Working abroad as an au pair

You are a Dutch citizen and you will be working abroad as an au pair.  Whether or not you are allowed to retain the compulsory Dutch national health insurance will depend on whether you continue to be officially resident in the Netherlands. 

If you continue to be officially resident in the Netherlands, the following applies:  

• You will be abroad for no more than one year: You are required to retain Dutch national health insurance.  
• You will be abroad for one to three years: You are required to retain Dutch national health insurance in the first year. After the first year, the Dutch national health insurance will generally lapse. If you wish to retain it after that point, you can do so on request. You must, however, still demonstrate that you are still a resident of the Netherlands.   
• You will be abroad for more than three years: After the third year, the Dutch national health insurance will lapse in any event.

The original date of departure is assumed in determining these periods.

Working in addition to your work as an au pair

If you engage in paid work in addition to your work as an au pair, your entitlement to Dutch national health insurance will lapse. The legislation of the country where you are residing will apply to you. You are engaging in paid work as soon as you pay social security premiums.

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 Dutch national health insurance

If you are obliged to retain Dutch 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 Dutch national health insurance. These will be reimbursed up to a maximum of the Dutch rate.

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

• You claim the medical expenses from Dutch national health insurance. These will be reimbursed up to a maximum of the Dutch rate. 
• You choose use the reimbursements of the statutory health insurance in the country where you reside. This is called the “country-of-residence package”.

Finding out in which cases Dutch 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 Dutch national health insurance lapses. You may also find the coverage provided by Dutch 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 au pairs up to and including age 29, we offer Young Global Traveler insurance. 
• For au pairs 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 also take out household contents, liability, travel, cancellation, accident or legal assistance 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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