Adopted children and their Dutch national health insurance entitlement

You have adopted a child and will be travelling to collect him or her in the country of origin. The point from which your child is insurance under compulsory Dutch national health insurance is given below. You will also find the solution offered by OOM Verzekeringen if you are unable to insure your child under compulsory Dutch national health insurance.

Entitled to basic insurance

The rule of thumb is that once the adoption is formally completed, your adopted child is officially resident in the Netherlands (because you are resident there as well). The fact that your child is still abroad (in the country of origin) is irrelevant. This means your child must be insured under Dutch Dutch national health insurance. Consequently, your child need not already be in the Netherlands for this to be the case. For more on this, please read the letter from the then-Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) of 29 December 2005.

It’s not possible for me to take out Dutch national health insurance for my adopted child. Now what?

We frequently encounter situations in practice where standard Dutch national health insurance providers do not add adopted children to Dutch national health insurance. The problem for these insurance companies is that the children must first be recorded in the municipal registry (GBA). This is because health insurance companies are obliged to check whether their insured persons are recorded in the municipal registry. This does not mean, however, that they have no duty to accept adopted children who have not yet been included in the municipal registry. You have a duty to be insured and the health insurance companies have a duty of acceptance, even if your child is not yet recorded in the municipal registry.

If the health insurance company is unwilling to accept your child, you may submit a complaint to the Health Insurance Complaints and Disputes Foundation  (SKGZ). You must, however, first have asked the health insurance company in question to reconsider its rejection. It may help you if you enclose with that request the letter from the then-Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.

Insurance options from OOM Verzekeringen

If it is not possible for you to take out the compulsory Dutch national health insurance, OOM Verzekeringen offers a custom solution. For more information and to take out insurance immediately, if necessary, contact OOM Verzekeringen on tel. +31 (0)70 353 2100 or via info@oomverzekeringen.nl.