Taking out or switching dental insurance for 2027: dates and steps
In the Netherlands you can switch health and dental insurance once a year, per 1 January. Insurers publish their 2027 premiums by 12 November 2026. From then until 31 December you can take out new insurance, and your new insurer cancels your old policy for you. If you cancelled your basic insurance yourself before 1 January, you have until 31 January to take out a new one. Dental insurance is supplementary insurance, so different rules apply to acceptance and waiting periods.
Compare dental insurance in the Netherlands
Switching only takes a few minutes. Compare the 2026 premiums and reimbursements before you cancel your current policy.
Key dates for 2027
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 15 September 2026 | Budget Day (Prinsjesdag): the government presents its plans for 2027, such as the deductible and the healthcare allowance |
| By 12 November 2026 | Insurers publish premiums and conditions of basic insurance for 2027; from then on you can switch |
| By 19 November 2026 | Latest date for premiums of supplementary insurance, according to Zilveren Kruis |
| 31 December 2026 | Last day to cancel, or to apply with a new insurer that cancels your old policy (switching service) |
| 31 January 2027 | Last day to take out new basic insurance per 1 January, if you cancelled your old policy yourself. Zilveren Kruis, VGZ, a.s.r., FBTO and Salland also let you take out or change supplementary insurance until this date |
Switching dental insurance step by step
- Wait for the 2027 premiums. Compare the total premium of basic plus dental insurance, because almost every insurer only sells dental cover together with its own basic insurance. We update our comparison as soon as the premiums are known.
- Check acceptance first. Insurers must accept everyone for basic insurance, but may refuse you for supplementary insurance or ask medical questions for extensive modules. The Consumentenbond advises not to cancel your current supplementary insurance until you know the new insurer accepts you.
- Apply before 31 December. If you take out both basic and supplementary insurance with the new insurer, it cancels both old policies for you. If you only take out basic insurance there, you have to cancel your old supplementary insurance yourself.
- Staying with your insurer? You can change or cancel only the dental module. Do this before 31 December; at some insurers until 31 January.
- Changed your mind? For insurance taken out online you usually have a 14-day cooling-off period.
Waiting periods and medical questions when you switch
Waiting periods mainly apply to braces and, at some insurers, to crowns, bridges and implants in the most extensive modules. If you already had comparable cover, several insurers waive the waiting period or medical questions:
- VGZ: no waiting period if you had equivalent or higher supplementary insurance for at least 12 months immediately before.
- Univé: no waiting period with the same kind of dental insurance with equal or higher reimbursement at your current insurer.
- Menzis: a “gelijk over” arrangement if you had comparable cover for at least a year, but children registered for the first time always get a 1-year waiting period.
- Zilveren Kruis: for Tand 3 and 4 sterren the medical questions do not apply if you had comparable cover elsewhere.
- Nationale-Nederlanden: for TandenGaaf €1000 and €1500 you need a dentist’s statement or proof of comparable cover.
What about a treatment that is still ongoing?
There is no scheme to take an ongoing dental treatment with you to a new insurer. The treatment date on the invoice counts: dental costs from 1 January fall under your new policy. This also applies to braces, so check the waiting period for orthodontics at your new insurer. Expecting a big treatment such as a crown? Extensive modules often ask about planned treatments, and an insurer may refuse you.
New to the Netherlands or turning 18
- Newcomers. If you come to live or work in the Netherlands, take out Dutch basic health insurance as soon as possible and no later than 4 months after arriving. If you wait longer, you are not insured retroactively and you may be fined. You can usually choose a dental module in the same application. See dental insurance in the Netherlands.
- Turning 18. From the month after your 18th birthday you pay premium and the deductible applies, and dental care is no longer covered by basic insurance. At insurers such as Menzis, a.s.r. and CZ, turning 18 is a moment when you can take out dental insurance during the year.
Deductible 2027
The compulsory deductible (eigen risico) is €385 in 2026. The government has proposed raising it to €455 in 2027, but parliament had not yet decided when we last checked. The deductible does not apply to dental insurance or to dental care for children, so it does not change what your dental module pays out.
Frequently asked questions
When can I switch dental insurance in the Netherlands?
Per 1 January. You can switch from the moment insurers publish their premiums (by 12 November) until 31 December. Some insurers, such as Zilveren Kruis, VGZ, a.s.r., FBTO and Salland, let you take out or change supplementary insurance until 31 January.
Does my new insurer cancel my old dental insurance?
Yes, if you take out both basic and supplementary insurance with the new insurer before 31 December. If you only switch your basic insurance, you have to cancel your old supplementary insurance yourself.
Can I keep my dental insurance and switch basic insurance?
Legally you may combine insurers, but almost all insurers only offer dental insurance together with their own basic insurance. In practice you therefore switch basic and dental insurance together.
Can I take out dental insurance during the year?
Usually not. You take out or change dental insurance per 1 January. Exceptions are, for example, when you come to live in the Netherlands or turn 18.
Can an insurer refuse me for dental insurance?
Yes. Insurers must accept everyone for basic insurance, but not for supplementary insurance. Extensive modules often ask medical questions or a dentist’s statement.
Sources
- Government.nl: Changing your health insurance
- Government.nl: When do I need to take out health insurance if I come to live in the Netherlands?
- Consumentenbond: switching health insurance (Dutch)
- Consumentenbond: medical acceptance for supplementary insurance (Dutch)
- ONVZ: switching (Dutch)
- VGZ: waiting period (Dutch)
- Zilveren Kruis: changes for the new year (Dutch)
- House of Representatives: bill 36943 on the deductible (Dutch)
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