Netherlands
Netherlands DAFT (Dutch-American Friendship Treaty) Self-Employment Residence Permit: health insurance requirements
No insurance mandate for this visa
The Netherlands has no formal digital nomad visa. US citizens have a standout route in the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty (DAFT): register a Dutch business you own at least 25% of, keep at least 4,500 EUR invested in it, and you can get a two-year self-employment residence permit, extendable for five more years. It is open only to Americans and only for self-employment, not salaried work.
The requirements at a glance
| Repatriation required | Not required |
|---|---|
| Minimum policy duration | Full duration of residence (Dutch basisverzekering, separate from the visa) |
| Local-licensed insurer required | No: compliant international IPMI is accepted |
| Accepted proof | No insurance proof is required for the DAFT application itself. Separately, after the permit takes effect, you must register for Dutch basic health insurance (basisverzekering) with a Dutch insurer within four months; a foreign or travel policy does not satisfy this. |
US citizenship; register a business at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce and own at least 25% of it; maintain at least 4,500 EUR of equity in the company throughout the permit; remain genuinely self-employed (no salaried job with a Dutch employer). At renewal the IND expects demonstrated self-employment income, commonly cited at around 1,700 to 1,800 EUR per month; verify current figures with the IND.
The minimum business investment is just 4,500 EUR and the DAFT application itself requires no proof of health insurance, yet Dutch basic health insurance becomes a legal obligation within four months of the permit taking effect.
Our take
The DAFT permit never asks to see an insurance policy, which is exactly why people get caught out. The legal obligation to hold Dutch basic health insurance comes from residency law, not the visa, and it kicks in within four months of the permit taking effect. Treat the monthly premium, around 159 EUR in 2026, as a fixed cost from day one.
A US or international plan will not satisfy the Dutch requirement once you are a registered resident, so do not plan to keep running an American policy in its place. Use travel cover only for the gap between landing and getting your Dutch basisverzekering active, and make sure that Dutch policy is backdated to the day the permit started to avoid a coverage hole.
What happens if you get it wrong
Assuming that because DAFT does not check insurance, you can skip Dutch cover or keep a foreign policy. Missing the four-month deadline triggers fines and backdated premiums, with no retroactive cover for the gap.
Letting your business equity dip below 4,500 EUR. The capital must stay invested for the whole permit, and a shortfall at renewal can sink the extension.
Interactive
Verified pricesWhat would it cost in the Netherlands without insurance?
A fever you assume is flu until the platelet count comes back. Common across the places nomads spend winters.
| The first doctor visit, before anyone worries | $40–$90 |
| Back again, this time to emergency | $450–$580 |
| Four nights on fluids and monitoring | not verified here |
| At least | $490–$670 |
One step in this bill has no verified price for the Netherlands yet, so the real total sits above this one. We would rather leave the line blank than guess at it.
Priced as one lump instead of itemised, a serious admission in the Netherlands runs $5,000 to $35,000.
That is the bill you carry alone. Insurance exists for exactly this.
See what cover costsTypical private-care estimates for illustration, not a quote. Actual bills vary by hospital, city and severity.
FAQ
No. The Netherlands has no formal digital nomad visa. DAFT is a self-employment residence permit for US citizens running their own Dutch-registered business.
No, the application does not ask for proof of insurance. The obligation to hold Dutch basic health insurance arises separately once you are a resident and must be met within four months of the permit taking effect.
No. Once you hold the permit and register locally, you are legally required to take out a Dutch basic policy; a foreign or travel plan does not count.
At least 4,500 EUR invested in your Dutch business, and it must stay invested for the duration of the permit, including the five-year extension.
No. DAFT is reserved for US citizens. Others rely on the 90-day Schengen tourist allowance or other Dutch residence routes.
How to apply
- Processing time
- The IND legal maximum is 90 days; under the DAFT fast-track, first applications are commonly decided in about 4 to 6 weeks (some report 8 to 12 weeks).
- Government fee
- EUR 423 IND fee (main applicant); EUR 254 for a spouse, EUR 85 per child.
- Where to apply
- To the IND from inside the Netherlands. US nationals are MVV-exempt and do not apply at a consulate first.
- 1
Register a Dutch business with the Chamber of Commerce (KvK), either a sole proprietorship (eenmanszaak) or a BV.
- 2
Open a Dutch business bank account and deposit at least EUR 4,500 as business capital that must remain in the account for the life of the permit; have an accountant issue an opening-balance statement proving it.
- 3
Enter the Netherlands (US citizens are MVV-exempt, so no entry visa is needed) and register with your municipality to obtain a citizen service number (BSN).
- 4
Submit the DAFT self-employment residence-permit application to the IND and pay the fee of EUR 423 (main applicant; EUR 254 spouse, EUR 85 per child).
- 5
Attend the IND appointment for biometrics; you receive a residence endorsement sticker that lets you live and work while the decision is pending.
- 6
Await the decision and collect your residence card. The first permit is issued for two years and is renewable as long as the EUR 4,500 stays invested.
Fees and processing times move, sometimes without announcement, and a consulate can add a document the published checklist does not mention. Treat the above as the shape of the process rather than a guarantee, and check the current requirement with the mission handling your application before you book anything.
What policy actually satisfies this visa
This route does not make insurance a condition of the application, so nobody will ask you for a certificate. That is worth separating from the question of whether you should carry cover, because the immigration rule and the hospital bill are decided by different people.
The countries that impose no insurance rule are not, as a group, the countries where being uninsured is cheap. Several of them expect payment before treatment and fly serious cases abroad. The absence of a rule is not the absence of a risk, and the calculator above puts a figure on the difference.
The other ways into Netherlands
A nomad visa is not the only door, and for a lot of people it is not the right one. If you do not clear the income bar, or you only want a few months, these are the routes the country actually runs.
Schengen Short-Stay Visa (Type C)
Up to 90 days within any 180-day periodTourists, visitors to family/friends, and short business trips from non-EU countries whose nationals need a Schengen visa (visa-exempt nationals such as US, UK, Canada, Japan, Australia can enter without it).
Valid passport, proof of accommodation and sufficient funds, return/onward travel and purpose of trip; biometrics at a Dutch consulate or visa centre.
Insurance: Required - travel medical insurance with minimum EUR 30,000 coverage including hospitalisation, emergency care and repatriation, valid across the Schengen area for the whole stay, is mandatory; the visa is refused without it.
Highly Skilled Migrant Permit (Kennismigrant)
Up to 5 years (tied to employment contract), renewable; leads toward permanent residenceQualified professionals from outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland with a job offer from an employer that is a recognised IND sponsor.
Employment by a recognised IND sponsor meeting the gross monthly salary threshold: EUR 5,942 if 30+, EUR 4,357 if under 30, or the reduced EUR 3,122 rate for recent graduates (figures valid Jan-Jun 2026; excl. holiday allowance).
Insurance: Required - once living/working in the Netherlands and registered (BRP), residents must take out Dutch basic health insurance (basisverzekering), generally within 4 months of arrival.
EU Blue Card
Tied to employment contract, renewable; counts toward long-term EU residenceHighly qualified non-EU workers (typically with a relevant higher-education degree) employed in the Netherlands; an alternative to the national highly skilled migrant route.
Qualifying job and gross monthly salary of EUR 5,942 (standard) or EUR 4,754 (reduced criterion for recent graduates), plus a recognised higher-education qualification (figures valid Jan-Jun 2026; excl. holiday allowance).
Insurance: Required - Dutch basic health insurance (basisverzekering) once living/working in the Netherlands, generally within 4 months of registration.
Self-Employed / Freelance Permit (incl. DAFT for US, treaty route for Japan)
DAFT permit issued for 2 years, renewable; standard self-employed permit also renewable; permanent residence possible after 5 yearsNon-EU entrepreneurs and freelancers, including remote workers (the Netherlands has no dedicated digital-nomad visa); US nationals use the easier Dutch-American Friendship Treaty (DAFT) and Japanese nationals a comparable treaty route, while others face a points-based 'essential Dutch interest' test.
Run a genuine business; the standard route requires meeting a points/Dutch-interest test, while DAFT requires a minimum business investment of approx EUR 4,500 kept in the company account at all times and registration with the Chamber of Commerce (KvK).
Insurance: Required - self-employed residents must hold Dutch basic health insurance (basisverzekering) once registered/living in the Netherlands, generally within 4 months.
Start-up Permit
1 year, after which holders can transition to the self-employed person permitNon-EU founders building an innovative business in partnership with a recognised Dutch facilitator (mentor).
Innovative business plan, a recognised facilitator listed with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), and proof of sufficient means of support; assessed by the IND together with RVO.
Insurance: Required - Dutch basic health insurance (basisverzekering) once living in the Netherlands; sufficient means of support must also be shown.
Rules are written for non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals; EU/EEA/Swiss citizens enjoy free movement and do not need a visa or residence permit to live or work in the Netherlands. The Netherlands has no dedicated digital-nomad or remote-work visa; remote workers typically use the self-employed/DAFT route.
The visa tells you the minimum. It does not tell you what to actually carry. Those are different questions, and the paperwork minimum is nearly always the smaller of the two answers.
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