The further you travel and the longer your trip, the earlier you usually plan that trip in advance. Perhaps you are already making your travel plans for 2026. In that case, now is the ideal time to think about your health insurance. Does it fit well with your travel plans or would you be better off switching to another health insurance before the turn of the year? This blog will tell you what things to consider.

When are you allowed to change your health insurance?

Switching your health insurance policy or to another health insurance company cannot be done at any moment. Every year, there is a period of about 10 weeks in which this is allowed, beyond that it is not possible, with a few specific exceptions.

This year, health insurance companies are obliged to announce by 12 November 2024 how high their healthcare premiums will be in the coming year. From then on, you have seven weeks to decide whether you want to stay with your current health insurer. If you choose to switch, you must cancel your current insurance by 31 December at the latest. You then have until 31 January 2026 to take out a new health insurance policy, which will then apply retroactively from 1 January.

When is it a good idea to switch health insurance?

There are several reasons why you might want to switch health insurance. Maybe you have had bad experiences with your current insurance company, maybe another insurance company now offers a more favourable premium or maybe you expect to need more healthcare that is better covered by another insurance company. Therefore, during the period when you may switch, take a moment to think about the year to come. 

Does your current insurance cover the healthcare costs and risks that may arise from your (travel) plans for the coming year?

During the switching period, not only can you choose to switch to another health insurer, you can also choose to take out or discontinue supplementary insurances. In the Netherlands basic health insurance is compulsory for everyone, but things like physiotherapy, new glasses or lenses, contraception and travel vaccines are often not covered. Therefore, also go over your plans for the coming year. Are you going to take up a new sport or train more intensively for a sport you already play? In doing so, you run an increased risk of injury, for which you may need physiotherapy. It may be wise to include this preventively in your supplementary insurance. The opposite also applies: have you had supplementary insurance for some time but never had to use the extra care covered by it? Then you may want to consider going back to just the basic insurance.

Your travel plans can also be decisive in choosing supplementary insurance. Are you planning a long trip, or will you be going to a country where you face health risks? If so, travel vaccines are often recommended, for example against hepatitis B, dengue fever or tick-borne encephalitis. There are also diseases against which there are no vaccines, but for which medication is sometimes recommended, such as malaria pills when travelling to areas where malaria is prevalent. In principle, travel vaccines and travel medication are not covered by basic health insurance. To avoid having to pay for these costs yourself, you can get supplementary insurance that does cover them.

Check which healthcare providers you can visit with your health insurance policy

Some basic health insurance policies require that for non-emergency care, you only go to hospitals and other healthcare providers they have a contract with. Check every year whether your insurer has a contract with healthcare providers in your area. If it turns out that there are no contracts with the hospital in your area and you have to travel more than an hour to the nearest hospital that your health insurer does have a contract with, you might want to look for another health insurance. Sometimes, you can also opt for a higher premium with your current insurer in exchange for free choice of care. But it can also be a reason to switch to another health insurance company altogether.

Even if you have supplementary health insurance that covers travel vaccines and/or travel medication, you cannot always get them at every travel vaccination agency. Therefore, check whether your current insurance or the new insurance you are considering has a contract with your preferred travel vaccination agency. Vaccinatiecentrum.nl has a contract with Interpolis, FBTO, Zilveren Kruis and De christelijke zorgverzekering. These also include ZieZo, Gemeenten Optimaal, Gemeente Amsterdam and AON Vitaal. If you are insured with one of these parties, the costs of a consultation, vaccinations and preventive medicines will be reimbursed 100%. We also send the bill directly to your health insurer, so you do not have to pay and submit the bill yourself.

Are you going to study abroad? If so, AON Vitaal is the recommended health insurance.

Do you want to switch? Then make sure to do so on time!

Make sure you think about whether your current health insurance still suits you well before 31 December. After that, you will not be allowed to cancel your insurance until the end of 2026. You must have taken out your new health insurance no later than 31 January. Do you want your consultation at vaccinatiecentrum.nl and your travel vaccines and/or travel medication to be reimbursed? If so, check carefully whether your current or new insurance company has a contract with us.

_{Published at 6 november 2023 and updated on 3 december 2025.}

Every autumn it happens again: the start of flu season. Because there are different types of flu viruses and these viruses are constantly adapting, you can become ill over and over again. Unfortunately, getting the flu once does not provide lifelong immunity. However, there are other ways to protect yourself against the flu, including the flu vaccination that is developed every year against the viruses that are most prevalent at that time. You can get this flu vaccination at several places including your GP (general practitioner) and vaccinatiecentrum.nl.

Why vaccinate against the flu?

First of all, the flu is not the same as a cold. The flu is a lot more serious. The symptoms can last for 1-3 weeks and for people in specific risk groups, it can have serious consequences; every year, some 4,700 people die from the flu. This is why a yearly study is carried out on which flu viruses are expected to circulate. Based on this study, a vaccine is formulated. With this vaccine, you have a smaller chance of catching the flu and, should you still get the flu, you will get less sick.

Who is the flu vaccination for?

A large group of people already receive an invitation for the flu vaccine from their doctor every year. This includes all people aged 60 and over, as well as women who are more than 22 weeks pregnant, people with a BMI over 40 and people who are at increased risk of a severe course of flu due to lung disease, diabetes or another condition. When you receive an invitation for the flu vaccine from your doctor, there is no cost involved.

However, you can also get the flu vaccine if you are not in a high-risk group. Healthcare workers, for example, can get the flu vaccine so that they are less likely to infect patients with the flu. Often, healthcare employers reimburse the flu vaccine for their staff. If this is not the case or if, as a healthcare employee, you go for the flu vaccination on your own initiative, it is at your own expense.

If you do not work in healthcare or do not fall in one of the risk groups, you can also arrange the flu vaccination yourself. You can do this at your own expense at vaccinatiecentrum.nl. Some supplementary health insurance policies offer reimbursement for the flu vaccination, the basic insurance does not.

Benefits of the flu vaccination

Those who fall into the risk groups are invited for the flu vaccination to better protect themselves. Even if you fall outside the risk groups, the flu vaccination can have many benefits. After all, you not only protect yourself with it, but also others. When you reduce the chance of getting the flu yourself, the chance of infecting someone else is also reduced. Earlier, healthcare workers were named as a special group that could get the vaccine for that reason. However, this applies to anyone who comes into frequent contact with potentially vulnerable people. For example, are you a caregiver? Then you might consider getting the flu vaccination to protect your loved ones.

Even when you are at low risk of complications, getting the flu is unpleasant. You will be out of the running for at least a week, but it can also last three weeks. To avoid illness, it may be worth considering getting vaccinated against the flu.

Where and when do you get the flu vaccination?

The flu season traditionally starts in December. Since it takes two weeks for the vaccine to take full effect, you can get the flu vaccine starting in October. This will protect you for one flu season. If you want long-term protection, you will have to get the flu vaccination every year.

If you fall into one of the groups that are offered a free flu vaccination you will be invited for this by your GP or institution doctor. Do you choose to get vaccinated on your own initiative? Then you can get the flu vaccination at your own expense at vaccinatiecentrum.nl. We offer a quadrivalent vaccine, which offers protection against the four flu viruses that are expected to be the most pathogenic at that moment.

Would you like to know more about the flu vaccination or schedule an appointment right away? Then feel free to contact us.

First published on 24-08-2023. Update on 17-11-2025.

Summer is almost here and I can tell from everyone around me! Many people are really looking forward to a holiday. And to be honest, I am too. Strolling through an unknown city and visiting local markets. Baking on the beach, while all kinds of vendors try to sell me fake Louis Vuitton stuff. Or how about exploring the beautiful nature with hiking and cycling tours through Eastern Europe? I am really looking forward to that.
Or back to basics in a tent on a campsite in the middle of nature in the Czech Republic or Hungary to relax for a while.

You don’t have to travel far to immerse yourself in a beautiful new environment. There is more than enough to do and see in Europe. An added advantage? You can easily visit many European destinations with your own car. Ideal if you don’t feel like waiting in long queues at the airports, you want to take your own bike or you don’t want to worry about whether your luggage stays within the weight limits.

This blog was published on May 3, 2021, written by one of our travel nurses and updated on June 19, 2025.

Health risks in Europe

But what about the health risks when you go on holiday in Europe? You would think that a holiday in Europe would not be much different from our own little country. But that is not true. It is precisely the holidaymakers who want to explore European nature this summer who have some risks.
There is that one annoying creature that can carry a number of viruses: the tick. Ticks can transmit these viruses to people. The most well-known disease that you can get from ticks is Lyme disease. But there are also other diseases that can develop after a tick bite. One that not many people are familiar with is the FSME/TBE virus. If you contract this virus, it can have serious consequences. It can cause brain (meningeal) inflammation. And then you are figuratively, but perhaps also literally, far from home. Fortunately, this virus is almost non-existent in the Netherlands, but there are many countries in Europe where this risk is greater.

When are you at risk of FSME/TBE?

There is a good chance that you will go out during your holiday to explore your travel destination. When walking through nature reserves, but also during bike rides or other activities, there is a very high chance of being bitten by a tick. Especially when you are wearing short clothing. You do not realize when it happens and when you find out that there is a tick, it has already bitten itself.
In addition to lovers of activities in nature, there are other people who are at increased risk of a tick bite, for example bird watchers and campers. They spend a lot of time in nature and therefore have an increased risk of being bitten by a tick.
In addition, ticks can also be found in gardens and parks. So having a nice picnic in the city is not without risk. If you are going to undertake these types of activities in the risk area of ​​FSME/TBE, there is a chance that you will become infected with the virus.

How to prevent infection with the FSME/TBE virus

Fortunately, there are preventive measures against the FSME/TBE virus. There is a vaccine against it. For more information about this vaccine and the virus, take a look at our information page about FSME/TBE. With a series of three vaccinations, you are protected for three years.
If you then take a booster vaccination that ensures that your immune system starts producing antibodies again, you are protected for five years.
This vaccination does not protect against other viruses that ticks can transmit. You must therefore still take extra measures to prevent a tick bite. It is wise to wear covering clothing when you are in nature to ensure that ticks cannot bite. Applying DEET, an insect repellent, also helps to prevent tick bites.
These measures do not provide 100% protection against tick bites. It is therefore important to check yourself for tick bites every day if you have been at risk of a tick bite.

More information about health risks during your summer holiday in Europe?

Do you want to know whether your holiday destination entails risks? Then it is wise to check the sites www.lcr.nl and https://www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl/reizen/reisadviezen. There, advice is given per country about which vaccinations you need and what risks there are.

If you have any more questions about vaccinations or health risks while travelling, please feel free to contact us. We are happy to help you! Because being well prepared for your trip is half the battle!