Health Insurance

Before your arrival in the Netherlands, it is important to take out appropriate health and liability insurance. The medical system in the Netherlands is currently running at near maximum capacity. It is difficult to find a huisarts (General Practitioner/family doctor) and there are waiting times for referred care, including mental healthcare up to 6 months and longer. We highly advise you to register with a local doctor as soon as you’ve found yourself a place to stay in The Netherlands (you need an address in The Netherlands to register).

You are required by law to have adequate Health Insurance during your stay in the Netherlands. Therefore, it is essential to make sure you are properly insured during your entire stay in the Netherlands and this is your own responsibility. The Health Insurance coverage that is best suited to you depends on factors that include your nationality, age, nature of residence, and whether you have a job.

Adequate Health Insurance for international students in the Netherlands should cover repatriation on medical grounds, urgent medical care and emergency hospital treatment for a minimum amount of € 30.000,- We also strongly recommend that students take out a third-party liability insurance. Such a liability insurance should have a coverage of approximately € 1 million.

For more detailed information about requirements and insurance coverage, please check this website about Health Insurance.

For newly arriving international master, bachelor and PREP students, The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS) arranges compulsory Health Insurance for the first year on whose behalf we apply for an entry visa and/or a residence permit (non EU/EEA students). You will be informed further about this during your application in our online system. After this period of a year, you will have to extend your insurance yourself.

All Exchange students, ( EU and NON-EU) are offered Health Insurance facilitated by THUAS during their online application as well.

The insurance package arranged by THUAS covers medical expenses, as well as some other items (such as legal aid, accidents, liability and household goods). For more information about the coverage please contact us at internationaloffice@hhs.nl. The insurance card is a digital card that will be provided to you via email alongside other documents regarding your health insurance.

Health insurance and jobs

You need to be aware that, as soon as you pick up a job, or you have a paid internship, you are obliged to take out the Dutch Basic Healthcare insurance. If you do not meet this requirement you risk a huge fine. This is applicable for both EU/EEA and NON-EU/EEA students.

Click here for more information about working while studying.

The information below is only applicable to EU/EEA students

Insured in your own country?

If you are insured via social security or welfare services in your own country, you should ask whether there is a reciprocal agreement between your country and the Netherlands with regard to health insurance. If this is the case you should ask for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from the social security or welfare services in your country before you leave for the Netherlands. This card indicates that you are insured for medical costs in the Netherlands. Make sure, however, that your health insurance covers the tariffs that apply in the Netherlands, as medical costs here are (very) high! And that it covers you for your entire stay in the Netherlands (not only 2 or 3 months). Contact your own health insurance company before you travel to the Netherlands.

Make sure you always carry proof that you have health insurance because you will need to show it if you use any of the health services in the Netherlands. If you have private health insurance, you should ask whether it covers your stay in the Netherlands.

Please note, however, that some insurance companies only extend foreign coverage for a few months. If necessary, you can arrange private health insurance upon arrival.

For more detailed information about requirements and insurance coverage, please check this website about Health Insurance.