How to cancel an insurance policy in the Netherlands
Short answer: with almost every Dutch insurer you can cancel a consumer policy at any time after the first 12 months, with at most one month’s notice. That comes from the insurers’ own code of conduct. The law itself requires 2 months’ notice before the end of a period, and says you can always cancel online.
“I started Covera because I kept missing renewal dates. I also wanted better prices for my insurance, and to save money.”
How long does a Dutch insurance policy run?
Consumer policies from members of the Dutch Association of Insurers (Verbond van Verzekeraars) run for at most 12 months per period and are then renewed (Code of conduct on informed renewal, art. 2.1). Under art. 3.3 of the same code, your insurer has to inform you in good time before a policy renews.
Can I cancel at any time after the first year?
Yes, if your insurer is a member of the Verbond van Verzekeraars, which almost all Dutch insurers are. Once a policy has run for 12 months you can cancel at any moment with a notice period of at most one month (art. 3.4 of the code). The Consumentenbond puts it as: after one insurance year you can cancel the policy daily.
Sources: Gedragscode geïnformeerde verlenging en contractstermijnen (24 June 2020) · Consumentenbond: autoverzekering opzeggen.
What does Dutch law say about notice periods?
The Civil Code sets a notice period of 2 months when you cancel to stop a policy renewing at the end of a period. If your insurer changes the terms to your disadvantage, you may cancel from the day the change applies, and in any case for one month after you were told (BW art. 7:940).
How do I cancel a Dutch insurance policy?
You can always cancel electronically: the law gives every policyholder that right (BW art. 7:940 lid 6). Most insurers offer a cancellation form or button in their online account; otherwise email or a letter works.
Mention your name, policy number and the date the policy should end, and keep the confirmation. When you switch insurer, check the end date of the old policy and the start date of the new one so you are never uninsured in between.
How do I keep track of when to cancel?
Add all your policies to one overview. Covera reads the renewal date from your policy PDF, sorts policies by what renews first and reminds you 30 days before each date, which matches the Dutch one-month notice after the first year.
See how renewal reminders work or check if you are insured twice before you renew.
Frequently asked questions
Does the one-month rule apply to health insurance?
No. Dutch basic health insurance (basisverzekering) has its own rules: you can switch once a year by cancelling before 31 December and taking out a new policy before 1 February (Rijksoverheid). This guide is about non-life policies such as home, car, liability and travel insurance.
Sources
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