It’s illegal to live in The Netherlands without health insurance, so put getting coverage at the top of your ‘to-do’ list when you move here.

Like everything else here though, you can’t get coverage until you get your BSN number so make sure you have emergency travel insurance for any unexpected events in the meantime.

Once you have your BSN number, you can choose a healthcare provider. It’s illegal for an insurer to refuse you coverage for the government-regulated basic package.

This package costs about €90-100 per month and includes things like doctor’s visits, pre-natal care and hospital stays but doesn’t include extras like dental work and physiotherapy. For these, you can choose from a range of extended packages.

Exactly which insurer to choose is not entirely clear. It doesn’t help that most websites are in Dutch and tedious to translate.

Good places to start include:

• Kiesbeter – A comparison website for dozens of Dutch insurers
• List of Health Insurers – A complete list of all Dutch health insurance providers
• English Healthcare Brochure – A downloadable PDF explaining the Dutch healthcare system in English
• Azivo – A well regarded insurer, based in The Hague

If you’re on the lower end of the income scale (under approximately €48,000 for a couple), you can also get a rebate of some of your insurance costs from the government.

One last note: if you’re unemployed it might be tempting to put off getting health insurance. Don’t bother! Dutch rules mean you must pay for insurance from the day you’re registered with a BSN number so if you wait for a few months before buying insurance, you’re going to be landed with a huge bill. It’s better to just bite the bullet and do the right thing.