How do I apply for sickness benefit outside the Netherlands?
If you live outside the Netherlands and have developed a long-term illness, you might want to apply for sickness benefit. Exactly how you should do this depends on which country you have to apply for benefit from.
If you don’t know whether you are entitled to sickness benefit from the Netherlands or another country, first check where you must apply for sickness benefit.
Applying for sickness benefit
If you have to apply for sickness benefit from UWV, you can do so by reporting that you are ill on the second day of your illness. UWV’s online tool can help you determine if you need to report that you are ill to UWV or to your employer.
Reporting that you are ill to UWV
From outside the Netherlands there are 2 ways to report that you are ill to UWV:
- Using the Mijn UWV portal (in Dutch). For this you need a DigiD or an EU-approved login key.
- By calling UWV. For this you need your citizen service number (BSN).
Report that you are ill in good time. If you are too late in reporting, you might receive less sickness benefit. In the Mijn UWV portal you can see the status of your report.
Answering a set of questions about your situation
Once you have reported that you are ill, you will need to answer a set of online questions (in Dutch). You will be notified about this in the Mijn UWV portal and by post. The questions are about your situation. To answer the questions you’ll need your DigiD.
After you apply
If you have reported that you are ill and have answered the online set of questions, within 4 weeks you will receive a letter in the Mijn UWV portal and by post. It will inform you whether you will receive sickness benefit and, if so, how much.
- Find out what happens after you report that you are ill (information in Dutch)
- Find out about your rights and responsibilities regarding sickness benefit (information in Dutch)
If you work in an EU/EEA country, Switzerland or a country with which the Netherlands has reciprocal agreements, ask UWV for an A1 certificate (certificate of coverage). Use this form to show that you are insured in the Netherlands. Find out more about how to apply for an A1 certificate on the Social Insurance Bank (SVB) website.
If you work in an EU/EEA country or Switzerland and you have to apply for sickness benefit from the benefits organisation in that country, find out from that organisation how to do so. You can find the relevant benefits organisation on Europa.eu.
Calculating how long you’ve been insured
Sometimes you receive sickness benefit in the country where you work only after you’ve been insured there for a certain amount of time. Check with the benefits organisation in the country where you work to find out how long you must be insured.
If you have not been insured in the country where you work long enough but have previously worked in the Netherlands, another EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you can count the time you were insured in those countries too. You can ask the benefits organisation of your country of employment to request this information in the countries where you have previously worked. You can find the benefits organisation on Europa.eu.
If you work in a country with which the Netherlands has reciprocal agreements, find out from the benefits organisation in that country how to apply for sickness benefit.
Calculating how long you’ve been insured
Sometimes you receive sickness benefit in the country where you work only after you’ve been insured there for a certain amount of time. Check with the benefits organisation in the country where you work to find out how long you must be insured.
If you have not been insured in the country where you work long enough but you have previously worked in the Netherlands, another EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you can count the time you were insured in those countries too. You can ask the benefits organisation of your country of employment to request this information in the countries where you have previously worked. You can find the benefits organisation on Europa.eu.
If you work in a country other than an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, or a country with which the Netherlands has reciprocal agreements, find out from the benefits organisation in that country how to apply for sickness benefit.