Family planning and contraception
Contraception
Every woman or girl in the Netherlands has the right to use contraception. Girls under the age of 18 do not have to inform their parents if they use the contraceptive pill or another method of contraception.
The doctor who prescribes contraception is obliged by law to respect the privacy of his/her patient. He/she is not allowed to give information to other people about the use of contraception by her/her patient, even if the patient is under 18 years of age.
For women up to the age of 21, contraception is covered by the standard package (basispakket) of health insurance. They do, however, have to pay the amount of the excess of their insurance (eigen risico) from the age of 18 up to and including 20. As soon as a woman turns 21, the standard package no longer covers contraception. You can then decide to pay for contraception yourself or take out additional health insurance. There are different types of contraception for women, such as the pill, IUD, diaphragm and vaginal ring. Visit the website of your health insurance provider to see which conditions apply for reimbursement of contraception.
Via the procedure for medically necessary care, a doctor can prescribe contraception such as the contraceptive pill or an IUD to women without legal residence status.
Contraceptive pill
Pregnancy and delivery
Every pregnant woman has the right to professional care before, during and after delivery. Some of these services are free of charge.
Being pregnant does not automatically entitle someone to legal residence. It is, however, possible to get a temporary postponement of departure. However, from 6 weeks before delivery until 6 weeks after delivery a woman is entitled to “postponement of departure”. After postponement of departure has been granted, a woman is entitled to shelter and support from the central organisation for care for asylum seekers (COA). This also means the woman has access to (obstetric) care and that the costs of healthcare are paid for.
A doctor carrying out an ultrasound scan on a pregnant woman
The baby always gets the residence status of the parent with the most favourable status. If the father is Dutch the baby gets Dutch citizenship, provided that the father recognises the child.
A mother who gives birth to a Dutch child does not automatically get legal residence. She can apply for regularization of her status through the family reunification procedure. If the father recognises the child, he can apply for regularization of his residence status through the same procedure.