Update on letter about health insurance
06 Jun 2011
As we reported in April, many international students will receive a letter from the College van Zorgverzekeringen (CVZ) this year, about taking out Dutch healthcare insurance. We now have more information on who will receive the letter and what process these students need to go through. The special form for the SVB has also been improved and is now available in English.
The CVZ letter will state that you are not covered under healthcare insurance and that according to Dutch law you will have to take out Dutch public healthcare insurance (basiszorgverzekering) immediately. The letter will be in Dutch only.
If you do not react to this letter within three months you will receive a fine of around € 350. The fine will increase if you still do not take out a Dutch public healthcare insurance at that point.
Download an example of the letter from the CVZ (39 kB)
Download an English translation of the letter (provided by AON, 1.3 MB)
Who will receive this letter?
The CVZ letter will be sent to all foreign students in the Netherlands who:
- are registered at the local council; and
- who do not complete a full degree in the Netherlands; and
- who do not already have Dutch public healthcare insurance (known as basiszorgverzekering in Dutch).
Does the obligation to take out insurance apply to you?
The obligation to take out Dutch public healthcare insurance only applies to you if you are:
- economically active, meaning you have a job, a side job or a paid internship; or
- 30 years of age or older and will stay in the Netherlands for longer than one year.
You are exempt from taking out Dutch public healthcare insurance if you are:
- younger than 30 and only in the Netherlands for the purpose of study; or
- 30 years of age or older and only in the Netherlands for the purpose of study and you will not stay longer than one year.
- 30 years of age or older and only in the Netherlands for the purpose of study and you receive one of the following scholarships: NFP, HEC, Bolashak, International Ford Foundation, and fellowships from the Vietnamese or Thai government.
Always take action
When you receive the letter from the CVZ you should always take action to prevent receiving an automatically-generated fine. If you have to take out Dutch public healthcare insurance you have to arrange this as soon as possible.
If you are exempt from the obligation to take out the insurance, or if you are not sure about your status, you should fill in an form that will clarify whether or not you have to take out the insurance. This form is provided in English by the SVB (Sociale Verzekeringsbank).
Download the SVB form in English (61 kB)
What will happen next?
Once the SVB has received your form, they will contact the CVZ to make sure your case is put ‘on hold’ until the SVB has decided on your status. The CVZ will send you a letter to confirm that your case is ‘on hold’ in their system.
Once the SVB has made a decision on your case, they will send you a letter informing you about this decision. The SVB will also contact the CVZ with the outcome. The CVZ will then send you another letter about your situation.
The CVZ letters are in Dutch. We have provided examples of the letters so you can compare.
Download an example of the CVZ letter that confirms the on hold status (31 kB)