Studying abroad

You are a Dutch student and will be studying abroad. Whether or not you will have to retain compulsory Dutch national health insurance will depend on your age and whether you will be working as well as studying:  

• If you are 29 or younger 
• If you are 30 or older

This page contains further information on:  

• your rights and obligations if you are obliged to retain Dutch national health insurance; 
• insurance options from OOM Verzekeringen;
• websites where you can find more information.

Your rights and obligations if you must retain national health insurance

If you are obliged to retain Dutch national health insurance and you are resident in a state that is not party to the treaty agreement (a “non-contracting country”), you can claim medical expenses from Dutch national health insurance. The expenses are then reimbursed up to a maximum of the rate reimbursed in the Netherlands.

If you are resident in an EU member state or other contracting country, then you can choose for each case of illness: 

• whether to claim the medical expenses from national health insurance. The expenses are then reimbursed up to a maximum of the rate reimbursed in the Netherlands; 
• whether to use the reimbursements or allowances of the statutory health insurance in the country where you are resident. This is called the “country-of-residence package”.

Finding out in which cases national health insurance or the country-of-residence package is more favourable for you is always recommended.

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Insurance options from OOM Verzekeringen

You must arrange for your own insurance from the time that national health insurance lapses. You may also find the coverage provided by national health insurance or the country-of-residence package insufficient and may thus want additional insurance. You can apply for health insurance from OOM Verzekeringen in both cases. 

• For students up to and including age 29, we offer Young Global Traveler insurance. 
• For students aged 30 and over, we offer Global Traveler insurance.

If you do not require additional health insurance coverage, the above insurance also offers other options. For example, you can take out an insurance package containing household contents, liability, travel, legal assistance and accident insurance.

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More information

A number of websites offering interesting information are listed below: 

• Social Security Bank (SVB) (including information on when you are a counted as resident of the Netherlands).
• Health Care Insurance Board (CvZ) (including information on when you are obliged to retain Dutch national health insurance) 
• Dutch Association of Health Insurance Companies (ZN) (including a list of all Dutch national health insurance companies) 
• The government (various bodies)

Your current health insurance company can also provide more information on national health insurance abroad.

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