For master students

For non-EU students: make sure to have a hard copy of your visa with you!

Everyone residing in the Netherlands is required by law to have a valid health insurance. It means that you will need to be properly insured by an internationally recognised insurance agency. International students are not automatically ensured! There are various types of health insurance, and the kind of health insurance that will apply to you will depend on various factors, including your country of origin, age, whether you are employed in the Netherlands and the duration of your stay.

Preferably you arrange this before your arrival in the Netherlands. More information on what type of insurance you need, you can find here on the UG website. For more information about the health services in the Netherlands have a look here.

You do not need one per se, but keep in mind that without a Dutch phone number Dutch institutions are usually not able to get in contact with you.

For international students

You are coming to study in the Netherlands for longer than four months. Therefore, you have to inform the municipality of the city where you are staying about your address.

You can make an appointment online in the municipality of Leeuwarden, if this is where you live.

Don't forget to bring to the municipality appointment:

• Original valid passport/ID card
• A copy of your signed rental agreement
• Copies of all pages in passport with stamps/stickers & holder page

The municipality office is located at Oldehoofsterkerkhof 2 in Leeuwarden. After your registration, they provide you with your citizen service number (BSN). This is your personal number for contacts with the authorities. If you have any questions about the procedure or this registration, you can send an email to burgerzaken leeuwarden.nl

We would like to advise you to make an appointment as soon as possible. If you do not register as a resident in week 33-36 you do not receive your BSN number directly at the appointment, and it may then take two to four weeks to receive it. You need a BSN to be able to request housing allowance, amongst other things.

For Dutch students

Dutch students can report their move within the Netherlands online.

With your DigiD you identify yourself when you arrange matters online, such as with the government, educational institutions, healthcare organizations or your pension fund.

If you do not have a DigiD yet and want to apply for an account, you can use this application form. You will need your citizen service number (BSN) for your application.

Please note: DigiD is private. You are not allowed to apply for a DigiD on behalf of someone else. Do you want to help someone to arrange their affairs online? Then use DigiD Authorisation.

With your DigiD you identify yourself when you arrange matters online, such as with the government, educational institutions, healthcare organizations or your pension fund.

If you do not have a DigiD yet and want to apply for an account, you can use this application form. You will need your citizen service number (BSN) for your application.

Please note: DigiD is private. You are not allowed to apply for a DigiD on behalf of someone else. Do you want to help someone to arrange their affairs online? Then use DigiD Authorisation.

In the Netherlands, the General Practitioner (GP) or family doctor is your first point of contact in case you don't feel well. Be sure to sign up with a GP as soon as possible after your arrival and/or move (with)in the Netherlands – don’t wait until you are sick - because you need to be registered with a GP in your hometown before you can make an appointment and receive further care.

Hospital visits are reserved for emergency situations and specialist care in the Netherlands. Unless you need emergency care, always contact your GP first. Your GP will refer you to a specialist if required. Emergency rooms are expensive, and hospitals will send you back to your GP if your situation is not life-threatening.

In Leeuwarden there are two GP's that accept students to register as patient:

Joeloemsingh
Coopmansstraat 21
8921 SR Leeuwarden
+31 (0)58 212 37 00
https://joeloemsingh.praktijkinfo.nl/

To register with them please call them first, after which you can fill in a registration form at the practice. Please note that they do not accept the European Health Insurance card, but they do accept AON student insurance. This means that in the latter case they will submit the bill on your behalf to AON. With EHIC you need to declare the bill yourself at Zilveren Kruis. With the declaration you can indicate if they should send the payment to you, or directly to the health care provider.  

Compas
Rengerslaan 2E
8917 Leeuwarden
+31 (0)58 212 65 86
https://compas.uwartsonline.nl/Default.asp?&HTTPSHASH=

To register at the practice you can call them. Please note that Compas does not accept the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), nor the AON student insurance. With an EHIC you need to declare the bill at Zilveren Kruis, with AON at AON itself. You can indicate with the declaration if payment of the bill should go to you or directly to the healthcare provider.

Should you have further questions about general practitioners, health care or insurance in The Netherlands, please contact the Student Service Desk.

If you want to be able to receive housing allowance you need a Dutch bank account. Therefore, we advise you to open a Dutch bank account after your arrival in the Netherlands.

More information about Dutch bank accounts and how to open them can be found here on the University of Groningen website.

You are able to do this once you received the letter about this by the city of Leeuwarden.