Finding a GP in Amsterdam: the huisarts gatekeeper and the paracetamol advice

In Amsterdam you don't book whichever doctor has a gap on an app. You sign up with one local huisarts, and that practice decides what happens next.

The short version

• Almost all non-emergency care in the Netherlands starts with your huisarts (GP). You register with one practice near your home [1][2].
• Practices usually only take patients who live within a short distance, often about 15 minutes away, and some Amsterdam practices are full [1][2].
• You need a GP referral to see a hospital specialist, or your insurer may not pay [1].
• GP visits don't count towards your €385 eigen risico in 2026 [3].
• Out of hours, call Huisartsenposten Amsterdam on 088 003 0600. For life-threatening emergencies, call 112 [4][5].

How the Dutch GP differs from home

At home you might see whichever bulk-billing clinic is open, get a referral from a GP you've met once, and book a specialist yourself. The Dutch model is tighter and more conservative.

That last row is the one Australians grumble about most. Dutch GPs follow national guidelines that favour waiting, self-care and a follow-up call over early antibiotics or scans. It isn't neglect. It's the design. If you're getting worse, or the problem doesn't settle in the time your GP gave, ring back and say so clearly.

Registering with a huisarts

Don't wait until you have a fever. Register soon after you've got your BSN and your Dutch health insurance [1].

The catchment rule

You can approach any practice, but most only take patients who live within their area: a few kilometres, or roughly a 15-minute trip [1][2]. In a dense city like Amsterdam, that means your search is really about your neighbourhood. Moving from De Pijp to Amsterdam-Noord? You'll probably need a new GP.

When practices are full

Many central practices have closed lists, especially in popular expat areas like the Jordaan, Oud-West, De Pijp and Oost. Some tactics that work:

• Widen the radius a little. A practice just past the edge of your neighbourhood may still accept your postcode.
• Ask your insurer. Insurers help members find a GP that's taking patients, and The Hague International Centre points people to insurers for exactly this [2].
• Use Zorgkaart Nederland. It lists practices with reviews, though it's in Dutch [1][2].
• Try practices that focus on internationals. These sometimes have wider catchments [2].
• Ask locals and colleagues. Word of mouth still finds open lists faster than websites.

How to sign up

1. Make a shortlist of three to five practices within your area.
2. Check each website for "nieuwe patiënten" (new patients) and whether they're accepting.
3. Call, email or fill in the web form. Many practices register you online [2].
4. Have your details ready: BSN, address, date of birth and your health insurer and policy number [2].
5. Attend an intake appointment if asked. Some practices want a short intake to go over ongoing conditions and medicines [2].
6. Request your Australian records. Ask your Australian GP to send a summary of your history, vaccinations and current prescriptions in English. Your Dutch GP will read it.

Bring a list of medicines with their generic names. Brand names often differ, and some Australian products aren't sold here. Smartraveller notes that some medicines available in Australia are restricted or controlled in the Netherlands, even with a prescription [5].

Getting seen: appointments, assistants and phone consults

The doktersassistent

When you call, you'll usually speak to the doctor's assistant first. They ask about your symptoms and decide whether you need a same-day appointment, a phone consult or a regular slot [1]. Be specific: how long you've been sick, your temperature, what you've tried. Vague answers get you a callback, not a slot.

Most practices have a phone window early in the morning for same-day problems. A typical consultation lasts 10 to 15 minutes, and it's for one problem [1]. Got three? Say so when you book, and you may get a double slot.

Other options

• Phone consults: many GPs have set telephone hours for simple questions [1].
• E-consults: secure messaging for non-urgent questions, through the practice's patient portal [1].
• Home visits: possible if you're too ill to travel, arranged through the assistant [1].
• Screening: national screening programmes, such as cervical, breast and bowel screening, are organised for eligible age groups and you'll get letters [1].

Mental health

Your GP is also the entry point for mental health care. Many practices have a practice nurse who sees people with anxiety, low mood or stress for a series of sessions before any referral to specialist care. If you used a Mental Health Care Plan at home, expect a similar step: GP first, then more specialised help if needed.

Referrals to specialists

Hospital specialists in the Netherlands work through referral. You need a letter from your GP for a hospital visit, and you may need to show it to your insurer so it pays [1].

A few things Australians often don't expect:

• The GP tries first. Your huisarts may handle more in-house than a GP at home: minor surgery, IUD insertion, joint injections, follow-up of chronic conditions.
• The specialist visit counts towards your excess. GP care doesn't touch your €385 eigen risico, but hospital care, tests and most medicines do [3].
• Natura policies limit where you go. With an in-kind policy, check that the hospital has a contract with your insurer before you accept the referral.

In Amsterdam the large hospitals include Amsterdam UMC (with locations at AMC in Zuidoost and VUmc in Buitenveldert) and OLVG. Your GP will often suggest the one closest to you or the one with the shortest wait.

Nights, weekends and emergencies

Outside office hours your own GP isn't on call. Instead, the city's GPs share a roster through Huisartsenposten Amsterdam, a co-operative that covers Amsterdam, Diemen, Badhoevedorp and Landsmeer [4].

Always phone the huisartsenpost before you go. It's not a walk-in clinic. A triage nurse decides whether you need a call-back, a visit to the post, a home visit or the hospital emergency department [1][6]. Walking into a hospital spoedeisende hulp (emergency department) without a referral or ambulance isn't the done thing unless it's a true emergency.

Only 112 or a doctor can send an ambulance [6]. If you're unsure whether something is an emergency, call the huisartsenpost and let them decide.

The Australian angle

Your Medicare card doesn't buy you anything at a Dutch GP once you live here. Australia's Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with the Netherlands covers essential care for visitors, not residents, so register with a huisarts on your Dutch insurance [5][7].

If you're still on a visit before your move, the agreement can cover essential GP care. Services Australia says you need an A111 certificate from Zilveren Kruis to use it [7].

Need a GP who's taking new patients near you? Ask in Cooee Netherlands, our Facebook group for Australians in the Netherlands. Members post which practices in their neighbourhood still have open lists.

Sources

1. General practitioners (GPs) and doctors in the Netherlands – IamExpat (updated July 2025)
2. Registering with a General Practitioner (huisarts) – The Hague International Centre
3. Healthcare in the Netherlands – Work in NL (Dutch government)
4. Emergencies – Huisartsenpraktijk Westlandgracht, Amsterdam
5. Netherlands travel advice – Smartraveller
6. Emergency services and healthcare helplines – I amsterdam
7. Visiting the Netherlands – Services Australia

Keep reading

• Dutch health insurance: the basic policy, eigen risico and the 4-month deadline
• Registering in Amsterdam: the BRP, your BSN and DigiD
• Having a baby in Amsterdam: midwives, home births and kraamzorg
• Medicare when you live abroad