Travel insurance vs Dutch health insurance abroad: what's covered and what isn't
Door Lisa van den BergBijgewerkt op 6 min lezen
Dutch basic health insurance covers urgent care abroad, but outside Europe only up to what the treatment would cost in the Netherlands, and never repatriation. When the EHIC helps, when you need supplementary or travel insurance, and what to check before visiting family far away.
Short answer
Your Dutch basic health insurance (basisverzekering) keeps covering urgent care when you travel. In the EU/EEA and Switzerland, the EHIC gives you access to necessary care on local terms. Outside Europe you get at most what the treatment would cost in the Netherlands; in countries such as the United States that can leave you with a large bill. Repatriation to the Netherlands is never covered by the basic insurance, only by travel insurance or supplementary insurance. The deductible (eigen risico) applies abroad too.
Status as of 29 September 2026, checked against the official sources listed at the end of this article. Amounts for 2027 are proposals unless stated otherwise and can still change.
What does Dutch basic health insurance cover abroad?
| Where | Basic insurance covers | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| EU/EEA and Switzerland | Necessary care, via the EHIC at local public rates | Private clinics and local personal contributions |
| Countries with a treaty | Care under the treaty arrangement | Check with your insurer before you go |
| Rest of the world | Urgent care up to the Dutch rate | You pay the difference if care is more expensive |
| Anywhere | Not covered: repatriation | Needs travel or supplementary insurance |
Source: Rijksoverheid and Zorginstituut Nederland. Care covered abroad counts towards your eigen risico, just as at home.
The EHIC
The European Health Insurance Card is usually printed on the back of your Dutch insurer's card (zorgpas). Show it at a public doctor or hospital in the EU/EEA or Switzerland. It lowers the chance that you have to pay up front, but it isn't travel insurance.
Why can a hospital bill abroad still be expensive?
Because the basic insurance pays at most the Dutch rate. Where hospital prices are much higher than in the Netherlands, the difference is yours, unless another policy covers it. Typical gaps:
- Expensive countries: the Dutch rate for an emergency admission can be a fraction of the bill in, for example, the US.
- Private clinics: in some countries tourists end up in private clinics that charge more than the public system.
- Transport home: an ambulance flight or an accompanied flight to the Netherlands.
- Non-urgent care: planned treatment abroad follows different rules and often needs prior permission.
Supplementary insurance or travel insurance: which do you need?
Two products can fill the gap, and many people have one or both:
| Supplementary health insurance | Travel insurance | |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch name | Aanvullende verzekering (with worldwide cover) | Reisverzekering |
| Medical costs above the Dutch rate | Often, up to the policy's limits | Often, as medical-costs cover (sometimes an optional module) |
| Repatriation | Some policies | Usually |
| Luggage, theft, delays | No | Yes |
| Trip cancellation | No | Only with separate cancellation insurance |
| When it runs | Calendar year, change once a year | Single trip (kortlopend) or annual (doorlopend) |
Rijksoverheid advises checking whether your travel insurance already covers medical costs before paying for the same cover twice (Rijksoverheid). Medical cover in a travel policy usually works on top of your Dutch health insurance, so you still need the basic policy.
What should expats check before visiting family abroad?
- Trip length: annual travel policies limit how long a single trip may last. For a long stay in your home country, check the maximum or take a single-trip policy.
- Your home country's rules: being a citizen there doesn't mean you're covered there. If you're deregistered, you're usually not in the local system.
- Existing conditions: travel policies can exclude or limit care for known conditions; read the conditions.
- Emergency number: save your insurer's emergency line (alarmcentrale). Many insurers want to be called before a hospital admission.
- Moving away for longer: if you'll live abroad for more than 8 months in a year, you must deregister, and your Dutch health insurance usually ends. See leaving the Netherlands.
Check it once, before you book
Look up three things in your policies: the worldwide cover of your supplementary insurance, the medical-costs cover of your travel insurance and whether either covers repatriation. More on the Dutch system: Dutch health insurance for expats. Dutch-language comparison: annual vs single-trip travel insurance (in Dutch).
Sources
Veelgestelde vragen
Yes, for urgent care. In the EU/EEA and Switzerland you use the EHIC. Outside Europe you get at most what the treatment would cost in the Netherlands. Repatriation is not covered by the basic insurance.
It's strongly advisable for trips outside Europe, where care can cost far more than the Dutch rate, and for repatriation, luggage and other travel risks. Check first whether your supplementary health insurance already includes worldwide cover.
Usually yes, on the back of your insurer's card (zorgpas). It gives access to necessary public care in the EU/EEA and Switzerland, subject to your deductible.
Yes. Care abroad covered by the basic insurance counts towards the compulsory deductible, just like care in the Netherlands.
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