General practitioner (GP) for international students in the Netherlands

Moving to the Netherlands as foreign student comes with a lot of tasks and challenges. For your own health, it is important to register with a GP when you have arrived in the Netherlands. If you fail to do so, it may be difficult to receive Dutch healthcare services the moment you need it.

Visiting the doctor is covered by the compulsory general health care insurance that all Dutch residents must take out. This also means that you do not pay (deductible) excess if you visit the GP. If you do not have general health care insurance, or you do not have an international health insurance policy (e.g. AON, Cigna Health, GeoBlue, Bupa, Axa, Allianz), you could be obliged to pay for the treatment yourself.

HelloHello Health at your service

As long as you have not registered with a GP in the Netherlands yet or for your ongoing health care needs, you can always consult a GP, doctor, therapist or dietician at HelloDoc Health. For your consult you either pay directly or via your health insurer. We are preferred partner of AON Student Insurance, Cigna Health, GeoBlue and many other international health insurers and travel insurers.

You can directly book a consult for primary health, mental health, e-prescriptions or one of our other health care services via our website.

And even if you have registered with a Dutch GP, you can still use our highly rewarded HelloDoc Health virtual consults, on-site consults, e-prescriptions and therapy whenever it suits you. We provide our broad range of health services in many different languages (e.g. English, Dutch, Spanish, Frech, Italian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Russia, Hindi, etc.). We are here to help you!

When to register with a GP in the Netherlands?

It is advised to register with a Dutch GP as soon as possible after arriving in the Netherlands. This ensures that you will be able to receive health care the moment that you need it. There is no obligation to register with a GP near you or within your postal code. If you feel more comfortable with a Dutch doctor further away from your home you could register here as well. Keep in mind that you will have to travel to the doctor’s office when you are ill. Doctors are free to decline registrations if they are overbooked, if they fear foreign language speaking patients or if the patient lives too far away from the practice.

How to register with a GP in the Netherlands?

There are a few options international students have if they want to register with a Dutch GP.

  • The website kiesuwhuisarts.nl gives you the nearest GP’s based on your postal code. Website is not available in English.
  • Visit your local town hall to read the community guides. This guide has information on local health care providers.
  • Ask HelloDoc Health to help you.

It is possible to make an appointment with a GP before registering so that you can get to know the GP. It is important to find a doctor with who you feel comfortable.

Book our GP if you are not insured yet

It could happen that you fall sick and have to visit the doctor’s office but did not take out Dutch health insurance yet. In this case you can always directly book a consult online at HelloDoc Health and you will have to pay the costs yourself if you’re not insured. When you receive your insurance information, you could send the HelloDoc Health doctor’s invoice to the insurer to see if your new health insurer will reimburse you afterwards.

More information or book a doctor appointment online?

Would you like to discuss your health issues with a GP, doctor, mental health therapist or dietician? We have a great team of international health professionals that can help you, so please feel free to book a video-based or on-site consultation at HelloDoc Health! Most consults can be covered by your (international) health insurance.

We are here to help you!

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