Guidance

Healthcare for UK nationals living in the Netherlands

How to get healthcare if you live, work or study in the Netherlands.

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This guidance will be updated if anything changes to how you get healthcare in the Netherlands.

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This information is about living in the Netherlands. There are different rules if you鈥檙e visiting the Netherlands - find out how to on the NHS website.

You must have health insurance cover to live in the Netherlands.

You have to pay for your medical care up to a fixed limit.

UK nationals usually access the Dutch healthcare system in one of these ways:

  • taking out insurance with a Dutch health insurance provider
  • using a UK-issued GHIC or EHIC for temporary stays when studying, or as a 鈥榩osted鈥� (detached) worker
  • registering a UK-issued S1 form with the health insurance fund called 鈥楥Z鈥� (see 鈥楿K-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in the Netherlands鈥� below)

Healthcare if you live and work in the Netherlands

If you are planning on moving to the Netherlands, see the guidance on Living in the Netherlands for more information about visa and residency requirements.

You must show proof of healthcare cover:

  • before you can register as a resident
  • when you apply for a visa

For details about the healthcare cover required for residency applications, contact local authorities in the Netherlands or the appropriate Dutch embassy or consulate in the UK.

You need to .

You must get health insurance within 4 months of arriving. If you do not do this, you could be fined more than 400 euros.

There are around 60 health insurance providers that you can take out insurance with. You pay a premium each month.

If you鈥檙e employed in the Netherlands, your employer may offer you a discount with its chosen health insurance. You can add your dependants to your insurance plan.

You may be entitled to a Dutch EHIC for travel, including visits to the UK.

You may also have the right to apply for a UK S1 if you start drawing a UK State Pension (see 鈥楿K-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in the Netherlands鈥� below).

How to register for healthcare

First, register as a resident.

Then contact your chosen insurance provider directly.

You鈥檒l need:

  • your citizen service number (burgerservicenummer)
  • proof of your address, by registering in the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen)
  • proof that you have a Dutch bank account

Once you鈥檝e registered with an insurance provider you can register with a GP.

You鈥檒l be given a health insurance card. Show this card and your ID when you register with a doctor.

You鈥檒l also be entitled to a Dutch EHIC. Request this from your chosen insurance provider.

How to access healthcare services

on the Zorgkaart Nederland website.

on the Zorgkaart Nederland website.

How much you鈥檒l pay

You鈥檒l pay around 100 euros a month for your insurance premium.

Emergency care is included in your policy.

Some medical care is free 鈥� for example, GP appointments and maternity care.

You鈥檒l need to pay for other medical care, but you will not have to pay more than your insurance excess that year, which is usually around 400 euros.

The excess is set by the government each year. You can increase your excess and pay a lower monthly premium.

There鈥檚 no fixed cost for prescription medicines. It depends on the medicine and where you buy it.

You can take out extra insurance on top of the basic level insurance to cover things that are not usually covered, such as dentistry and physiotherapy.

If you have treatment in a hospital not covered by your insurance policy, you usually have to pay 25% of the cost.

If your UK employer has sent you to the Netherlands temporarily (鈥榩osted workers鈥�)

A posted worker, also known as a 鈥榙etached worker鈥�, is someone who is employed or self-employed in the UK, but temporarily sent to a European Economic Area (EEA) country.

UK posted workers can access healthcare in the Netherlands using a GHIC, EHIC or S1 form.

HMRC has a helpline for National Insurance enquiries from non-UK residents. They can answer questions about posted worker status and explain which documents you will need to get healthcare while posted.

UK-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in the Netherlands

There鈥檚 different guidance if you have an S1 as a 鈥榩osted worker鈥� (see 鈥業f your UK employer has sent you to the Netherlands temporarily (鈥榩osted workers鈥�)鈥� above).

You may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK if you鈥檙e a resident in the Netherlands and receive a UK State Pension or an exportable benefit. See on the NHS website for more information about eligibility.

You may also be entitled to an S1 form if you鈥檙e a frontier worker (someone who works in one state and lives in another). You must contact HMRC National Insurance enquiries to find out if you鈥檙e eligible.

Not all UK benefits that can be claimed while abroad entitle you to UK-funded healthcare. Read more about claiming benefits if you move abroad or contact Jobcentre Plus to ask about a benefit.

Once you have an S1 form, you must register with the Dutch insurance provider CZ.

This shows that you and your dependants will be entitled to healthcare in the Netherlands on the same basis as a Dutch citizen.

You鈥檒l also get:

  • a UK-issued GHIC or EHIC for travel
  • planned treatments in other EU countries

You can find out more about and the rules on on the NHS website.

Dependants and family members may be classified differently in the Netherlands than the UK.

Check with the insurance provider CZ when you register your S1 form.

If you鈥檙e entitled to an S1 form as a dependant of a State Pensioner, your health cover will be cancelled once you begin claiming your UK State Pension.

You will be sent a new S1 form to your registered address from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services. You must register this form to ensure continuation of healthcare cover.

You are responsible for informing NHS Overseas Healthcare Services if you change your address or your circumstances change.

NHS Overseas Healthcare Services
Telephone: +44 (0)191 218 1999
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Saturday, 9am to 3pm

How to get an S1 form

If you have a UK State Pension or another qualifying exportable benefit, you must request an application form by phone from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services (see contact details above).

How to use an S1 form in the Netherlands

You must register your S1 form with the . This is the only insurance provider that deals with S1 forms.

Once registered, you will be issued with a CZ insurance card. This will mean you鈥檙e entitled to healthcare in the Netherlands on the same basis as a Dutch citizen.

If you are experiencing delays registering your S1 with local authorities and require emergency or urgent treatment, contact the Overseas Healthcare Services on 0044 191 218 1999.

Studying in the Netherlands

You should apply for a Student GHIC to get medically necessary, state-provided healthcare for the duration of your study period in the Netherlands, whether this is for part or all of your course. This means that you鈥檒l get necessary healthcare services on the same basis as a Dutch citizen either for free or at a reduced cost.

If you already hold a valid Student EHIC you can use this until the card expires.

on the NHS website.

If you work, intern or volunteer alongside your studies, you need to pay for Dutch health insurance.

Getting treatment in the UK

Because the NHS is a residency-based system, under NHS rules UK nationals who move abroad on a permanent basis may lose their entitlement to free NHS healthcare.

If you are a UK national and move to the EU, you should not expect to be able to use NHS services for free when visiting the UK unless you have an EHIC, PRC or S2 to show your healthcare costs are funded by the EU country in which you now live, or another exemption applies.

Some former UK residents do not have to pay for NHS treatment when visiting England. This includes:

  • UK war pensioners
  • UK government employees
  • UK nationals living in the EU on or before 31 December 2020, once they have a registered, UK-issued S1

Read more about using the NHS when you no longer live in the UK (see 鈥楿K nationals who no longer live in the UK鈥� in Healthcare for visitors to the UK from the EU).

If you return to live in the UK you鈥檒l be able to use the NHS like any other UK resident.

Read more about using the NHS when you return to live in the UK.

Updates to this page

Published 23 September 2019
Last updated 21 October 2021 show all updates
  1. Updated 'Healthcare if you live and work in the Netherlands' to include information about how to find your nearest hospital or clinic. Updated 'UK-funded healthcare' to include information for S1 dependants who begin claiming a UK State Pension, and guidance for S1 holders who are experiencing delays in registering their S1. Updated 'Studying in the Netherlands' to include more information on Student GHIC and Student EHIC cards. Updated 'Getting treatment in the UK' to provide additional detail about NHS access when visiting the UK.

  2. Updated posted worker section as the Netherlands has confirmed posted workers can continue working and accessing state healthcare in the Netherlands, and added detail to 鈥榞etting treatment in the UK鈥� section about healthcare when you no longer live in the UK.

  3. Updated sections on living and working in the Netherlands, using an S1 form in the Netherlands, posted workers and studying in the Netherlands. Changes reflect healthcare arrangements for people moving to the Netherlands under the new rules of the UK鈥檚 deal with the EU.

  4. Updated 2 sections: 鈥楬ealthcare if you鈥檙e using an S1 form in the Netherlands' and 鈥楬ealthcare if you鈥檙e studying in the Netherlands鈥�. Students and people with a registered S1 in the Netherlands can now apply for a new UK European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) that will remain valid from 1 January 2021.

  5. First published.

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