Health Insurance for PhD Students and Interns Moving Abroad

Health insurance is not the same for every PhD student or intern who moves to a new country. The rule that applies to you depends on your funding type, your nationality, and your host country. A wrong guess can leave you without cover, or can cost you a fine. This guide explains the main types of cover and shows you where to check the exact rule for your case.

Why the rules differ by funding type

Most European countries split international researchers into two groups.

1. Employed researchers. If a university pays you a salary for your PhD or internship, you are usually an employee. Employee status usually means you join the public health insurance system, like any other local worker.
2. Scholarship or grant holders. If you receive a scholarship or a grant instead of a salary, you are often not an employee. You may need to buy private insurance, or you may stay in your home country's scheme.

Check your contract first. The word on your contract ("employment contract," "scholarship," "grant agreement") decides which insurance rule applies to you.

Tip: Ask your host university's international office or HR department which group you fall into before you sign your contract. This saves time later.

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

If you move within the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland for a temporary stay, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) can help.

• The EHIC gives you medically necessary, state-provided care in another EHIC country, on the same terms as a person insured there.
• Your national health insurer issues the card, not the country you travel to.
• The EHIC is not travel insurance. It does not cover private care, a flight home, or lost property.
• If you move your main home to a new country for a long stay, the EHIC is not enough. Register with the local system instead, often with an S1 form.

The EHIC helps mostly for short exchanges or short research stays. For a PhD of several years, you will likely need to join the host country's own system, not rely on the EHIC alone.

Two country examples: Germany and the Netherlands

Rules differ by country, so always check your host country's own rule. These two examples show how different the rules can be.

Germany

At German universities, the rule depends mainly on your funding.

• If you are an employed doctoral researcher (for example, a research assistant) earning above a low monthly threshold, you usually must join the statutory (public) health insurance scheme.
• If you hold a scholarship instead of a salary, some universities require private insurance, while others allow you to join the statutory scheme. The rule varies by university, so check with your own institution.
• If you already held German statutory insurance for a set period before your scholarship started, you may be able to join the statutory scheme voluntarily.
• A German residence permit application usually asks for proof of health insurance. A travel policy or an EHIC from another EU country is often not enough for a long research stay, so arrange host-country cover before you apply.

The Netherlands

At Dutch universities, the rule depends mainly on whether you receive a salary.

• If you have a Dutch employment contract, Dutch law requires you to take out basic health insurance (basisverzekering), usually from your official start date.
• If you are a guest researcher with no Dutch salary, for example someone who holds only a scholarship or who is paid from abroad, you are often not required to take out Dutch basic insurance. Your situation then depends on how long and how settled your stay is.
• If you qualify for Dutch basic insurance and you do not arrange it in time, the Dutch authorities can fine you.

How to check the rule for your own case

Follow these steps before you move.

1. Read your contract. Find the exact word used for your position: employee, scholarship holder, or grant holder.
2. Check your host university's page. Most universities publish a page for international staff or international PhD students that explains local insurance rules.
3. Check your nationality. EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals often have different rules from other nationals, mainly because of the EHIC and EU social security coordination.
4. Check the immigration rule too. If you need a residence permit or visa, the immigration office will likely ask for proof of insurance. Confirm what counts as valid proof before you apply.
5. Ask before you buy a private policy. Some private policies do not satisfy a country's legal insurance requirement, even if they cover medical costs. Confirm with your university or the local insurer that a policy meets the legal minimum.

Common mistakes

• Assuming your home country insurance is enough. Outside the EHIC area, or for a long stay, your home insurance usually does not meet the host country's legal requirement.
• Buying insurance too late. Some countries fine you if you do not insure yourself within a set time after you arrive or start work.
• Confusing travel insurance with legal health cover. Travel insurance can run out quickly or exclude routine care. It is not the same as the compulsory cover a residence permit may require.
• Not checking the rule again after a status change. If your funding changes from a scholarship to a salary, or the other way round, your insurance obligation can change too.

Where to find more help

• Your university's international office or HR department for international staff.
• Your host country's national health insurance authority or ministry of health.
• The immigration office that handles your visa or residence permit, for the exact proof it accepts.

Read more in our guide on the EU researcher visa route, which explains the immigration side of a long research stay. For open positions once your paperwork is ready, browse PhD positions in Germany or PhD positions in the Netherlands. PhD Atlas matches open positions to your CV — sign up free to get started.