How to arrange pregnancy care and kraamzorg in NL

In the Netherlands, routine pregnancy care usually starts with a verloskundige, or midwife. You can contact a midwife directly after you know you are pregnant. The midwife follows the pregnancy, discusses screening and birth planning, and refers to hospital or gynaecology care when there is a medical reason. Kraamzorg is a separate part of maternity care that supports you around and after the birth. This guide covers the practical route, not diagnosis or personal medical advice.

Have your health-insurance details if you have them, your postcode, and contact details for your GP or current specialist if relevant. If you are not sure whether Dutch basic health insurance applies to you, use the health-insurance guide first. If you are already under hospital or gynaecology care for this pregnancy, follow that care team's instructions rather than restarting the route here.

The practical steps are similar, but insurance status and medical indication can change who provides care and what you pay.

• You have Dutch basic health insurance

  Midwifery care and kraamzorg are in the basic package. Check your policy for contracted providers and any statutory co-payment that can apply to kraamzorg or a hospital or birth-centre birth without a medical indication.

• You are not on Dutch basic health insurance

  Do not assume the Dutch basic-package rules apply to your policy. Confirm pregnancy, birth and kraamzorg coverage directly with your foreign or international insurer, and use the health-insurance guide to check whether Dutch insurance should apply to you.

• You already have a medical indication or specialist maternity team

  Hospital or gynaecology care may lead all or part of the pregnancy. Keep following that team's route. If specialist care is no longer medically necessary, care can move back to a midwife.

1. 1

   Contact a midwife after you know you are pregnant

   Routine pregnancy care usually starts with a verloskundige. You can choose a midwifery practice and contact it directly after you know you are pregnant.

   Do this: Find a midwifery practice that serves your area and contact it to register the pregnancy and arrange the first appointment.

   Documents needed

   • Your health-insurance details, if available

   Processing time

   Do this when you know you are pregnant rather than waiting for a GP appointment.

   Common mistake: This guide does not replace urgent or personal medical advice. If you already have a maternity-care team, or you have been told to contact a hospital directly, follow that route.

   Official source

   Rijksoverheid · Choosing and contacting a midwife during pregnancy
2. 2

   Confirm which insurance route applies

   Dutch basic health insurance covers maternity care when the Dutch insurance system applies to you. Newcomers can have a different route while insurance or residence status is still being resolved.

   Do this: Check your current insurance status. If you have Dutch basic insurance, keep the policy details ready. If you use foreign or international cover, ask that insurer exactly how pregnancy, birth and post-birth maternity care are covered.

   Documents needed

   • Your current health-insurance policy or policy number

   Processing time

   Check this before choosing providers where possible, because contracted-provider rules can affect reimbursement.

   Common mistake: Pregnancy does not by itself determine whether you can or must take Dutch basic insurance. Use the separate health-insurance guide for that eligibility question.

   Official source

   Government.nl · Dutch health-insurance obligation for people who come to live or work in the Netherlands
3. 3

   Choose a practice and check provider conditions

   The basic package defines covered midwifery care, but insurers can set conditions around contracted providers and where care is delivered.

   Do this: Check your insurer's provider information for the midwifery practice and, later, the kraamzorg provider you want to use. Ask the provider or insurer if the contract status is unclear.

   Documents needed

   • Your insurance policy details

   Processing time

   Check before you commit to a provider if reimbursement depends on the policy network.

   Common mistake: Do not treat a provider directory or review score as an insurance guarantee. Coverage depends on the current policy and provider contract.

   Official source

   Zorginstituut Nederland · Midwifery coverage and insurer conditions around providers and place of care
4. 4

   Use the first appointments to set the care plan

   The midwife follows the pregnancy, checks risk, discusses prenatal screening and birth planning, and coordinates with other care when needed.

   Do this: Bring your questions, current medicine information and relevant medical history to the appointment. Ask who to call between appointments and how your practice handles referrals or hospital transfer if the care route changes.

   Documents needed

   • A current medicine list if you use medication
   • Relevant contact details for your GP or specialist

   Processing time

   Use the first appointments to understand your care route and contact instructions rather than trying to plan every clinical decision yourself.

   Common mistake: Do not use this guide to self-select tests or diagnose symptoms. Screening and clinical decisions belong in the conversation with your maternity-care professional.

   Official source

   Zorginstituut Nederland · What midwifery care includes and how risk, screening and referrals are handled
5. 5

   Arrange kraamzorg early

   Kraamzorg supports the midwife around the birth and supports and monitors you and the baby afterwards. You apply with a kraamzorg organisation rather than waiting for it to be assigned automatically.

   Do this: Choose a kraamzorg provider, apply early, and confirm the provider and policy conditions with your insurer. Ask your midwife or insurer where to look if you do not know which providers serve your area.

   Documents needed

   • Your insurance details
   • Your estimated due date when requested by the provider

   Processing time

   Arrange kraamzorg early in pregnancy. Avoid relying on one fixed national booking week because provider availability can change.

   Common mistake: A statutory co-payment can apply to kraamzorg. Check the current official rule and your policy instead of using an old hourly amount.

   Official source

   Rijksoverheid · Applying for kraamzorg with a kraamzorg organisation and arranging it early
6. 6

   Know when specialist or hospital care takes over

   A midwife can refer you to a gynaecologist or hospital team when there is a medical indication or further investigation or treatment is needed. Specialist care can lead all or part of the pregnancy.

   Do this: If you are referred, ask which team is now your main contact, where you should call with pregnancy-related concerns and whether routine midwife appointments continue.

   Documents needed

   • Referral or hospital appointment information, if you receive it

   Processing time

   The care lead can change during pregnancy. Follow the current maternity-care team's instructions after each transfer.

   Common mistake: A hospital or birth-centre birth without a medical indication can have a statutory co-payment, while a medically indicated hospital birth does not have that statutory co-payment. Do not hard-code an old euro amount.

   Official source

   Zorginstituut Nederland · Referral to gynaecology and the medical-indication boundary for hospital birth
7. 7

   Prepare the handoff after birth

   After the birth, pregnancy care turns into several separate practical tasks: birth registration, health insurance for the baby and, where relevant, child benefits and childcare.

   Do this: Open the birth-registration guide before the due date so you know who will register the birth and where. After birth, follow the separate insurance and family-benefit guides instead of trying to complete everything through one service.

   Documents needed

   • Birth details and parental documents required by the municipality after the child is born

   Processing time

   Prepare the route before the due date, then complete each post-birth task within its own official deadline.

   Common mistake: Do not assume the hospital, midwife or kraamzorg provider completes municipality registration, insurance and benefits for you. These are separate administrative routes.

   Official source

   Rijksoverheid · Government checklist for registration, insurance and practical tasks after a child is born

• Your health-insurance policy details, if you have them
• Contact details for your GP and any current specialist, if relevant
• A current medicine list if you use medication

• When Dutch basic health insurance applies, midwifery care and kraamzorg are covered services and do not use the compulsory deductible. A statutory co-payment can apply to kraamzorg and to some hospital or birth-centre births without a medical indication. Check the current rules and your policy rather than relying on a fixed euro amount.

Contact a midwife when you know you are pregnant and arrange kraamzorg early in the pregnancy. Do not wait for a fixed week or a quoted national waiting time: provider availability is local and can change.

Requirements depend on your situation. Check the latest requirements with the relevant authority.

• Waiting for a GP referral before contacting a midwife. You can contact a verloskundige directly for routine pregnancy care.
• Assuming every midwife or kraamzorg provider is covered in the same way under your policy. Check contracted-provider conditions with your insurer.
• Leaving kraamzorg until late pregnancy. Arrange it early so you have time to confirm a provider and your insurance conditions.
• Assuming you will always stay with a midwife or always need a gynaecologist. The care lead can change when there is a medical indication.
• Using an old euro amount for kraamzorg or a non-medically indicated hospital birth. Statutory co-payments can change, so check the current official and insurer information.
• Treating birth registration, insuring the baby and child benefits as part of the same application. They are separate post-birth tasks with their own guides.

• Keep the phone number and urgent-call instructions from your midwifery or hospital team and use them for pregnancy-specific concerns.
• Use the birth-registration guide before or immediately after the birth so you know who must register the child and where.
• Add the baby to health insurance after birth using the current insurer process, and use the health-insurance guide if your own insurance status is still unclear.
• After birth, check child benefit and kindgebonden budget separately, and arrange childcare early if you will need it.