In this guide
VGZ is one of the Dutch insurers that expats often consider, either because a colleague mentions it, because their employer has a collective scheme with it, or because it shows up in price comparisons. This review covers what matters for expats, based on what VGZ publishes itself.
💡 Looking for a complete banking comparison? Read Best banking for expats in the Netherlands 2026, which covers ABN, ING, Bunq, Wise, Revolut and 5 others by expat use case.
Quick answer: VGZ sells three basic policies for 2026 (Basis Keuze, Ruime Keuze, Eigen Keuze). The basic package is the same at every insurer, so compare premium, reimbursement at providers without a contract, supplementary cover and any employer collective.
VGZ at a Glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Cooperative health insurer (Coöperatie VGZ) |
| 2026 basic premium | €149.90 to €171.65 a month (as checked on 5 October 2026) |
| Mandatory eigen risico 2026 | €385 (voluntarily raisable to €885 in total) |
| Policy types | Basis Keuze (naturapolis), Ruime Keuze (naturapolis), Eigen Keuze (combinatiepolis) |
| Labels | Coöperatie VGZ lists Univé Zorg among the labels under which it provides health insurance (cooperatievgz.nl, checked 30 September 2026) |
Basic Insurance Policy Options
Three basic policies in 2026. Restitutiepolissen are no longer sold: insurers stopped selling them in 2025 (NZa), and VGZ’s widest option is a combinatiepolis. The reimbursement percentages come from vgz.nl (checked 8 October 2026); the premiums were checked on 5 October 2026.
| Policy | Type | Premium 2026 | Providers with contract | Providers without contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VGZ Basis Keuze | Naturapolis | €149.90 a month | 100% | 70% |
| VGZ Ruime Keuze | Naturapolis | €154.25 a month | 100% | 80% |
| VGZ Eigen Keuze | Combinatiepolis | €171.65 a month | 100% | 100% (80% for some types of care) |
On Eigen Keuze, an 80% reimbursement applies to some types of care at providers without a contract; check the exceptions on vgz.nl before you choose, especially if you plan to see a private therapist.
Eigen risico
The mandatory eigen risico is set by the government and is €385 for 2026. On vgz.nl, a voluntary increase gives a discount: €485 gives €3 off, €585 gives €6, €685 gives €9, €785 gives €12 and €885 gives at least €15 off. Weigh the discount against the risk of paying the higher amount in a year in which you need care.
Coverage: The Basic Package
The basic package (basisverzekering) is defined by law and is the same at every insurer. Rijksoverheid and the Zorginstituut publish what it covers; VGZ’s own page links to the Zorginstituut overview. Dental care for adults and glasses are largely not part of it, which is where supplementary insurance comes in.
Supplementary Insurance (Aanvullende Verzekering)
Per vgz.nl (checked 8 October 2026), VGZ offers four supplementary packages and four dental packages. The prices depend on your situation; see vgz.nl.
| Package | Physiotherapy | Personal health budget | Other items listed on vgz.nl |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aanvullend Instap | 6 treatments a year | €75 a year | Dental care after an accident €10,000 |
| Aanvullend Goed | 9 treatments a year | €200 a year | Contraception from age 21; replacement informal care 5 days a year |
| Aanvullend Beter | 16 treatments a year | €400 a year | Alternative care €300 a year; glasses and lenses €100 per 3 years; maternity care contribution €125 plus 6 hours extra care in case of medical problems |
| Aanvullend Best | 20 treatments a year | €500 a year | Alternative care €500 a year; glasses and lenses €125 per 3 years; full maternity care contribution plus 12 hours extra care in case of medical problems |
| Dental package | Listed on vgz.nl |
|---|---|
| Tand Instap | One check-up at 100%; other treatments such as fillings 80% up to €100 a year; dental cleaning up to 25 minutes at 80% |
| Tand Goed | €250 dental budget a year; check-up 100%; other dental care such as crowns, bridges and implants 80% |
| Tand Beter | €500 dental budget a year; orthodontics up to age 18 €1,500 for the whole term (waiting period applies); from age 18 €500 for the whole term |
| Tand Best | €1,000 dental budget a year; orthodontics up to age 18 €2,500 and from age 18 €1,500 for the whole term (waiting periods apply) |
Check the conditions on vgz.nl, including waiting periods, before you choose a package.
Employer Collective Schemes
If your employer has a VGZ collective, any discount is on supplementary insurance: since 2023 a collective may no longer give a discount on the basic policy (Rijksoverheid).
What to check:
- Is there a VGZ collective at your company? Ask HR directly.
- What is the discount on the supplementary package, and is it a package you would take anyway?
- How do the basic premium plus the supplementary package compare with other insurers?
Your employer may also contribute to your premium as part of your employment package; ask HR how that is treated for tax.
If your employer has no VGZ scheme, there is a second collective route. UnitedConsumers is not an employer scheme; it says it makes fixed costs cheaper “door samen groot in te kopen” (by buying in bulk together) and that it has worked with VGZ since 2006. Members get 20% off all aanvullende verzekeringen and off the tandartsverzekering, and the basic policies sold under that partnership are listed as Bewuste Keuze at EUR 147.40 a month, Basis Keuze at EUR 149.90 and Ruime Keuze at EUR 154.25 (unitedconsumers.com/zorgverzekering, checked 18 September 2026). Because the supplement discount is the whole point, this route only pays off if you were buying supplementary cover anyway. The UnitedConsumers health insurance page (unitedconsumers.com/zorgverzekering) is in Dutch only; we found no English version when checked on 2 October 2026.
Compare Dutch health insurance options with our Health Insurance Wizard →
VGZ Compared With Other Insurers
Premiums as checked on the insurers’ own sites. They are not like-for-like, because policy types differ.
| Insurer | Basic premiums 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| VGZ | €149.90 to €171.65 a month | vgz.nl, 5 October 2026 |
| Menzis | €151.25 to €175.75 a month | menzis.nl, 5 October 2026 |
| DSW | €158.50 a month (single basic policy) | dsw.nl, 5 October 2026 |
| a.s.r. | From €149.80 a month (“vanaf” price for its basic policies) | asr.nl, 2 October 2026 |
Where a.s.r. fits in: a.s.r. runs a three-way basic policy line-up comparable to VGZ’s, and it publishes the non-contracted percentages outright: Bewuste Keuze reimburses non-contracted care at a maximum of 65%, Ruime Keuze up to 85% (75% for GGZ and wijkverpleging), and Eigen Keuze 100% at contracted and non-contracted providers (80% for GGZ and wijkverpleging at non-contracted providers), with 100% free hospital choice at Dutch hospitals on all three (asr.nl/zorgverzekering/basisverzekering, checked 17 September 2026). For an expat weighing a privately practising English-speaking therapist, compare that 75% GGZ figure under a.s.r. Ruime Keuze with the 80% for some types of care at providers without a contract on VGZ Eigen Keuze. The eigen risico is the statutory one at both. a.s.r. has an English health insurance page (asr.nl/health-insurance) with an overview of its English documents, but says that “all correspondence is in Dutch” (checked 5 October 2026).
Check a.s.r. health insurance →
Mental Health Care
Mental health care (GGZ) follows the standard Dutch route under the basic package: you usually need a referral from your GP, and the package covers basic and specialist GGZ (Rijksoverheid). Waiting times and the contracted providers differ per region, so ask VGZ which providers in your area have a contract.
Many expats prefer a private English-speaking therapist. On VGZ Basis Keuze and Ruime Keuze, care at providers without a contract is reimbursed at 70% and 80%; on Eigen Keuze some types of care at providers without a contract are reimbursed at 80% (vgz.nl). Ask the therapist whether they have a contract with VGZ before you start.
The 30% Ruling and Health Insurance
The 30% ruling does not exempt you from the obligation to take out basic health insurance. It does reduce your taxable income, and zorgtoeslag depends on income: the 2026 limit for the toetsingsinkomen is €40,857 without a toeslagpartner and €51,142 with one. Check at belastingdienst.nl whether you qualify. If your employer contributes to your premium, ask HR or payroll how that is taxed.
Annual Switching Calendar
- Before 12 November: insurers publish their premiums for the coming year.
- By 31 December: the deadline to cancel your current policy. If you cancelled yourself, you have until 1 February to take out a new policy, backdated to 1 January (Rijksoverheid).
- New arrivals: if you register in the Netherlands for the first time, you must take out basic insurance within 4 months of arrival; you are not switching, so the switching period does not apply.
Verdict
VGZ can be a good fit if your employer offers a VGZ collective with a supplementary discount on a package you would take anyway. If you choose independently, compare premium, reimbursement at providers without a contract and the supplementary package you need with the other insurers above.
Further Reading on ExpatNetherlandsHub
- Best Dutch health insurance plans compared
- Menzis health insurance review for expats
- Dutch utilities explained for expats
- Car insurance in the Netherlands for expats
- Retiring in the Netherlands: health and pensions
External source: Zorgverzekeringslijn: onafhankelijke info
Frequently Asked Questions
Is VGZ a good health insurer for expats in the Netherlands?
VGZ is a cooperative insurer that sells three basic policies; the basic package itself is set by law and identical at every insurer. Whether VGZ fits you depends on the premium, how it reimburses providers without a contract, the supplementary package you need and any employer collective. Since 2023 a collective can only give a discount on supplementary insurance, not on the basic policy (Rijksoverheid).
What are VGZ's current basic insurance premiums for 2026?
VGZ sells three basic policies in 2026: VGZ Basis Keuze (naturapolis, €149.90 a month), VGZ Ruime Keuze (naturapolis, €154.25) and VGZ Eigen Keuze (combinatiepolis, €171.65), each with the compulsory eigen risico of €385 (premiums as checked on 5 October 2026; vgz.nl shows the current premium for your situation). Restitutiepolissen are no longer sold (NZa, since 2025). Check current pricing at vgz.nl, as premiums change annually.
Does VGZ offer English-language customer service?
Check vgz.nl for the languages in which VGZ offers service and documents. If you need English-language support, ask the insurer before you sign up.
What supplementary insurance does VGZ offer?
Per vgz.nl, VGZ offers four supplementary packages (VGZ Aanvullend Instap, Goed, Beter and Best) and four dental packages (VGZ Tand Instap, Goed, Beter and Best). The reimbursements per package are on vgz.nl and summarised below.
How does VGZ handle employer collective insurance schemes?
Since 2023 a collective can no longer give a discount on the basic policy; discounts on supplementary insurance remain possible (Rijksoverheid). Ask your HR department whether your company has a VGZ collective and what it offers on supplementary cover. Then compare the total (basic premium plus the supplementary package you actually need) with other insurers. A discount on packages you do not need is not a saving.