Best Health Insurance for Expats in the Netherlands (2026)

There is no single "best" health insurer in the Netherlands, and the reason matters: every basic policy covers the exact same package by law. The government sets what the basisverzekering must include, and every insurer offers precisely that — so you are never choosing better coverage, only a better fit. For expats, that fit comes down to three things: English-language support, policy type, and price. This guide compares the main insurers on those axes for 2026 and tells you how to choose.

The basic package is the same everywhere — so choose on fit, not coverage

This is the single most useful thing to understand about Dutch health insurance, and it saves you from overthinking the decision. The basic package — GP visits, hospital and specialist care, prescription medication, mental health care, maternity care, emergency care — is identical at every insurer, because the government defines it. No insurer can offer more or less in the basic policy.

What actually differs between insurers is narrow but real:

• Price — the monthly premium, which clusters around the average but spreads about €500 a year between cheapest and dearest.
• English support — whether the app, website and customer service work in English.
• Policy type — how freely you can choose your own doctor or hospital (see below).
• Supplementary modules — optional add-ons for dental, physio and glasses, which do vary.

So the question is never "which insurer covers the most?" It is "which insurer is cheapest / easiest to deal with in English / lets me pick my own doctor?"

The main insurers compared (2026)

Premiums below are "from" figures for the standard €385 excess and vary by the exact policy and your profile — use an independent comparison site for a precise quote. The average across all insurers is €157/month.

A few honest notes. Zilveren Kruis is the largest insurer and generally the easiest mainstream option to run in English. CZ is widely recommended for English-language service and broad hospital contracts. VGZ and Univé are among the cheapest big insurers but lean Dutch-first. Glider is built specifically for internationals with full English support, which is why its premium sits above the others. The rock-bottom options (VinkVink, Nationale-Nederlanden) win on price but expect to deal with them in Dutch.

Naturapolis or combinatiepolis? The real decision

This is the choice that actually affects your care, and the landscape changed recently: the restitutiepolis — the policy that reimbursed any provider in the country — was discontinued. No Dutch insurer offers one for 2026. The old ones were converted into combinatiepolissen. So your real choice is between two types:

• Naturapolis — the cheaper option. Care at contracted providers is fully covered; care at a non-contracted provider is reimbursed only partially (typically around 60–85%). Fine for most people, who use nearby contracted GPs and hospitals anyway.
• Combinatiepolis — a bit more expensive. A mix: full coverage at contracted providers, and higher (often 75–100%) reimbursement when you go outside the network. Worth it if free choice of doctor or hospital matters to you, or you want a specific clinic.

If you have no strong preference about where you're treated, a naturapolis saves money. If you want the freedom to pick any provider, pay a little more for a combinatiepolis — and check the specific non-contracted reimbursement percentage, because it varies a lot between insurers.

If budget is the priority

The cheapest basic policies in 2026 start at about €142/month (VinkVink, Nationale-Nederlanden), with VGZ and Univé close behind around €147. Since the average is €157, the gap between cheapest and average is real money over a year. Two ways to go lower:

• Raise your voluntary excess. On top of the mandatory €385, you can add up to €500 more (a maximum total of €885) in exchange for a lower premium — worth it only if you rarely use care and could absorb the higher excess in a bad year.
• Claim the zorgtoeslag. If your income is under €40,857 (single, 2026), the healthcare allowance pays up to €129/month toward your premium — which often matters more than the difference between insurers.

If English support is the priority

If dealing with your insurer in Dutch feels like one hurdle too many when you've just arrived, pay for the easier experience. Glider offers full English service and is aimed squarely at internationals. Among the big insurers, Zilveren Kruis and CZ run the most usable English apps, websites and phone support. It is a reasonable trade: a few euros a month for not having to translate your insurer's letters.

When and how to switch

Dutch health insurance runs on an annual cycle, and switching is easy and common:

• Insurers publish their 2026 premiums in mid-November.
• You can cancel your current policy until 31 December and take out a new one until 1 February, with cover backdated to 1 January.
• To switch, you just sign up with the new insurer — they cancel the old policy for you.

So November and December are the window to compare and move. If you're a new arrival, you don't wait for the cycle: you take out your first policy within four months of getting your BSN, and cover starts from your date of obligation.

Do you need supplementary insurance?

Optional, and genuinely optional. The basic package leaves out adult dental care, most physiotherapy, and glasses or contact lenses. Supplementary insurance (aanvullende verzekering) adds those back for an extra monthly amount on top of the basic premium. Unlike the basic package, supplementary cover does differ between insurers, so it's the one place comparing coverage (not just price) pays off. If you expect regular dental or physio, price it in; otherwise many people skip it and pay those costs directly.

For how the system works in full — the four-month deadline, the eigen risico, what happens if you miss the deadline — see our Dutch health insurance guide. And to see where the premium fits in your wider monthly spend, the cost of living in Amsterdam breaks it all down.