Health Insurance Rules for Interns Updated

New requirements apply to EU/EEA students in the Netherlands.

As of September 1, 2025, the rules for determining health insurance requirements for students from the EU, EEA, Switzerland, and treaty countries who do an internship in the Netherlands will change.*

Students who, during their internship, are insured under one or more employee insurance schemes – such as the Sickness Benefits Act (ZW) or the Wajong – will from that date be considered employees. This means they will be required to take out health insurance under the Health Insurance Act (Zvw).

What is changing?

Until September 1, 2025, students were only required to take out Dutch health insurance if they received at least the statutory minimum wage during their internship.

Starting September 1, 2025, this assessment will be broadened. From then on, any work that results in mandatory coverage under one of the employee insurance schemes – such as the Sickness Benefits Act or the Wajong – will also be regarded as employment. This change applies to interns from the EU, EEA, Switzerland, and treaty countries*.

Practical implications

Students from the EU, EEA, Switzerland, and treaty countries* who do an internship in the Netherlands and receive any form of compensation are always covered by the Sickness Benefits Act and the Wajong. Therefore, starting September 1, 2025, they are required to take out a Dutch basic health insurance policy – even if their internship started before that date. The amount of the internship allowance will no longer matter.

For students from outside the EU, EEA, Switzerland, and treaty countries*, nothing will change: they will only be required to take out Dutch health insurance if their internship allowance is equal to or higher than the statutory minimum wage.