Frequently Asked Questions

House rules

Appointments: Unless it’s an emergency, there is no obligation to book an appointment. We reserve the right to advise a different course of action, especially if we cannot help you.

Aggression: It’s not tolerated, whether physical or verbal.

Cancellations: Please cancel 24h in advance (weekdays only) by e-mail. Cancelling late is perceived as a no-show since we wouldn’t be able to schedule someone else in your place.

No-shows: Appearing late, not appearing or not answering the doctor’s call can have various understandable reasons. However, we will bill you a no-show fee of €15,00 (10 minutes) or €30,00 (20 minutes). This fee cannot be claimed back with the insurer.

Refunds: We never give refunds unless you cancel your appointment in a timely manner. If you do not cancel 24h in advance, we will deduct the no-show fee from this refund. iHCR is not responsible for any co-pays or deductibles you may have to pay your insurer.

Failure to comply with these rules can result in the denial of access to non-urgent healthcare services in the future.

Can I register?

You can register at our Wijnhaven location if:

– You live in our care area;
– You have a Dutch “Basisverzekering” insurance OR one of the following: InsureToStudy, OOM GHU/NNAM, ONVZ Health.
If you are unsure if you are eligible to register, you can e-mail us your zipcode and insurance company.

Note: AON student insurance and OOM SIN are not accepted.

All of the above are necessary to register at our Wijnhaven practice.

How to register:
Please visit the Wijnhaven website to register.

If you aren’t eligible for registration, you can book appointments at International Health Centre Rotterdam as a casual patient (non-registered patient).

Why can't I register at iHCR instead of Wijnhaven?

iHCR is meant to provide for internationals who cannot find a GP in Rotterdam, usually because they do not qualify for Dutch public health insurance (“Basisverzekering”).
Alternatively, your Dutch GP may not provide certain services such as a yearly check-up.

Hence, iHCR is currently only for casual patient care.

Wijnhaven is where we provide care to registered patients with public health insurance.
It is strongly recommended to register with a GP if possible.

How can I get an appointment?

Please fill out the appointment request form here.

We will triage it and contact you within 1 weekday to discuss the best course of action, and a possible appointment.

If it is a life-threatening emergency, please call our emergency line at the Wijnhaven location (010 – 411 12 07, press 1)

Can I cancel my appointment?

Please cancel your appointment 24 hours in advance, so we have the time to schedule another patient in your place.

You can do this by e-mailing us at info@ihcr.nl on weekdays.

Unexpected crises or unexpected situations can happen, and we do understand this, but we may have to bill you a no-show fee if you do not cancel in a timely manner. Not paying this fee will result in you not being able to book appointments with us in the future.

Can I get a general check-up done?

Yes, we do general check-ups. This is not something that is recommended or standard in The Netherlands, but we provide this service.

Please fill out the casual patient form here.

We will contact you to book a physical 20-minute appointment.

What are the costs and what does it include?

20-minute appointment: €63,71
Minor surgery: €97,90

Payment is due 12 hours before the scheduled appointment.
Available payment methods: iDeal or Creditcard (via bank transfer or payment link).

Any referrals, prescriptions, and point-of-care testing (urine strips, CRP, glucose) are included.

Not included: Medication from the pharmacy, lab tests, or anything else outside of our practice.

Costs for certain tests at the lab:

Costs of medication can be found here at Medicijnkosten.nl. Whether they are covered depends on your health insurance. When in doubt, please inquire with your insurance company directly.

How do I get the costs reimbursed?

If you have a Dutch health insurance “Basisverzekering” contracted by Vecozo, we will take care of the reimbursement for you. You will not have to pay the deductible for any consultations with us.
Exception; your insurance will not cover your appointment if you live in Rotterdam, since you should be registered somewhere.

For the following insurances, you will have to pay in advance and claim it back it yourself:

– European health insurance card;
– Student/expat Insurance (Allianz, Allianz CZ, AON student, Cigna, IPS, Loonzorg, SOS International, Unigarant);
– Other foreign or private health insurances.

You can send our invoice to your private health insurer.
Upon request, we can also provide you with a letter detailing your visit, may you need one for your claim.

How do I submit a claim to EHIC?

We cannot directly claim our fees with EHIC, so you will have to pre-pay for any consultations with us. Only hospitals will take care of this for you. Zilveren Kruis GBR is the national health insurer tasked with arranging reimbursements with EHIC.

Submit your claim online to Zilveren Kruis:
Go to this page and click “submit a claim”, then simply follow the steps. You will need to upload your invoice and EHIC.

Their contact information:
Zilveren Kruis
Groep Buitenlands Recht
Postbus 650
7300 AR APELDOORN

Phone: +31 33 445 68 70
E-mail: gbr@zilverenkruis.nl

Can you recommend me a health insurance?

If you work in the Netherlands, you must get mandatory health insurance “Basisverzekering”.

All mandatory basic packages are the same regardless of the insurance company, and prices vary between €105,- and €140,- per month. If you have specific needs that aren’t covered by the basic package, you can take out a supplementary insurance that suits those needs. Supplementary insurances are different between insurance companies, so we recommend you to take your time comparing them.

On the websites of Zorgwijzer (English) or Independer (Dutch) you can compare different health insurances or call them for personalized advice. Their services are free of charge.

More general information can be found our Health Insurance page.

Students who do not work in The Netherlands, don’t fall under the Health Insurance Act and can’t get the same basic health insurance. They must rely on their EU insurance card or turn to a private insurance company such as Loonzorg, AON and IPS that don’t have contracts with Dutch healthcare providers.
Because of this, students may have a hard time finding a GP to register at. This is why International Health Centre provides casual patient appointments if they need care.

Which pharmacy should I go to?

If you are a casual (walk-in) patient your prescription will be digitally sent to Pharmacy Spanhoff. You will need an ID to pick up your medication.

Alternatively, if you are registered at a different pharmacy, we can send the prescription there if they are in our system (usually all within 4 km).

For registration in a pharmacy in the centre of Rotterdam, you can inquire at:

Apotheek Lagaay – Westblaak
BENU Apotheek Spanhoff
Apotheek Ramleh
BENU Apotheek Erasmus
BENU Apotheek Wester in Rotterdam

How can I file a complaint about a doctor or staff?

We are very sorry to hear you had a negative experience with someone in our team. Please try to solve it first by talking to the doctor concerned.

If you wish to file an official complaint, please refer to the SKGE (Foundation Complaints & Disputes Primary care). Their website is in Dutch unfortunately, so their contact information can be found here.