In this guide
As an expat you compare Dutch health insurance when you arrive, and you can compare again each autumn when the new premiums come out. The comparison is easier than it looks, because the most expensive part, the basic package, is identical at every insurer. What differs is the policy type, how much you get back at providers without a contract, your eigen risico, the supplementary packages, the premium and the service.
This guide shows you how to compare those points yourself, using the insurers’ own documents and official government information. It deliberately contains no 2027 premiums. Insurers publish those before 12 November; DSW was the first, on its website in October 2026, and until the others have followed you cannot compare next year’s prices across insurers.
Disclosure: this article contains an affiliate link to the insurer a.s.r. If you take out a policy through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you; the premium is the same as going direct. This is general information, not insurance advice. See how we earn.
💡 Related: the complete guide to Dutch health insurance for expats, what Dutch health insurance covers, how to switch step by step, the eigen risico explained.
The Short Version
- The basic package is the same everywhere. The government decides what is in it, so you are comparing everything around it (Rijksoverheid).
- Three policy types. Naturapolis, naturapolis with restrictive conditions (budget policy) and combinatiepolis. Restitutiepolissen have not been offered since 2025 (NZa).
- Contracts matter more than the label. Check whether your preferred hospital, GP practice or therapist has a contract with the insurer, and what the policy pays if they do not.
- Eigen risico. €385 compulsory in 2026, plus an optional voluntary amount of up to €500 for a lower premium.
- Deadlines. Switching: cancel before 1 January, new policy before 1 February. New arrivals: within 4 months, with cover from the day you arrived.
Step 1: Decide Whether You Need Supplementary Cover
Dutch health insurance has two layers.
Basic insurance (basisverzekering) is compulsory. Rijksoverheid says the government sets what is in the basic package and that it covers standard care from, for example, the GP, a psychiatrist, the hospital or the pharmacy. Because the content is fixed by law, a basic policy from one insurer covers the same care as a basic policy from another. For the details, see what Dutch health insurance covers.
Supplementary insurance (aanvullende verzekering) is voluntary. Rijksoverheid’s advice is to think about the care you expect to use that is not in the basic package. Will you see a dentist or physiotherapist more or less often? Are you hoping to have a baby next year? Then decide whether you can and want to pay for that yourself, or would rather insure it.
Two points from Rijksoverheid help when you compare:
- You do not need to take your basic and supplementary insurance from the same insurer. A separate supplementary policy can come with special conditions, such as a higher premium.
- Insurers hardly ever use medical selection for supplementary insurance any more, apart from a few very extensive packages. They can, however, apply a waiting period, so some costs are not reimbursed straight away.
Our guide to supplementary health insurance for expats goes through the common packages.
Step 2: Compare the Policy Type
Rijksoverheid describes these kinds of basic policy:
| Policy type | How it works (Rijksoverheid) | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Naturapolis | The insurer selects providers and contracts them. If you choose another provider, the insurer may reimburse less. | The reimbursement for non-contracted care, which the policy states |
| Naturapolis with restrictive conditions (budget policy) | A naturapolis with, for example, fewer contracted providers or possibly lower reimbursements | Whether the providers you use are contracted |
| Combinatiepolis | In some cases you are entitled to care (as with a naturapolis), in other cases to reimbursement of care | Which types of care the restrictions apply to |
The restitutiepolis no longer exists. The NZa, the Dutch healthcare authority, wrote in December 2024: “Vanaf 2025 verdwijnen de restitutiepolissen. Zorgverzekeraars zetten deze om naar combinatiepolissen.” (From 2025, restitutie policies disappear; insurers convert them into combination policies.) According to the NZa, a combinatiepolis gives free choice and full reimbursement at many providers, but limits the reimbursement of non-contracted care in areas such as district nursing or mental healthcare. Older articles and tools that still mention a restitutiepolis are out of date.
For a longer explanation of the differences, see natura, restitutie or combination policy.
Step 3: Check Contracted Care and Non-Contracted Reimbursement
This is where policies really differ.
Rijksoverheid advises checking whether your insurer has contracts with the providers you prefer, and whether those contracts include a maximum number of treatments (a zorgplafond or omzetplafond). If so, you risk not being able to go to that provider late in the year.
Also check what you have to pay yourself at a provider without a contract. ACM ConsuWijzer says the policy conditions state whether you then pay part of the bill yourself, and how much; the reimbursement can differ per policy, and with a budget policy you usually pay a larger share. Find it on the insurer’s own website:
- Polisvoorwaarden (policy conditions): the full rules, including the reimbursement for non-contracted care.
- Zorgzoeker or list of contracted providers: search for your hospital, GP practice, physiotherapist or mental health provider by name.
- Vergoedingenoverzicht (overview of reimbursements): what supplementary packages pay, per treatment.
If you are in treatment when you switch, Rijksoverheid says the provider bills the insurer you were with when the treatment started. Your new insurer takes over an authorisation (machtiging) you received from your old insurer, for example for physiotherapy or patient transport.
Step 4: Choose Your Eigen Risico
The eigen risico is the amount you pay yourself each year before the insurer pays for care from the basic package.
- Compulsory: €385 in 2026 for everyone aged 18 or over.
- Voluntary: you can add up to €500 on top, for a total of up to €885. In exchange, Rijksoverheid says, the insurer gives a discount on the monthly premium.
- Not counted: Rijksoverheid lists care without eigen risico, including GP care (also the out-of-hours GP service), midwifery and maternity care, and district nursing. Children under 18 pay no eigen risico at all.
A voluntary eigen risico only makes sense if you could pay the full amount in a bad year. Rijksoverheid adds that you can ask your insurer about paying the eigen risico in instalments. Our explainer on the eigen risico walks through examples.
Step 5: Compare Premium and Service
Only now does the premium come in. Rijksoverheid suggests looking at several insurers’ websites, and also at how an insurer handles complaints and what other service it offers.
For expats, service in English often matters. Insurers differ here. a.s.r., for example, says on its English page that it has an overview of English documents, that “all correspondence is in Dutch”, and that its healthcare advisers answer questions in English (a.s.r. health insurance). We compared English-language service at several insurers in Dutch health insurers with English service.
Your employer may offer a collective policy. Ask HR what it includes; Rijksoverheid notes that employers, unions and other groups can make special arrangements with insurers.
Where to Find Official Information
Use primary sources rather than summaries:
- The insurer’s own website for the premium, the policy conditions, the list of contracted providers and the supplementary packages. These are the documents your cover is based on.
- Rijksoverheid (in Dutch) explains the switching rules, the policy types and the eigen risico.
- Government.nl (in English) explains when you need to take out health insurance after you arrive.
- ACM ConsuWijzer, the consumer information service of the Dutch consumer authority, has tips for choosing health insurance, to which Rijksoverheid also refers.
Using Our Health Insurance Wizard
Our Health Insurance Wizard asks about your situation, the coverage you want and what matters most to you, in three steps, and then suggests insurers to look at. Use it as a starting point for your shortlist.
One caveat: the premium figures in the tool are not up to date. Ignore any amount it shows and check the current premium and conditions on the insurer’s own website before you decide.
The Deadlines
When you switch at the turn of the year (Rijksoverheid):
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Insurers publish next year’s premium and conditions | Before 12 November |
| Choose another policy at your current insurer | By 31 December |
| Cancel your current policy | Before 1 January (by 31 December) |
| Take out your new policy | Before 1 February, covered retroactively from 1 January |
If you take out a new policy by 31 December, the new insurer cancels your old policy for you. The step-by-step switching guide covers the details.
When you have just arrived (government.nl): take out Dutch health insurance no later than 4 months after arriving, with coverage from the day you arrive. If you take it out after 4 months, you are not insured retroactively. You then pay no premium for the past period, but you are also not reimbursed for care you received between your arrival and the start of the policy. This applies even if you already have health insurance in another country; the main exception is for people whose employer is outside the Netherlands. For arrivals and departures part-way through the year, see health insurance when you arrive or leave mid-year.
A Comparison Checklist
Copy this for each policy you are considering:
| Question | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Policy type: natura, budget or combinatie? | Insurer’s website, policy name and conditions |
| Are my providers contracted? Any zorgplafond? | Insurer’s list of contracted providers |
| What do I pay at a non-contracted provider? | Polisvoorwaarden |
| Which supplementary package covers what I expect to use? | Vergoedingenoverzicht |
| Waiting periods on supplementary cover? | Conditions of the supplementary package |
| Which eigen risico, and what discount for a voluntary one? | Premium calculator on the insurer’s website |
| Service in English? | Insurer’s website or customer service |
| Collective policy through my employer? | HR |
What About 2027?
Insurers publish their 2027 premiums and conditions before 12 November; when we checked on 23 October 2026, DSW had already published its 2027 basic premium. Until an insurer has done so, any 2027 price for that insurer is a guess. What we know so far is in Dutch health insurance in 2027: what we know.
Final Thoughts
Comparing Dutch health insurance yourself comes down to working in the right order. Start with the care you expect to need, check the policy type and the contracts, then choose your eigen risico, and look at the premium last. Take every figure from the insurer’s own documents, and keep the two deadlines in mind: 4 months after arrival, and 1 January and 1 February when you switch.
For an overview of insurers that serve internationals, see our guide to the best health insurance for expats.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I compare Dutch health insurance as an expat?
Work through the same five questions for every policy: do you need supplementary cover, which policy type is it, what does it pay at providers without a contract, which eigen risico do you choose, and what are the premium and service like. The basic package itself is set by the government and is the same at every insurer, so the differences sit in the policy type, the contracts with providers, the supplementary packages, the premium and the service. Take the policy conditions, the list of contracted providers and the premium from the insurer's own website.
Does the restitutiepolis still exist?
No. The NZa, the Dutch healthcare authority, wrote in December 2024 that restitutiepolissen disappear from 2025 and that insurers convert them into combinatiepolissen. Rijksoverheid now describes three kinds of policy: the naturapolis, the naturapolis with restrictive conditions (also called a budget policy) and the combinatiepolis. If an article or tool still offers you a restitutiepolis, that information is out of date.
What is the difference between basic and supplementary health insurance?
The basic insurance (basisverzekering) is compulsory and its content is set by the government; it covers standard care such as the GP, hospital, psychiatrist and pharmacy. Supplementary insurance (aanvullende verzekering) is voluntary and covers care outside the basic package, for example extra dental care or physiotherapy. You do not have to take both from the same insurer, but Rijksoverheid notes that a separate supplementary policy can come with special conditions, such as a higher premium, and that an insurer can apply a waiting period.
Should I choose a voluntary eigen risico?
Only if you can afford to pay it. In 2026 the compulsory eigen risico is €385. You can add a voluntary amount of up to €500, so you could pay up to €885 yourself in a year before the insurer pays for care that falls under the eigen risico. In exchange the insurer gives a discount on the monthly premium. GP care and care for children under 18 do not count towards the eigen risico.
When can I switch Dutch health insurance?
Normally once a year, at the turn of the year. Insurers publish next year's premiums and policy conditions before 12 November. Rijksoverheid says to cancel your current policy before 1 January, so by 31 December at the latest, and to take out the new policy before 1 February; you are then covered retroactively from 1 January. If you take out a new policy by 31 December, the new insurer cancels the old one for you.
I have just moved to the Netherlands. How long do I have to take out health insurance?
Government.nl says you must take out Dutch health insurance no later than 4 months after arriving, with coverage from the day you arrive. If you take it out after 4 months, you are not insured retroactively and care you received in the meantime is not reimbursed. The exception is mainly for people whose employer is outside the Netherlands.
Can I use the Health Insurance Wizard on this site to compare premiums?
Use it to narrow down which insurers and kinds of cover fit your situation, not for prices. The premium figures in the tool are not up to date, so do not rely on any amount it shows. Check the current premium and policy conditions on the insurer's own website before you decide.