financial and insurance

Arrange your insurances

When living in the Netherlands, you must, by law, have sufficient health insurance. We strongly recommend that you have the appropriate liability and travel insurance as well. Organizing these insurances is your own responsibility, but we have set out some general information/guidelines.

Health insurance

It is a legal requirement for all international students living in the Netherlands to have adequate health insurance. If you do not take out Dutch public health insurance when you should, you will be fined by Dutch Authorities. See also this Knowledge Clip Healthcare in the Netherlands.

  • It is important that you take out the correct insurance before you need it. If you wait until a situation arises for which you do not have adequate cover, it is unlikely that you will be covered and you will have to pay all costs yourself.  In the case of medical costs, these very quickly accumulate as healthcare in the Netherlands is expensive. 
  • We recommend you to take out insurance before coming to the Netherlands even as it mostly also covers your journey to the Netherlands.  It is your own responsibility to make the necessary arrangements, preferably at least two weeks before traveling to the Netherlands. 
  • Be aware that most student insurance policies do not cover pre-existing medical (including mental) conditions. The Aon complete + insurance and The InsureTostudy MasterPlan+ insurance do cover these, see below at Aon Student Insurance and InsureToStudy insurance.

Please note: Tilburg University cannot be held responsible for any costs, which may be incurred during your stay in Tilburg as a result of incorrect medical and/or liability insurance.

Emergency coverage: European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

Citizens of one of the European Union countries who stay temporarily in the Netherlands can apply for the EU Health Insurance card before travelling to the Netherlands. Please note that not every European country issues the EHIC, it is only emergency coverage and the validity varies by country.

It is important to note that the European Health Insurance Card:

  • Is not an alternative for a travel insurance. It does not cover any private healthcare or costs such as a return flight to your home country, lost or stolen property.
  • Does not cover your costs when you are travelling for the express purpose of obtaining medical treatment.
  • Does not guarantee all medical services are free of charge. The healthcare system of each country has different services. What might be free of charge in your home country might not be free in another country. It covers emergency health care only, which is non-postponable.
  • Students with EHIC can also take out the Aon Complete+ Insurance or the additional Aon Start+ insurance. For the right advice go to www.aonstudentinsurance.com.

For UK nationals, the UK EHIC card remains valid until its expiry date.  After that, you should apply for a UK Global Health Insurance (GHIC) card

Please note: The terms and conditions of the EHIC card vary for each country. This might mean that the EHIC card is not valid for your whole study period or that it does not apply to you. Carefully check whether additional private insurance is necessary for you. You can find more information about EHIC.

Financial penalty (if you do not take out health insurance)

If you do not take out health insurance, you risk paying a penalty of approximately 130% of the nominal premium for each month that you are uninsured. If you receive a letter about this from the CAK, you must:

  • contact the Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) and ask for an investigation of your insurance situation under the wlz scheme (free of charge).
  • send a copy of the decision from SVB about your insurance situation to the CAK.

You must take action within three months of the date of the letter, or you will get an additional fine of approximately €400. We therefore recommend that you take immediate action and do not leave this to the last moment, even if you incorrectly receive the letter from the CAK. If you do not take action within 9 months of the date of the first CAK letter, CAK will take out more expensive Basic Healthcare Insurance on your behalf and at your expense.

More information about being uninsured is available on the Questions and Answers page of the CAK.

Private insurance

International students who are in Tilburg for study purposes only and who do not have a paid internship or part-time job are not allowed to take out Dutch public health insurance, but must arrange a private insurance. 

Private insurance covers different amounts and situations, depending on the insurance package you choose. You must make sure that you have cover for the complete duration of your stay in the Netherlands – from your date of arrival to the date of departure. The majority of insurance companies, require you to pay your medical costs yourself and claim costs back from the insurance company later.

  • If you are a student from the EU/EEA and you are not allowed (by Dutch law) to apply for a Dutch public health insurance and do not have an EHIC (for conditions, see above) or if you need additional health coverage to your EHIC, you must take out private insurance.
  • If you are a student from outside the EU/EEA and you are not allowed to apply for Dutch public health insurance, you must take out private health insurance, such as Aon Student Insurance or the InsureTostudy insurance. If your stay in the Netherlands is shorter than three months, you must check whether your health insurance from your home country covers your temporary stay in the Netherlands. If this is not the case, must take out private insurance.

In case you have questions about health insurance in general you can contact the Zorgverzekeringslijn, see this flyer.

Recommended: Aon Student Insurance packages

International student coming to Tilburg? Check this video clip!

Aon Student Insurance: private insurance packages

Tilburg University highly recommends all international students to take out the Aon Complete+ Insurance package, because it includes health, liability and travel insurance, including pre-existing medical and psychological conditions.  

Aon offers a range of student insurance packages, which cover different types of costs, depending on the specific insurance package. Costs covered by Aon are, for example, medical expenses, extraordinary costs (for example repatriation), as well as coverage for legal aid, accidents, liability, luggage, and household goods. The packages Aon offers range from €16 to €53 per month. You can apply easily and pay online. For more information, visit their website.

For international students, Aon offers the following options:

  • Aon Complete+ Insurance:
    This package is highly recommended for all non-EU students and EU-students without EHIC and covers medical expenses (including pre-existing medical and psychological conditions), accidents, luggage, emergencies, liability and legal assistance. 
  • Aon Start+ Insurance:
    This package is available for international students who already have a valid EHIC. This coverage is a supplement, so you will have to claim your reimbursement first at your EHIC insurer. Please note that pre-existing conditions are excluded.
  • Aon Start Insurance:
    this package is available for international students who already have their own health insurance. The coverage is mainly related to travel and stay. 

More information about the options provided by Aon Student Insurance can be found in the following PDF documents:

For any questions about Aon's insurance packages, please contact Aon directly via info@aonstudentinsurance.com or +31 (0) 104488270.

When you request an insurance at Aon (preferably Aon Complete +), you need to fill in a few questions and will then automatically be guided to the package that is applicable for you. 

In case you need additional information, we highly recommend you to watch this informative video (duration: 1.5 minutes), which provides insurance information about:

  • Aon Student Insurance
  • Legislation and regulations (for both EU and Non-EU students)
  • Laws and regulations when you have a part-time job
  • Importance of taking out insurance (healthcare

Before deciding to take out an insurance at another company instead of Aon Student Insurance, please ensure that this insurance covers pre-existing medical and psychological conditions, has no deductibles and is fully visa compliant.

Student Webinars

Need more information? Aon Student Insurances offers on demand webinars which explain the procedure for EEA Students and Non-EEA Students. 
 

Aon Student Insurance Webinar for EEA Students 

When                           : 9th January 2024

Rewatch link                : https://youtu.be/UPAVvvCyIqg

 

Aon Student Insurance Non-EEA Students 

When                           : 9th January 2024

Rewatch link                : https://youtu.be/lvbcqnJ2vzg

 

On-demand webinar for EEA Students
 

On-demand webinar for Non-EEA Students

Insure to study

InsureToStudy offers the students of the Tilburg University (and your accompanying family members) a special insurance, the Masterplan+ . This student insurance is known for its excellent price-quality ratio. It meets both the IND requirements if you need a residence permit and the Tilburg University requirements of having a cost price medical/pre-existing insurance, a liability insurance and a lot more. Have a look at the extent of cover which InsureToStudy offers.

Also PHD’s, Researchers and accompanying Family member can take out this insurance for the same premium.

Do you come from an EU-country and do you have an EHIC card? We can provide you with a special package; the ITS EuropeanPlan. This is an additional coverage on the EHIC card from your home country. Have a look at the extent of cover.

Besides the Dutch Healthcare Insurance, InsureToStudy offers additional insurances in the BasicPlan. This package also includes liability insurance.

Have a look at the extent of cover for more information.

If you start working this might have consequences for your healthcare insurance. Contact us when you start working we can offer you the Dutch  Basic Health Insurance without deductibles  including € 200 dentist cover and repatriation with in Europe for free.

You can apply on a daily basis and stop on a daily basis.

The benefits for you

InsureToStudy offers appropriate solutions for students on the university to all possible insurance types.

We listed some advantages below (Masterplan+):

  • Medical costs are unlimited insured included pre-existing conditions
  • No deductible excess after health care costs
  • Including dental, physiotherapy and psychotherapy coverage, click here for the extent of cover
  • Low premium and excellent conditions
  • Including insurance package (luggage and household effects, legal assistance, personal accidents, repatriation (first and second degree), travel insurance and very important liability/third party)
  • You can apply already for this insurance in your homeland, the start day from the insurance is the day you will leave your country so you have also your travel insurance with ITS
  • Assistance if you start working besides your study, start an internship or receive letters from the government (CAK)
  • We are available 24/7 for all your questions (SOS-International: 020-6515154)
  • Worldwide coverage including USA as well in your home country. This includes holidays and internships.

 * Dental expenses costs up to € 750 free to spend including checkups and cleaning, physiotherapy up to € 450, manual therapy up to € 350, occupational therapy max.10 hours and psychotherapy up to € 1.760 a year

ITS also reimburses if a student consults a digital doctor.

Check out the Extens of covers below

You can always contact InsureToStudy for personal advice at phone number 0031 70 2051860 or send an email to Info@insuretostudy.com

Liability and Travel Insurance 

If you damage someone’s property or cause an accident, Dutch law states that you are responsible for paying any resulting costs. Therefore, we recommend taking out liability insurance.

During their studies in Tilburg, most students make use of the opportunity to travel and become acquainted with new cities and countries. It is important to have suitable travel insurance in case, for example, your luggage is stolen or there is a medical emergency.   

Companies such as Aon Student Insurance and Insure to Study Insurance can arrange both the liability and travel insurance. Check their packages on this page, or visit their website for more information.

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