Registering with a General Practitioner (Huisarts)

Check out our informative video on healthcare: Healthcare in the Netherlands - YouTube

Within the Dutch healthcare system, almost all non-emergency care begins with your local family doctor (‘huisarts’). This means that it is very important to sign up with a local General Practitioner (GP) once you move to the Netherlands.

Be aware that some GP surgeries will require you to already have your health insurance number/details before you sign up. 

You may also be asked to attend an intake appointment to discuss any ongoing health problems or care once.

Please note that the Dutch GP may have a slightly less warm manner than you are used to. It is quite normal for a GP to recommend taking a low strength painkiller, and report back if symptoms persist. GP’s are also generally unlikely to prescribe antibiotics to help prevent the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. 

Registering with a GP 

You have a limited choice of GP surgeries: whilst you may approach any to sign up as a patient, most surgeries will require that you live within a few kilometres. Some GP surgeries specialise in international patients and so will have a bigger catchment area. You can sign up with a GP surgery by calling, emailing, or (in many cases) filling in a web form.  

In The Hague, lots of new internationals sign up for the International Health Centre The Hague. The Centre has lots of services (GP, dental, physio, etc) all under one roof. 

Other options include: 

• The Patients Federation Netherlands offers a rated database of GPs, searchable by postal code (in Dutch). 
• Independer, an independent health care rating site, also offers a national database of GPs (in Dutch). 
• Search for huisarts near me in Google Maps

You may also find the information on the website of H4i (Healthcare 4 internationals) useful. 

Why not check out our information on the Dutch healthcare system, mental health, or healthcare for children.