One of the first surprises of life in the Netherlands is that you cannot simply walk into a clinic or a hospital outpatient department when you feel unwell. The entry point is a huisarts (HOW-ss-arts, a general practitioner, or GP) you are registered with. From there, you are referred on if needed.
This guide is for people who have just finished their address registration and health insurance, including families with children. It covers what to do before you get ill and who to contact when you do. We checked the pages of Rijksoverheid (the Dutch government), Thuisarts.nl (an information site run by doctors' and patients' organisations) and Zorginstituut Nederland (the body that defines what basic insurance covers) on 30 October 2026.
This is not medical advice. How serious a symptom is, and what to do about it, depends on you. When in doubt, call your registered huisarts or the huisartsenpost. That safe default runs through the whole article.
What this article is based on
- Rijksoverheid, "Hoe verander ik van huisarts?" and "Huisartsenpost of spoedeisende hulp": free choice of GP, reasons a GP can refuse you, the insurer's role, contacting the huisartsenpost first
- Thuisarts.nl, "Een huisarts kiezen" and "Spoed: wie bel je?": registration is recommended rather than compulsory, who to call by day and out of hours
- Rijksoverheid on the eigen risico and Zorginstituut Nederland, "Huisarts (Zvw)": €385, exempt GP care, and what does count
- Guides for expats from IamExpat, DutchReview, Expatica, ACCESS and The Hague International Centre: where to look, what to bring, practical tips
| What you will learn | The answer in short |
|---|---|
| Is registration compulsory? | No, but recommended. Out-of-hours access goes with it |
| When to register | Once your insurance is active, while you are well |
| If a practice says no | Try nearby practices, then your insurer mediates |
| Evenings and weekends | Call the huisartsenpost first. Life in danger: 112 |
| Going to the hospital ER (SEH) | Contact the huisartsenpost first. Life in danger: 112 |
| Eigen risico (2026) | €385. GP visits and huisartsenpost are exempt |
1. How Dutch care is organised: one front door
Dutch healthcare splits into primary care (eerstelijnszorg) and hospital and specialist care (tweedelijnszorg). The huisarts is the heart of primary care: advice, tests, prescriptions and referrals all start here. Zorginstituut Nederland notes that GP care covers physical and mental health, and that your partner and children can see the same GP.
To see a specialist you normally need a verwijsbrief (referral letter) from the GP. Rijksoverheid explains that specialist care, for instance in hospitals, requires a referral, and that without a valid one you may have to pay yourself or may not be treated. Some professions, such as physiotherapists and dietitians, usually do not need one, although your insurer's conditions can change that.
If you are used to another system
In many countries you can choose a specialist or clinic yourself and go directly. The Dutch system is built the other way round: one front door, then onward referral. Neither is better in absolute terms. One gives you more choice up front; the other asks you to register first and then routes you to the right place. The practical consequence is that your first job in the Netherlands is to find your front door, before you need it.
Where the pharmacy fits in
Your GP prescribes after a consultation. Thuisarts.nl lists "collect medication at the pharmacy" as one possible outcome of an out-of-hours call. Pharmacy opening times and out-of-hours arrangements differ by region, so ask your practice or the huisartsenpost.
2. Why register before you get ill
Thuisarts.nl states that registering is not compulsory but recommended. A regular GP knows your situation, notices changes in your health and knows where to send you, and registration means you can use the huisartsenpost in the evening, at night and at weekends. Rijksoverheid adds that registered patients always have a doctor to contact and a medical record that follows them.
What happens if you are not registered
In an urgent situation you will still be seen. DutchReview describes registration as the rule with urgent cases as the exception, which means a non-urgent question from an unregistered person can be turned away. More than that, without a GP you start from zero: the evening you have a fever is the wrong time to find out whom to call.
| Situation | Registered | Not registered |
|---|---|---|
| Daytime question | Phone the practice, get an appointment | First find a practice that will take you |
| Evening or weekend | Phone the huisartsenpost | Urgent cases are seen, without your history |
| Specialist referral | Your GP writes the verwijsbrief | No doctor to write it |
| Ongoing prescriptions | Renewed at your practice | New consultation each time |
| Child's health question | Phone your own practice | First find a practice |
The value of registration shows up less in emergencies and more in small everyday things: a prescription renewal or a referral takes one phone call.
When to register
ACCESS, a non-profit for internationals, advises registering as soon as your health insurance is active. A practical rule of thumb is the same week you finish address registration (which gets you your BSN) and insurance. For the insurance side, see our article on health insurance for remote workers and the self-employed.
3. Finding a huisarts and registering
Procedures differ slightly between practices, but the sequence is usually these four steps.
The figure shows the order only. Some practices combine steps 2 and 3, or ask for paperwork first.
Step 1: have your insurance details ready
The Hague International Centre notes that some practices want your insurance number before you can sign up. Keep your policy number handy. Expatica reports that practices commonly ask for ID, your BSN and your insurance details; ask each practice what it needs.
Step 2: look for practices near you
Thuisarts.nl suggests searching online for "huisarts" plus your town. Staying local matters because most practices accept only people living within a few kilometres, and Rijksoverheid lists living too far away as a reason to be declined. Home visits are part of the reason.
The Hague International Centre points to rated directories (Zorgkaart Nederland and Independer). In The Hague region, many newcomers register at International Health Centre The Hague, and practices focused on international patients may draw from a wider area.
| Where to look | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Search "huisarts" plus your town | A first picture of what is nearby | Check each website for intake status |
| Zorgkaart Nederland, Independer | Seeing reviews | Reviews do not tell you who has space |
| Practices for internationals | English-language care | Popular ones may have waiting times |
| Your insurer | If you cannot find one yourself | Explained in the next section |
Step 3: contact the practice and ask if they take new patients
Call, email or use the web form. DutchReview confirms you can book by phone or through the practice website. The key question is whether they can take you on as a new patient. Rijksoverheid's switching sequence is the same: ask the new GP first, then tell your old GP and have your file sent across.
If a phone call in Dutch feels daunting, start with the website form or an email in English, which The Hague International Centre also lists as a route.
Step 4: the intake appointment
After acceptance you may be invited for an intake appointment. The Hague International Centre says to mention any ongoing health issues or treatment there. Bring the names of medicines you take, allergies and vaccination records from your home country; the intake is the easiest moment to hand all of it over at once.
4. If a practice says no
Being turned away is common and says nothing about you. IamExpat (7 April 2025) reported that about 60 percent of practices have stopped taking new patients, but it does not name the survey behind the figure. It also cites the Netherlands Court of Audit: an estimated 45,000 to 194,000 residents without a GP, about 732,000 looking for a new one, and nearly 7,000 on insurers' waiting lists at the end of 2024. These are secondary-source estimates.
Why practices decline
| Reason | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Full | Not taking new patients | Try other practices nearby |
| Too far | You live outside their area | Look nearer to home |
| Different views | For example on euthanasia or alternative medicine | Look for another practice |
| No reason given | It feels unjustified | Contact your insurer or Adviespunt Zorgbelang |
Thuisarts.nl says that if a GP refuses you without good reason, you can contact your health insurer or the Adviespunt Zorgbelang, a regional service that looks after patients' interests.
The order of things: do it yourself, then your insurer
- Search by town and check each website for whether it takes new patients
- Try three to five nearby practices, skipping any that state an intake stop
- Try practices that focus on international patients
- If still nothing, ask your insurer for zorgbemiddeling (care mediation)
Rijksoverheid says to contact your insurer, which will help you search and mediate if needed. ACCESS says insurers have a legal obligation to help. How long that takes, and how far the insurer goes, is not fixed.
While you wait
If you fall ill before a place is found, urgent problems go to the huisarts or huisartsenpost. DutchReview says a GP cannot refuse necessary care to someone without insurance details yet, but you pay at the time and claim it back later. Either way, phone first. Some practices are reported to see people once as a passant (a visitor not on their list), but that is handled differently from practice to practice.
5. Booking an appointment: the phone and the assistant
In many countries you describe your problem straight to a doctor. In the Netherlands, the first voice is usually the doktersassistent (the practice assistant). Thuisarts.nl describes the same for urgent daytime calls: the assistant asks about the problem first and discusses it with the GP.
How a typical call goes
Practices often publish separate numbers for appointments and urgent matters on their websites. The call usually runs:
- You give your name and date of birth
- The assistant asks about your symptoms (since when, what kind)
- They decide: an appointment, a phone consultation, a prescription renewal or coming in now
- If you get an appointment, you confirm the day and time
This is triage, not gatekeeping for its own sake. The more specific you are, the better the slot you get.
What to say
| What to tell them | Example |
|---|---|
| Since when | "Two days", "since last night" |
| What the problem is | "Fever of 38 degrees", "a cough that will not go" |
| Whether it is getting worse | "It is getting stronger" |
| Conditions and medicines | "I use an asthma inhaler" |
| For a child | Age, whether they are drinking, whether they are alert |
A few notes in front of you help. English-speaking practices are common, according to expat guides, but ask each practice.
"Wait and see"
The Hague International Centre warns that a Dutch GP may seem less warm than you are used to: a mild painkiller and a request to get back in touch if symptoms persist is typical. DutchReview adds that antibiotics are for suspected bacterial infections, and a viral illness may get "rest". This is a deliberate watch-and-wait approach, not neglect. If things get worse or you remain worried, call again.
6. Evenings and weekends: the huisartsenpost
When the practice is shut, the huisartsenpost (HAP, the out-of-hours GP service) takes over. Rijksoverheid explains that when your practice is closed, your GP refers you to it.
When it is open
Thuisarts.nl says to call your own huisarts on weekdays in the daytime (roughly 08:00 to 17:00) and the huisartsenpost in the evening, at night, at weekends and on public holidays. Expatica reports typical hours of weekdays 17:00 to 08:00, Friday 17:00 to Monday 08:00, and all day on public holidays. Organisation and hours differ by region, so check your regional huisartsenpost.
Treat the figure as a guide. Your practice's phone message and website win if they differ.
Call first, then go
The huisartsenpost is not a drop-in clinic; you phone first. Thuisarts.nl says you can contact it by phone, email or chat, and may be asked to fill in a questionnaire first. The first person you reach is a triagist, an assistant with extra training in urgent situations.
What can happen after the call
Thuisarts.nl lists these outcomes:
| Outcome | What it means |
|---|---|
| Self-care advice | You are told how to manage at home |
| Collect medication at the pharmacy | If medicine is needed |
| A call-back | A doctor at the post phones you |
| An appointment | You go to the huisartsenpost |
| A home visit | A doctor comes to you |
| An ambulance | If it is an emergency |
| Home care, or GGZ crisis service | Depending on the situation |
So a call does not always end in a visit. It can end in advice, a visit, or an ambulance.
Save the number now
Numbers are regional. Thuisarts.nl says to find yours on your GP's website, on the huisartsenpost's website, or in the recorded message when you phone your practice. Put it in your phone before you need it.
7. The hospital ER (SEH) and 112
Life in danger: 112. Otherwise: phone first.
Rijksoverheid advises contacting the huisartsenpost before going to the SEH (spoedeisende hulp, the hospital emergency department), except in a life-threatening situation, when you call 112 directly. Thuisarts.nl agrees: if you or someone else is, or may be, in danger, call 112 at any hour, and the operator gives instructions until the ambulance arrives. 112 is also the European emergency number, so it works for visitors too.
A flow by severity
The figure organises where to call; it cannot tell you how serious your symptoms are. If unsure, choose the phone number higher up the figure rather than the one below.
What each door is for
| Door | When | Phone first? | Eigen risico |
|---|---|---|---|
| 112 | Life in danger, or you suspect it | Call 112 directly | Depends on your situation and policy |
| GP's urgent line | Urgent, weekday daytime | Yes | GP care exempt |
| Huisartsenpost | Urgent, evenings, nights, weekends | Yes | GP care exempt |
| SEH (hospital ER) | When the huisartsenpost or GP says so | Contact first | Counts |
| Regular appointment | Non-urgent question | Phone or website | GP care exempt |
The 112 row means that ambulance and hospital treatment can count towards the eigen risico. Amounts depend on your situation and policy; ask your insurer when a bill arrives.
If you went straight to the SEH
If life was in danger, that was the right call. If not, Rijksoverheid's advice is to contact the huisartsenpost first. The SEH counts towards the eigen risico even with a referral. What changes is this: if your call ends with a huisartsenpost consultation, that consultation is exempt. If you are then sent on to the SEH, the SEH part counts.
Mental health crises
Thuisarts.nl lists a GGZ (mental health) crisis service among the huisartsenpost's possible outcomes. For mental health in general, including 113, see our article on getting mental health care in the Netherlands.
8. The eigen risico: which visits count
The eigen risico (AY-khen REE-zee-koh) is a mandatory annual deductible. For basic-package care, you pay the first fixed amount each year and your insurer pays the rest. Rijksoverheid gives €385 for 2026. You may voluntarily raise it in €100 steps to a maximum of €500 in exchange for a lower premium, and your insurer can set up an instalment plan if paying it in one go is hard.
Under 18: no eigen risico
Rijksoverheid says that people under 18 pay no eigen risico on basic-package care. For families, a child's consultations and medicines fall outside this system. When a child turns 18, they need their own basic insurance, and the eigen risico applies from then.
What is exempt, what counts
The figure shows common examples, not every case. Insurers can exclude certain providers, programmes, medicines or aids from the eigen risico (Rijksoverheid), so check your own policy.
| Visit or cost | Eigen risico | Note |
|---|---|---|
| GP consultation | Exempt | The consultation itself |
| Huisartsenpost | Exempt | Out-of-hours consultation |
| Midwife, kraamzorg (maternity nursing) | Exempt | Rijksoverheid's list of exemptions |
| Wijkverpleging (district nursing) | Exempt | Same list |
| Medicines your GP prescribes | Counts | Zorginstituut |
| Blood tests done outside the practice | Counts | Zorginstituut |
| Referred hospital care | Counts | Zorginstituut |
| SEH | Counts | Rijksoverheid |
A bill that confuses newcomers: the inschrijftarief
After you register, a line called inschrijftarief (registration fee) may show up in your insurer's statement (zorgnota). Rijksoverheid explains it is a fixed amount your insurer pays the GP each quarter whether or not you visit, and you do not pay it yourself. That is why a line appears even in a quarter when you never went.
About 2027
In the 2027 budget (Prinsjesdag, 15 September 2026) the government set out a plan to raise the eigen risico from €385 to €400 in 2027 (Rijksoverheid, "Prinsjesdag: zorg"). It needs a change in the law, so confirm the final amount in your insurer's year-end letter. Note that Rijksoverheid's eigen risico Q&A page, last updated in August, still says €385 for 2027. When you review your insurance, see our guide to switching health insurance for 2027.
9. How it compares with other systems
A few common contrasts, set side by side as differences in design rather than a ranking.
| Topic | Many other systems | The Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Front door | Choose a clinic or specialist yourself | Your registered huisarts first |
| Specialists and hospitals | Often direct access | A verwijsbrief is normally needed |
| Before you need care | Insurance card may be enough | Insurance and GP registration first |
| Evenings and weekends | Walk-in urgent care or ER | Phone the huisartsenpost first; 112 for life in danger |
| Ambulance number | Varies by country | 112 |
| Your share of costs | Often per visit | Annual eigen risico; GP consultations exempt |
Choosing versus routing
Where other systems let you choose, the Dutch system routes the first decision through the huisarts. That is why solving "who is my front door?" early matters so much here.
Medicines and "wait and see"
If you are used to leaving with a prescription, "let's wait and see" may feel thin. DutchReview describes this as a policy of prescribing antibiotics only when needed rather than casual care. Bring your usual medicines to the intake and discuss them.
10. Answers by situation
The same system gives different first steps depending on who you are.
| Situation | First move | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Single, just arrived | Register as soon as insurance is active | Mention conditions and medicines at intake |
| Family with children | Ask if the whole family can register together | Under-18s have no eigen risico |
| Long-term resident, never registered | Search while you are well | Nearby practices may be full |
| Just moved house | Ask a practice near your new home | Have your old GP send your file |
| Cannot find a practice | Insurer's zorgbemiddeling | Urgent problems: huisartsenpost |
Families with children
A GP sees partners and children too. Ask in your first message whether the family can register together. Children's health can change fast, so save the huisartsenpost number in a parent's phone before the first feverish night. Vaccinations and routine child health checks run through a separate system and are outside this article; check with your municipality.
If you move
Follow Rijksoverheid's order: ask the new GP whether they will take you, and once that is settled, tell your old GP and have the file sent. Do not leave your old practice before the new one confirms.
11. Steps for this week
- Get your insurance policy number and BSN to hand
- Search "huisarts" plus your town and note three to five nearby practices
- Check each website for whether new patients are accepted
- Apply to the practices that appear to be taking patients, by phone or form
- Once accepted, confirm the intake date and prepare notes on conditions and medicines
- Save your practice's regular number, its urgent number and the huisartsenpost number in your phone
- If nothing works, contact your insurer's zorgbemiddeling
- If you are registering a family, ask for everyone at once
12. Worked examples (fictional)
These are fictional examples to illustrate the system. They are not real people.
Case 1: a single professional in The Hague
Alex finished address registration and insurance, then searched for nearby practices. Two of three said they were not taking patients. The third accepted an application through its web form, and an intake call came two weeks later. The registration problem was solved before anyone got sick.
Case 2: a family with a young child
Sam and Priya registered the whole family at once, asking in their first message whether that was possible. One night their three-year-old ran a fever. They phoned the huisartsenpost number they had saved, a triagist asked questions, and the advice was to call the practice the next morning. Knowing that the call decides how urgent it is kept them calm.
Case 3: no practice would take them
Jo tried several practices nearby and all were full. Jo asked the insurer for zorgbemiddeling. While waiting, Jo decided to phone the huisarts or huisartsenpost only for urgent symptoms.
| Case | First move | What helped |
|---|---|---|
| Alex (single) | Search practices online | Checking intake status, web form |
| Sam and Priya (family) | Register everyone together | Phoning the huisartsenpost |
| Jo (no space) | Asked the insurer to mediate | Zorgbemiddeling |
13. Things not to do
| Do not | Why |
|---|---|
| Wait until you are ill to look for a GP | No number to call when it matters |
| Go straight to the huisartsenpost or SEH out of hours | The official advice is to phone first; it changes entry and cost |
| Phone your GP when life is in danger | Call 112 directly |
| Leave your old GP before the new one confirms | No one to write referrals or prescriptions |
| Give up after a refusal | Insurer mediation and Adviespunt Zorgbelang exist |
| Rely on a number from a search result | Numbers are regional; check the official site or your practice |
14. Checklist
- Address registration (BSN) and health insurance are done
- Registered with a nearby huisarts, or application in progress
- Every family member is covered
- Practice number and urgent number saved in your phone
- Your regional huisartsenpost number saved
- Everyone at home knows 112 is for danger to life
- You know the eigen risico (€385 in 2026) and which visits count
- You have noted your insurer's zorgbemiddeling contact
15. Summary
- Register with a nearby huisarts before you are ill. It is not compulsory, but it is officially recommended
- If a practice declines, try others nearby, then your insurer mediates
- Urgent on a weekday in the daytime: phone your GP's urgent line
- Urgent in the evening, at night or at weekends: phone the huisartsenpost first
- Life in danger, or suspected: call 112 directly
- GP care and the huisartsenpost are exempt from the eigen risico; medicines, outside blood tests, referred hospital care and the SEH count. In 2026 it is €385
- Under-18s pay no eigen risico. When in doubt, phone and ask a professional
Sources
Government and public bodies
- Hoe verander ik van huisarts? — Rijksoverheid: free choice, reasons for refusal, switching order, insurer mediation
- Huisartsenpost of spoedeisende hulp — Rijksoverheid: contact the huisartsenpost first; the SEH counts towards the eigen risico
- Wanneer betaal ik een eigen risico voor mijn zorg? — Rijksoverheid: €385 for 2026, under-18s exempt, exempt care
- Eigen risico zorgverzekering — Rijksoverheid: list of exempt care
- Moet ik de huisartskosten zelf betalen? — Rijksoverheid: consultations exempt, blood tests and medicines count
- Wat is het inschrijftarief? — Rijksoverheid: the registration fee is paid by your insurer
- Wanneer heb ik een verwijsbrief nodig? — Rijksoverheid: when a referral is needed and which professions do not need one
- Huisarts (Zvw) — Zorginstituut Nederland: scope of GP care and its link to the eigen risico
- Een huisarts kiezen — Thuisarts.nl: registration recommended, how to look, what to do if refused
- Spoed: wie bel je? — Thuisarts.nl: 112, daytime contact, out-of-hours contact
- Thuisarts.nl home page: who runs it, and symptom search
- Prinsjesdag: zorg — Rijksoverheid: the plan to raise the 2027 eigen risico from €385 to €400 (budget of 15 September 2026)
Guides for expats
- Registering with a General Practitioner — The Hague International Centre: registration steps and where to look in The Hague region
- Change huisarts — ACCESS: register as soon as insurance is active; insurer mediation
- 60 percent of doctors' practices not accepting new patients — IamExpat: 7 April 2025 article on intake stops
- Going to the doctor in the Netherlands — DutchReview: how to book, referrals, the antibiotics approach
- Guide to doctors and GPs in the Netherlands — Expatica: documents to expect and huisartsenpost hours
All checked on 30 October 2026. Rules and amounts change, so confirm on the official sites before acting. For medical decisions that depend on your own situation, phone your registered huisarts or the huisartsenpost.
FAQ
- Do I have to register with a huisarts (GP) in the Netherlands?
- It is not a legal obligation, but both the Dutch government (Rijksoverheid) and Thuisarts.nl recommend it. A registered GP knows your history, and registration is what gives you access to the out-of-hours GP service (huisartsenpost). Register once your address and health insurance are sorted, while you are still well.
- What can I do if a GP practice will not register me?
- Practices can decline you if they are full, you live too far away, or your views on care do not match. Check each practice's website for whether it takes new patients, try several nearby, then ask your health insurer to help (zorgbemiddeling). If you think you were refused without good reason, your insurer or your regional Adviespunt Zorgbelang can help.
- Where do I go if I get ill in the evening or at the weekend?
- If life is in danger, call 112. Otherwise call the huisartsenpost first, not the hospital. A trained triage assistant (triagist) asks about your symptoms and decides on advice, a pharmacy visit, a call-back, an appointment, a home visit or an ambulance. The official advice is to contact the huisartsenpost before going to a hospital emergency department (SEH).
- Does a GP visit use up my eigen risico (deductible)?
- No. GP care, including the huisartsenpost, is exempt from the mandatory eigen risico. But medicines your GP prescribes, blood tests done outside the practice, and care you are referred to (hospital, SEH) do count. In 2026 you pay the first €385 of those yourself. Children under 18 pay no eigen risico.
- When in doubt, should I call 112 or the out-of-hours GP?
- If you think life is at risk, call 112 without hesitating. If it is urgent but not life-threatening, call your GP's urgent line on weekdays in the daytime, or the huisartsenpost in the evening, at night and at weekends. If you are unsure, phone and ask. This article cannot judge symptoms, so let a medical professional decide by phone.
