Once your health insurance is sorted, there's a small set of Dutch insurances worth knowing about. Most are optional, cheap, and quietly sensible. One in particular, liability, is the policy nearly every newcomer forgets and later wishes they'd had.
Start with liability (AVP)
Aansprakelijkheidsverzekering (AVP) covers damage you, your family or your pet accidentally cause to other people or their property. It costs only about €3 to €8 a month, but a single accident (your kid breaks a neighbour's window, your dog trips a cyclist) can run into thousands. Get it on day one. It's the best value insurance in the country.
The rest, at a glance
| Insurance | Covers | Rough 2026 cost | Worth it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liability (AVP) | Accidental damage you cause to others | €3–8/mo | Yes, get it |
| Home contents (inboedel) | Your belongings: fire, theft, water | €4–21/mo | Recommended for renters |
| Legal aid (rechtsbijstand) | Legal help: work, housing, consumer disputes | €100–240/yr | Strongly worth it |
| Car, WA (third-party) | Damage you cause with a vehicle | €30–60+/mo | Legally required if you own a car |
| Travel (reis) | Trips: medical abroad, luggage, cancellation | ~€40–100/yr | Optional |
| Pet (dieren) | Vet bills and surgery | Dog €15–40, cat €10–25/mo | Optional |
| Term life (ORV) | Lump sum if you die during the term | €5–35/mo | Often required with a mortgage |
Car insurance is not optional
If you own a registered vehicle, at least basic third-party (WA) insurance is legally mandatory. WA+ and Allrisk add cover for your own car on top.
Legal protection: worth far more than it costs
The one on that list we most want newcomers to take seriously is legal protection (*rechtsbijstandverzekering*). The Netherlands has genuinely strong laws protecting workers, tenants and consumers, but rights only help if you can enforce them, and doing that alone, in Dutch, against an employer or a landlord, is hard. This policy gives you a legal team that does it for you.
Cover is usually modular, so you pick what fits. Common modules include:
- Work: dismissal, contract disputes, unpaid wages, or a settlement agreement pushed across the table.
- Housing: trouble with a landlord, a withheld deposit, or a purchase gone wrong.
- Consumer: a faulty car, a builder who vanishes, a big purchase dispute.
- Neighbours and personal injury: boundary rows, or claiming after an accident that was not your fault.
Expect roughly €15 to €25 a month depending on the modules. Set against hiring a lawyer yourself, often €200 or more an hour, it pays for itself the first time you use it. Common providers include DAS, ARAG, SRK and the big insurers; compare on Independer or Consumentenbond.
Two catches to know before you buy
First, there is usually a waiting period (*wachttijd*), often around three months, so you cannot buy it the week a conflict starts. Second, a problem that already exists or is clearly coming is not covered. The whole point is to have it before you need it.
If a policy is not for you, you are not without options:
- Join a union. For work matters specifically, a *vakbond* membership includes legal help and is often cheaper (see unions & works councils).
- Het Juridisch Loket gives free basic legal advice to everyone, a good first stop for any issue.
- On a low income you may qualify for subsidised legal aid (*gesubsidieerde rechtsbijstand*, a *toevoeging*), where the government covers most of the lawyer's cost.
Prices vary a lot by age, home and coverage. Compare on Independer or Consumentenbond before buying, and don't over-insure, you rarely need every policy.
Questions & answers
- Which of these should a single newcomer actually get on day one?
- Just liability (AVP), no question, it's a few euros a month and the one everyone forgets. Add home contents (inboedel) if you're renting with your own belongings. Everything else (legal aid, travel, and so on) can wait until you're settled and actually need it. Don't let anyone upsell you a big bundle in week one.