Why is travel insurance important?
If you are planning to travel outside the Netherlands, prepare ahead to avoid big expenses due to an accident or illness. Before you travel, make sure you have good travel insurance. Your insurance should cover the costs of medical treatment and transport home (repatriation) in the case of illness or death. You need insurance even if you are young and healthy, only going on a short trip, or visiting family abroad.
Avoid high costs
If you become ill or have an accident abroad, your Dutch basic health insurance may only cover the cost of emergency treatment up to the amount that the same treatment would cost in the Netherlands. Basic health insurance often does not cover the costs of repatriation or emergency rescue.
Expenses for treatment in a private clinic, for medical transport such as an air ambulance, or for a rescue mission can add up to many thousands of euros. Even within Europe. You can avoid these costs by having good travel insurance.
Your insurer can help you
Travel insurance doesn’t only cover your expenses. Your insurance provider can also help and support you in an emergency. Insurance providers have emergency support centres that specialise in helping people abroad. This help includes arranging good medical care and repatriation.
What should my travel insurance include?
Make sure that:
- you are insured in the country you are travelling to and in any country you stop in along the way. Dutch insurers often change the terms of their travel insurance policies if the travel advisory for a country changes to orange or red. In that case, some risks or expenses may no longer be covered. Check the relevant travel advisory (information in Dutch) and then check with your insurer.
- your travel insurance covers you if you are travelling outside Europe.
- your travel insurance covers additional medical costs that are not covered by your Dutch insurance.
- your insurance covers medical transport, for example if you need to be transported back to the Netherlands (repatriated) or to a different country or hospital for treatment.
- your insurance covers repatriation in the event of your death.
- your insurance will remain valid during your entire trip. Multi-trip travel insurance is usually valid for a limited number of days at a time.
- your insurance covers any activities you plan to do, such as winter sports, diving, rafting, paragliding or mountain hiking. You may need to take out additional insurance for some activities.
- you have the correct insurance for your personal situation. For instance if you are above a certain age, have an existing medical condition or will be working or studying abroad.
- your children are also insured. You can also take out separate travel insurance for your children.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not provide financial assistance
If you face major expenses abroad, for example due to a hospital stay or repatriation, neither the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Dutch embassy can pay them for you. They also cannot lend you money to pay for them. You will need to contact your insurer’s emergency support centre.
If you do not have insurance that covers these expenses, the responsibility falls to you. You will have to pay the expenses yourself, if necessary with help from friends or family.
More information
To find out what kind of travel insurance you need or to find out what your health or travel insurance covers when you are abroad, contact your insurer before you travel. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not provide advice on insurance.