Before you start

A BSN, and a residence basis that makes you insurable — you generally cannot insure while an IND decision is pending
A Dutch IBAN for the monthly premium direct debit
DigiD, for zorgtoeslag and most patient portals
If you hold privileged status: written confirmation from your organisation of your insurance arrangements and your exemption

Step-by-step

1
First establish whether you are insurable at all
Ordinary residents and employees are. Privileged staff of missions and treaty organisations usually are not, and instead hold their organisation's own scheme. If you are unsure, ask the SVB for a free assessment of your Wlz insurance position — the SVB's decision is what settles the question for the CAK, and it takes weeks, so request it early rather than after a letter arrives.
OnlineWho: You, via the SVBThe SVB allows up to 8 weeks, sometimes longerFree
2
If insurable, buy the basisverzekering inside four months and backdate it
Compare only on premium, service and contracted hospitals, because the covered treatments are fixed by law. Set the start date to the day you became insurable. Decide separately whether an aanvullende package for dental, physiotherapy or glasses is worth it — adult dental sits almost entirely outside the basic policy.
OnlineWho: You — each adult holds their own policy; under-18s are freeHard deadline of 4 months≈€142-185 per month in 2026, averaging about €159
3
Register with a huisarts the week your address is fixed
The GP is the gatekeeper for essentially all specialist and hospital care, and practices accept patients only from their own catchment postcodes. Many practices in the centre and the international zone are closed to new registrations. Call rather than emailing, and take the first practice that accepts you.
In personWho: YouBefore you need careFree — GP visits are exempt from the excess
4
Claim zorgtoeslag if you are insurable and under the threshold
The healthcare allowance is claimed through Mijn Toeslagen with DigiD, paid monthly in advance and reconciled against your actual year-end income. It is means-tested on income and assets. Privileged staff are not entitled to it, and claiming it in error creates a repayment demand later.
OnlineWho: You, via Mijn ToeslagenAny time; retroactive within the yearFree to apply
5
Learn the out-of-hours routing before you need it
In surgery hours, call your own huisarts. Evenings, nights and weekends, call Hadoks — the regional after-hours GP service covering Den Haag, Rijswijk, Leidschendam-Voorburg and Wassenaar — and be triaged by phone. Call 112 only for genuine emergencies. Presenting unreferred at an emergency department is discouraged and can generate a bill against your excess.
In personWho: You and your householdKnow it from day one112 free; the huisartsenpost is covered like a GP visit

Documents you’ll need

BSN
Passport or national ID card
Residence permit, or MFA card if privileged
Dutch IBAN for the premium direct debit
SVB Wlz insurance position assessment, if your status is ambiguous

Things most newcomers don’t know

Privileged staff who buy Dutch health insurance have bought something they are not entitled to hold.

Exemption from compulsory Dutch insurance follows from not being insurable under the Wlz, and your organisation's scheme covers you instead. A basisverzekering taken out on top can be cancelled retroactively by the insurer, leaving claims unpaid and premiums refunded messily, and zorgtoeslag claimed alongside it becomes a repayment demand. Confirm your status with your organisation before signing anything.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Zorgverzekeringslijn

It is the SVB, not you or the CAK, that decides whether you are insurable — and its decision takes weeks.

The CAK writes to people it believes are uninsured, and it can impose a fine and then arrange insurance on your behalf at a price you did not choose. The question of whether you are insured under the Wlz is determined by the SVB, and its assessment is what stops or unwinds the CAK process. The SVB allows up to eight weeks and warns it can take longer, so request the assessment when your status first becomes ambiguous rather than when the letter arrives.

Source: SVB; CAK

Insuring late costs money and buys nothing, because the policy backdates and the gap is not covered.

The obligation begins the day you become insurable. Buy in month three and the insurer charges premiums from month zero while reimbursing nothing you spent in between. You get retroactive cost with no retroactive cover, and the CAK can add a fine on top. There is no version of delay that saves money.

Source: Government.nl; CAK

Every insurer sells the identical basic package, so the only real choices are price, service and hospital network.

Dutch law defines what the basisverzekering covers and insurers may not vary it. The meaningful distinction is between a restitutie policy that reimburses any provider and a natura policy that pays only contracted ones — which matters in a region where HMC, HagaZiekenhuis and the Leiden academic hospital sit in different networks. Paying more for a brand name buys nothing.

Source: Zorgverzekeringslijn

Common mistakes to avoid

Buying a basisverzekering while holding privileged status, and having it unwound with unpaid claims.
Claiming zorgtoeslag when you are not insurable, which becomes a repayment demand with interest.
Waiting until a CAK letter arrives before requesting an SVB assessment that can take eight weeks or more.
Missing the four-month window and paying backdated premiums for a period that reimburses nothing.
Choosing a natura policy without checking whether your nearest hospital is contracted.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.