How do I apply for sickness benefit outside the Netherlands?

If you have to apply for sickness benefit from UWV, you can do so by reporting that you are ill on the second day of your illness. UWV’s online tool can help you determine if you need to report that you are ill to UWV or to your employer.

Reporting that you are ill to UWV

From outside the Netherlands there are 2 ways to report that you are ill to UWV:

• Using the Mijn UWV portal (in Dutch). For this you need a DigiD or an EU-approved login key.
• By calling UWV. For this you need your citizen service number (BSN).

Report that you are ill in good time. If you are too late in reporting, you might receive less sickness benefit. In the Mijn UWV portal you can see the status of your report.

Answering a set of questions about your situation

Once you have reported that you are ill, you will need to answer a set of online questions (in Dutch). You will be notified about this in the Mijn UWV portal and by post. The questions are about your situation. To answer the questions you’ll need your DigiD.

After you apply

If you have reported that you are ill and have answered the online set of questions, within 4 weeks you will receive a letter in the Mijn UWV portal and by post. It will inform you whether you will receive sickness benefit and, if so, how much.

• Find out what happens after you report that you are ill (information in Dutch)
• Find out about your rights and responsibilities regarding sickness benefit (information in Dutch)

If you work in an EU/EEA country, Switzerland or a country with which the Netherlands has reciprocal agreements, ask UWV for an A1 certificate (certificate of coverage). Use this form to show that you are insured in the Netherlands. Find out more about how to apply for an A1 certificate on the Social Insurance Bank (SVB) website.

If you work in an EU/EEA country or Switzerland and you have to apply for sickness benefit from the benefits organisation in that country, find out from that organisation how to do so. You can find the relevant benefits organisation on Europa.eu.

Calculating how long you’ve been insured

Sometimes you receive sickness benefit in the country where you work only after you’ve been insured there for a certain amount of time. Check with the benefits organisation in the country where you work to find out how long you must be insured.

If you have not been insured in the country where you work long enough but have previously worked in the Netherlands, another EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you can count the time you were insured in those countries too. If by counting this time you meet the minimum requirement, you can use an E104 form to demonstrate this to the benefits organisation in the country where you work.

Applying for an E104 form

Apply for an E104 form in each country where you’ve been insured. In the Netherlands you can apply for an E104 form from UWV (information in Dutch). In other EU/EEA countries and Switzerlandyou can apply for this form from the local benefits organisation. You can find the relevant benefits organisation on Europa.eu.

If you work in a country with which the Netherlands has reciprocal agreements, find out from the benefits organisation in that country how to apply for sickness benefit.

Calculating how long you’ve been insured

Sometimes you receive sickness benefit in the country where you work only after you’ve been insured there for a certain amount of time. Check with the benefits organisation in the country where you work to find out how long you must be insured.

If you have not been insured in the country where you work long enough but you have previously worked in the Netherlands, another EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you can count the time you were insured in those countries too. If by counting this time you meet the minimum requirement, you can use an E104 form to demonstrate this to the benefits organisation in the country where you work.

Applying for an E104 form

Apply for an E104 form in each country where you’ve been insured. In the Netherlands you can apply for an E104 form from UWV (information in Dutch). In other EU/EEA countries and Switzerlandyou can apply for this form from the local benefits organisation. You can find the relevant benefits organisation on Europa.eu.

If you work in a country other than an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, or a country with which the Netherlands has reciprocal agreements, find out from the benefits organisation in that country how to apply for sickness benefit.