Arrange your insurance

It is important to arrange your health insurance before your exchange begins. Don't wait until you are in an emergency or require medical attention! Your insurance should cover you for the entire period of your exchange, including your outbound and return journey.

Check with your Dutch health insurer whether your health insurance plan covers you while you are abroad. Many insurance companies have limited coverage abroad, for example with a maximum of 45 days. If you are going abroad to an EU/EEA country, you may be able to use your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), but bear in the mind that the card usually only offers limited coverage. If that is the case, you will need to inquire whether you can extend your insurance package, or search for a good alternative. Tilburg University recommends the international student packages by Aon.

It is specifically important that you inquire whether your health insurance covers treatments abroad and repatriation back to the Netherlands in case of emergencies.

If you have pre-existing medical conditions or take regular prescription medication, make sure you know how to access what you need before your departure.

We advise you to take a close look at your travel insurance policy and make sure you have complete coverage for medical costs, repatriation, legal assistance, travel assistance, damage to luggage or household items, civil liability and so on. Your insurance should cover you during the entire period of your stay abroad. 

If you encounter any incidents, you will usually need to report this to a local police station in your host country as insurers usually require police reports to process insurance claims. Your host university should be able to help you with this.