess — applies per calendar year
Confirmation on paper — from both the old and the new insurer

This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice.

How it works

You check whether you have given noticeWithout notice given in time, your policy runs on for the whole year.
You ask about the periodWith your own insurer: does January also apply to package changes?
You read the acceptance conditionsCertainly if you want to extend the supplementary cover.
We look at the restLiability, home, traffic, income and legal expenses.

Get in touch

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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.

View the reviews at NH1816 · all reviews on our site

Frequently asked questions

The questions we are asked most often about this.

Can I still change health insurer in January?

Only if you cancelled your old policy in time, that is with effect from the end of the calendar year. After that you have a short period in January to choose a new insurer, who covers you retrospectively from 1 January. If you have not cancelled, your policy simply continues until the next turn of the year.

May my insurer refuse a change in January?

For the basic insurance there is an obligation to accept, so it has to accept that. Not for extending a supplementary package: there it may ask health questions, impose a waiting period or refuse you. Whether it allows package changes in January at all is its own policy anyway and differs from one insurer to another.

Can I also switch outside the turn of the year?

Usually not. There are exceptions: if your insurer changes the premium or the conditions to your disadvantage during the year, you may cancel. A move abroad, the end of a group contract or reaching the age of eighteen also creates a moment to adjust the policy.

Does Finass Verzekert act as an intermediary for my health insurance?

No. Our AFM licence covers general insurance; health insurance falls under a different licence category. We do not advise on it and do not act as an intermediary for it. For liability, home, contents, motor and legal expenses cover and their business equivalents you can come to us, as you can for income and sickness absence cover.

Within Financiering

Service

Documents and terms

Do you need advice on your non-life insurance?

Call or email us; for your health insurance, go to your own health insurer.

Get in touch

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 written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on 15 August 2026.

The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.

Why you can still change cover in January

In brief

Who does what?

What we do not do

What to look out for

What we do provide

Where things go wrong in practice

Cancelling and choosing are two separate steps

Extending supplementary cover can be refused

A change does not work retrospectively on a bill

Check the healthcare contracts, not just the premium

What to look out for when comparing

How it works

Frequently asked questions

Read more

Within Financiering

Similar pages

Service

Do you need advice on your non-life insurance?

About our service

Why you can still change cover in January

In brief

Who does what?

What we do not do

What to look out for

What we do provide

Where things go wrong in practice

Cancelling and choosing are two separate steps

Extending supplementary cover can be refused

A change does not work retrospectively on a bill

Check the healthcare contracts, not just the premium

What to look out for when comparing

How it works

Frequently asked questions

Read more

Within Financiering

Similar pages

Service

Do you need advice on your non-life insurance?

About our service

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