Healthcare

Studying abroad is a fun and exciting experience. Keeping yourself fit and healthy is important, especially during your studies. Moving to a new country, without your support network nearby, means the experience can also be stressful. This can affect your physical or mental well-being, so it is critical to have medical coverage that suits your (potential) needs.

You are highly advised 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). After you are admitted you will receive more information about where to register. General information about the Dutch Healthcare you’ll find on this website.

NB: It is important to understand that the medical system in the Netherlands is currently running at near maximum capacity and there are longer waiting times for referred care, including mental healthcare. Therefore, if you have a pre-existing mental or physical condition that requires immediate medical care/assistance, please plan with these waiting times in mind.

Health insurance

Students who come to study in the Netherlands are obliged by the Dutch law to have a Health insurance plan.

Having the right healthcare insurance during your stay at our school is of the utmost importance. It will give you the peace of mind needed while you are studying in the Netherlands, that if something happens to you, you will be taken care of.

International students who are privately insured in their own country should bring along a statement (in English) with details about their health insurance program.

Find below useful information on how to arrange your Health insurance as an international student in The Netherlands.

If you are from the EU/EEA, you may be eligible to receive a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) (see also: https://www.zorgwijzer.nl).

This should cover medical costs that you may inquire during your stay. However, what is covered and for how much can differ per EU-member state.

Please make very sure to check exactly what your insurance covers while you are in The Netherlands and for how long! Check the date that is mentioned in the Section ‘Valid until …’. You would not be the first student to walk around with a card with a validity date that has expired. This means you are not insured.

With the EHIC, it depends on how you are insured in your home country, how much for certain treatments, and for how long coverage is provided abroad. If it is not covered through the EHIC, and there is no additional insurance that would pay for the costs, you will have to pay for it out of your own pocket. Depending on the treatment or situation, this could possibly result in bills worth thousands of euros. In addition, coverage of the deductible is not included. If you do not have dental coverage through your EHIC, you have to pay for dental treatment yourself. Finally, please take into account that the EHIC does not provide coverage for liability, accidents, legal assistance, repatriation, household effects, and travel.

If your home country insurance does not offer any or enough coverage, please check out the InsureToStudy package we recommend to non-EU/EEA students.

One of the conditions for obtaining a residency permit in the Netherlands, as stated by the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), is that you are insured for healthcare costs in the Netherlands.

Your options
InsureToStudy is one of three companies that offer different health insurance packages to international students who do not have a paid job or internship during their stay. The other two are AON and OOM.

Master Plan Plus - InsureToStudy
Since we take your health, wellbeing and safety very seriously we have made a deal with the insurance company called InsureToStudy. They offer our students a package that covers all the necessary areas and meets the requirements of the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). It is called the Master Plan Plus.

Master Plan Plus covers:

  • All medical expenses, including dental costs
  • Accidents
  • Luggage
  • Household goods and valuables
  • Emergencies
  • Personal liability
  • Legal assistance
  • Travel

It is the only package for international students that covers pre-existing conditions (physical conditions like asthma, diabetes, rheumatism, or mental-emotional conditions like AD(H)D, PTSS, autism, etc).

Furthermore, it covers:

  1. a budget of € 1.520,- for psychological care, with the possibility to choose a psychologist, might you need one. This ensures quicker referral, quicker treatment options and (much appreciated by students) free choice of the type of psychologist.
  2. contraceptive medication (via prescriptions)
  3. professional guidance for AD(H)D and autism.
  4. a dental budget of € 750,- .

For more information click here.

In order to purchase the package, click here.
Costs are € 1,80 per day.

If you are planning to work while you are here, it is worth mentioning the following:

If a student has a paid job, even if it is for one hour a month, they are obliged by law to purchase Dutch basic health insurance. If there is no paid work in the next month or their contract gets is terminated, they have to switch back to a commercial insurer like InsureToStudy (ItS). In practice, having to switch results in many questions and sometimes even fines for students.

Master Plan Plus offers a service to arrange the administration of switching from this private commercial health insurance to a Dutch basic health insurance, with a very attractive low rate (up to 30% cheaper than regular basic health policies). In addition, they will pay for your mandatory deductible of € 385,- per year, when you need medical or therapeutic care.

ItS provides both kinds of insurances and offers to take care of the paperwork for you. Students can opt in and out per day through ItS. This can save you a lot of money (and definitely a lot of hassle and headache). You can also apply for a healthcare allowance with the Basic Health Insurance (called Zorgtoeslag), saving you even more money.

As for the Dutch health insurance, that you have to pay for when you have a paid job, there are too many to mention them all. We suggest Zilveren Kruis.