The 4-month insurance clock, and the trap that forces a 120% premium if you are late
Once your insurance obligation starts (residence permit + BRP registration, or you start working/living here), you must take a Dutch basic health insurance within 4 months. It back-dates to the day the obligation began, so being late buys you nothing and risks fines: the CAK sends warnings, then two fines, then enrolls you itself at 120% of the standard premium docked from your wages. All insurers must accept you for the basic package with no health questions. (International students on foreign insurance are often exempt - check first.)
Get the rest of it, in your own language.
MAS reads your IND letter, checks whether an employer can legally sponsor you, and finds work that will actually take you. Free, no account.
More on healthcare
- Het Juridisch Loket: free, government-funded legal advice, and a discount ticket to a subsidised lawyer
- Gemeentepolis: the low-income insurance where the town co-pays your own-risk
- Register at the gemeente within 5 days - the BSN is your entire Dutch identity, and a no-registration clause is worthless
- Register with a GP on day one - practices are full and you cannot skip the GP
- The city pass: free museums, cheap swimming, kids' activities
- Cannot pay your premium? Zorgverzekeringslijn keeps you insured and stops the 120% spiral