Most people in the Netherlands are insured for their healthcare through the Dutch public basic healthcare insurance called ‘basiszorgverzekering’. Everyone who participates in the Dutch social security and in particular the Long-term Care Act (the Wlz scheme), one on one is to participate in this basiszorgverzekering.
Broadly speaking, a person is covered by Dutch social security when you are employed in the Netherlands or are a permanent resident in the Netherlands (based on the centre of your life - socially, economically and legally).
Family members don’t automatically have access to Dutch public healthcare insurance
If your family members move with you to the Netherlands, it is unfortunately not always the case that they fall under the Long-term Care Act (the Wlz scheme). If they do not fall under the WLZ scheme, it means they cannot apply for basic health insurance, and are advised to take out private health insurance or keep the insurance from the original country of residence.
Not falling under the Long-term Care Act may occur in a situation where the healthcare insurer or the Social Insurance Bank in the Netherlands (SVB) assesses that one of your family members does not ‘live’ and/or ‘work’ in the Netherlands. This could happen, for example, if it is determined that your partner still works for another country remotely from the Netherlands or receives social benefits from abroad. The determination rules of ‘living and working’ and final decisions on whether someone falls under the WLZ are made by the SVB, so unfortunately is it not possible to provide full clarity from our side in advance as to whether your family members can/need to apply for basic health insurance.
WLZ-check
In order to have that clarity, we advise you to have a WLZ-check carried out for your family members by the SVB. Once you received your BSN’s you can submit the request on the insurance position of your family members. The application process can take up to 8 weeks. We advise your family members who need to submit the WLZ-check to include the following comments in their applications:
- The reasons for their stay in the Netherlands
- Whether they own a house abroad
- Any income or benefits they receive from abroad
- If they intend to live in the Netherlands for more than 3 years
If you have any questions about this procedure, or if you would like to know what the possibilities are if the WLZ-check states that your family members are not covered by WLZ, we advise you to contact the ‘Zorgverzekeringslijn’ (English: health insurance line) as they are an independent and easily accessible organization. Their website is also available in English.
Private insurance
The private insurance ‘ Insure to Stuy’ provides an insurance for accompanying spouse and children which covers most healthcare risks.