Insurance under the child benefit scheme

Most people who live or work in the Netherlands are insured under the Dutch child benefit scheme.

However, there are exceptions to this general rule, for example, if you live or work in another country.

Read more about residence and child benefit

Exceptions to the general rules on Dutch social insurance

Read more about the exceptions

If you live in the Netherlands, you will not be insured in the following situations:

  • You work outside the Netherlands in a country of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) or in a treaty country and you do not have a posting certificate
  • You work for an employer or for a client (if you are self-employed) who is based outside the Netherlands in a country that is not an EU/EEA Member State and that does not have a social security agreement with the Netherlands
  • You are a diplomatic or consular representative of another country. Your family members will only be insured if they work in the Netherlands or receive a Dutch social security benefit
  • You are a non-Dutch national who has been posted to work in the Netherlands for the administrative, technical or household staff of a diplomatic or consular representative of another country and you will be working in the Netherlands for less than 10 years
  • You work as a civil servant for an international organisation such as NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) or the EU. It is possible that your family members are insured in the Netherlands but this will depend on the agreement between the Netherlands and the international organisation. If they work in the Netherlands or receive a Dutch social security benefit, they will probably be insured
  • You work for the government of another country or the government of Curaçao, Aruba or Sint Maarten. Your family members will only be insured if they work in the Netherlands or receive a Dutch social security benefit.
  • You work in international transport for a non-Dutch employer, transporting persons or goods mainly outside the Netherlands. Different rules apply within the EU and EEA.
    For more information, go to ‘Working in 2 or more countries’
  • You work in the Netherlands and you have a posting certificate (certificate of coverage) from another country
  • You are staying in the Netherlands temporarily for study purposes and you do not work here

If you live outside the Netherlands, you will still be insured in the Netherlands in the following situations:

  • You are employed and pay tax and social insurance contributions in the Netherlands, and you do not have a posting certificate from another country
  • You are self-employed in the Netherlands and generate profit from a Dutch enterprise which is subject to income tax
  • You work outside the Netherlands temporarily and you have a Dutch posting certificate
  • You are a Dutch civil servant working outside the Netherlands for a Dutch embassy or consulate or another Dutch government institution. Your family members will stay insured as well, unless they start working outside the Netherlands and earn more than the tax-free threshold
  • You work in international transport for a company based in the Netherlands and you transport goods or persons. If you live on board ship and you are insured in the Netherlands, your family members will be insured with you (co-insured) providing they also live on board. If you work most of the time in the country where you live, or if you work for your employer at a company branch located outside the Netherlands, you will not be insured in the Netherlands. Different rules apply within the countries of the European Union (EU).
    For more information, go to ‘Working in 2 or more EU countries’
  • You are staying outside the Netherlands temporarily to study and you do not work in the other country
  • You are receiving care in one of a number of care institutions outside the Netherlands, such as the Dutch sanatorium in Davos

If you are going to work outside the Netherlands temporarily, you will normally stop being insured in the Netherlands. For more information about when you can stay insured in the Netherlands, go to ‘International posting’.

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Version: 1 January 2023