How these visits work
The huisarts
- You are not required to register with a huisarts (general practitioner), but the government advises it. A practice may refuse you if you live too far away or if it is full, so ask a practice near your home.
- You make an appointment through the doktersassistent (practice assistant), on the phone or, at many practices, online.
- On weekdays during office hours you call your own practice, also when it is urgent. In the evening, at night and at weekends you call the huisartsenpost, the out-of-hours GP service.
- In a life-threatening emergency you call 112. For the police when it is not urgent, you call 0900-8844.
- Everyone who lives or works in the Netherlands must take out health insurance. The basic insurance covers the GP, the hospital and the pharmacy.
The apotheek
Medicines on prescription are only sold at an apotheek (pharmacy). Medicines without a prescription are also sold at a drogist (chemist) and in supermarkets.
The gemeente
If you will live in the Netherlands for more than four months, you register at the gemeente (municipality) where you live within five days of arriving, in person and usually by appointment. Ask the gemeente which documents to bring. You are given your burgerservicenummer (BSN, citizen service number) when you register, and GPs and health insurers use it.
At the huisarts
Making an appointment on the phone
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Goedemorgen, u spreekt met Sara Haddad. | Good morning, this is Sara Haddad speaking. |
| Ik wil graag een afspraak maken met de huisarts. | I would like to make an appointment with the GP. |
| Mijn geboortedatum is 3 mei 1990. | My date of birth is 3 May 1990. |
| Kan ik vandaag nog langskomen? | Can I come in today? |
| Kunt u dat langzamer zeggen, alstublieft? | Could you say that more slowly, please? |
| Kunt u dat herhalen? | Could you repeat that? |
Saying what is wrong
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Ik heb hoofdpijn / keelpijn / buikpijn. | I have a headache / a sore throat / a stomach ache. |
| Ik heb pijn in mijn rug. | I have pain in my back. |
| Ik heb al drie dagen koorts. | I have had a fever for three days. |
| Ik hoest veel, vooral 's nachts. | I cough a lot, especially at night. |
| Het doet pijn als ik loop. | It hurts when I walk. |
| Het wordt erger. | It is getting worse. |
| Ik ben allergisch voor penicilline. | I am allergic to penicillin. |
| Ik gebruik deze medicijnen. | I take these medicines. |
What the doctor or assistant may say
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Wat zijn uw klachten? | What are your symptoms? |
| Hoe lang heeft u dit al? | How long have you had this? |
| Ik schrijf een recept voor u uit. | I will write you a prescription. |
| Ik verwijs u door naar een specialist. | I am referring you to a specialist. |
| Als het niet beter wordt, belt u dan opnieuw. | If it does not get better, call again. |
At the apotheek
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Ik kom mijn medicijnen ophalen. | I have come to collect my medicine. |
| De huisarts heeft een recept gestuurd. | The GP has sent a prescription. |
| Hoe vaak per dag moet ik dit innemen? | How many times a day should I take this? |
| Voor of na het eten? | Before or after meals? |
| Heeft u iets tegen hooikoorts zonder recept? | Do you have something for hay fever without a prescription? |
Two words worth knowing: de bijsluiter is the leaflet in the box, and zonder recept means over the counter.
At the gemeente
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Ik heb een afspraak om tien uur. | I have an appointment at ten o'clock. |
| Ik ben verhuisd en wil mijn nieuwe adres doorgeven. | I have moved and want to register my new address. |
| Welke documenten moet ik meenemen? | Which documents do I need to bring? |
| Ik heb een uittreksel uit de BRP nodig. | I need an extract from the population register (BRP). |
| Kan ik dat ook online regelen? | Can I also arrange that online? |
And what you may hear at the desk or read in a letter:
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| Heeft u een afspraak? | Do you have an appointment? |
| Neem een geldig identiteitsbewijs mee. | Bring a valid proof of identity. |
| Wat is uw burgerservicenummer? | What is your citizen service number (BSN)? |
| U krijgt binnenkort een brief. | You will receive a letter soon. |
| Log in met DigiD. | Log in with DigiD. |
How to practise
- Say the phrases out loud. Reading them is not enough: on the phone you have no time to look them up. Say each line until it comes without thinking.
- Write your own short script. Before a call, write two or three sentences: what is wrong, since when, and what you have already tried. Read them out once before you dial.
- Practise the other side too. Most of the difficulty is understanding the questions. Learn the lines the assistant and the doctor use, so you recognise them when they come fast.
- Have the conversation before the real one. Act it out with a friend, a teacher or an AI conversation partner, and repeat it until it feels routine.
What the StroopTaal app has for this
- Listening scenes: short audio scenes of everyday situations, such as calling the GP practice, asking about a prescription at the pharmacy counter or a voicemail from the gemeente about an appointment. You answer questions about what you heard, save new words, repeat the lines and then act the situation out yourself. The scenes are written with AI and voiced with synthetic voices, and checked before they are published. The first two scenes of every level are free; Premium opens the rest.
- Situations to act out with an AI in a text chat or a voice call, for example at the huisarts, the pharmacy or the gemeente, where one task is registering your address to get your BSN. Each has a goal you have to reach, and in the chat your mistakes are corrected with a short explanation. Premium.
- Taalmaatje, the app's AI conversation partner: you call it and speak Dutch out loud, and one of its topics is Dutch paperwork (gemeente, BSN, DigiD). It can speak more slowly, and you can read the conversation back afterwards. It is software, not a person. Voice conversations come with Premium, up to 15 minutes a day within a monthly limit.
- Photo word scanning (Premium): photograph a letter from the gemeente and save the words in it.
The app is practice, not medical advice. In an emergency, call 112.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between the huisarts and the huisartsenpost?
The huisarts is your own GP, whom you call during office hours. The huisartsenpost is the GP service for urgent care in the evening, at night and at weekends, when your own practice is closed. In a life-threatening emergency you call 112.
What does the assistant ask when I call the GP?
Practices differ, but expect questions about who you are, such as your name and date of birth, and about your complaint: what it is, since when, and whether it is getting worse. Prepare two or three sentences about your symptoms before you call.
Do I pay for a visit to the huisarts?
GP care, including the huisartsenpost, is covered by the basic health insurance and does not count towards the eigen risico, the compulsory excess (€385 in 2026). Care at a hospital emergency department does count towards it.
How do I ask someone to speak more slowly in Dutch?
Say "Kunt u dat langzamer zeggen, alstublieft?" (Could you say that more slowly, please?) or "Kunt u dat herhalen?" (Could you repeat that?). Both are polite and normal to use at the doctor, the pharmacy or the gemeente.
Which Dutch level do I need for the doctor or the gemeente?
There is no required level. The phrases on this page are at about A2: enough to make an appointment, describe common symptoms and follow simple instructions. For a complicated diagnosis it is reasonable to ask the doctor to explain again, more slowly, or to write it down.
Does StroopTaal teach medical Dutch for doctors and nurses?
No. StroopTaal teaches the Dutch a patient or a resident needs in everyday situations, such as a visit to the doctor or the pharmacy. It is not a course in medical Dutch for healthcare professionals.
Sources
We checked this guide against these pages on 12 October 2026. Rules, prices and exam formats change: the official page is always the one to follow.
- Rijksoverheid: choosing a huisarts (registering is not compulsory)
- Government.nl: what to arrange when moving to the Netherlands
- Thuisarts.nl (NHG): contact with your GP practice
- Thuisarts.nl (NHG): in case of emergency
- Rijksoverheid: huisartsenpost or emergency department
- Rijksoverheid: eigen risico in 2026
- Government.nl: taking out compulsory health insurance
- Government.nl: where to buy medicines
- Government.nl: registering with the Personal Records Database (BRP)
- Netherlands Worldwide: when to register with the BRP
- Government.nl: citizen service number (BSN)
- Government.nl: emergency number 112
- Politie: 0900-8844 or 112
StroopTaal is an independent app. It is not DUO or any other government service, and it cannot register you for an exam. What this guide says about the app comes from the app as it is on 12 October 2026; the About page and the FAQ describe it in full.
This article was drafted by AI and edited by a person before it was published.
