You can legally obtain a weight-loss prescription in the Netherlands without setting foot in a clinic. Licensed, BIG-registered doctors handle the assessment entirely online, delivering your treatment safely and discreetly to your door.
The Netherlands has one of the better healthcare systems in Europe, but for internationals, it can feel like a maze. Language barriers, amongst other things, can make the whole in-person process exhausting before it’s even begun.
Our guide to going to the doctor in the Netherlands breaks down exactly how the system works.
Weight-loss medication has come a long way
It’s worth clearing something up before we go further: modern prescription weight-loss treatments are nothing like the stimulant-based diet pills of decades past.
Older-generation options largely worked by suppressing appetite through the central nervous system, blunt instruments that were often only approved for short-term use and came with a fair number of side effects.
Newer-generation prescription treatments work differently: they interact with the body’s own hormonal signals to regulate hunger, slow digestion, and influence how the body processes blood sugar. The science has moved on significantly, and for eligible patients, so have the results.
That’s precisely why these medications require a prescription. They’re effective, but they need to be carefully matched to the right person, which brings us to why having a legitimate medical process behind them matters.
A fully regulated alternative to traditional clinics
This is where online medical consultations come in, and no, this isn’t a grey-area workaround. It’s a fully legal, regulated pathway to accessing prescription treatment in the Netherlands.
Wellis is an integrated online health platform that connects patients with BIG-registered doctors and healthcare professionals.
BIG stands for Beroepen in de Individuele Gezondheidszorg, the Dutch register that certifies licensed medical professionals, the same standard applied to your local clinic or hospital.
Wellis operates in full compliance with Dutch healthcare law and AVG (the Dutch implementation of GDPR), meaning your data and your health information are handled to the same standard as any regulated medical provider.
How the Wellis consultation process works
The process is straightforward, and it works in 3 steps:
Step 1: Fill in a health questionnaire. You’ll answer questions about your medical history, current weight, lifestyle, and any medications you’re taking.
Step 2: Online consultation with a healthcare professional. A healthcare professional will contact you by phone. Subsequently, a doctor will assess your application and, if suitable, prescribe the appropriate treatment. It’s a real conversation, not an automated tick-box exercise.
Step 3: Home delivery and ongoing support. Receive your medication at your home within one to two business days, free of charge and packaged discreetly. You’ll receive a tracking number once it’s on its way.
What kind of medication could you be prescribed?
The treatment options available through Wellis fall into the category of newer-generation prescription weight-loss medications, the kind that work with the body’s hormonal system rather than bypassing it.
What you’re prescribed depends entirely on your individual health profile.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach: Wellis’s doctors assess your situation and recommend what’s medically appropriate for you specifically, taking into account your health history, current weight, and any other relevant factors.
Throughout your treatment, you also have ongoing access to Wellis’s healthcare team at no extra charge.
Got questions in a few weeks? Not sure if what you’re experiencing is normal? You can contact a professional at any time.
Is it safe and legitimate?
These are fair questions, and the answers are yes and yes.
All of Wellis’s healthcare professionals are BIG- and EU-registered, and every prescription is issued by a licensed doctor and fulfilled by a registered pharmacist. The platform follows the same laws and regulations that apply to any medical practice in the Netherlands.
Wellis is also trusted by over 45,000 patients across the country (as of June 2026). So while it may feel like a newer way of doing things, it’s well-established in practice.
According to CBS, more than half of all adults in the Netherlands are now classified as overweight, which means having more accessible routes to medically supervised treatment matters more than ever.
So what are your thoughts about getting a weight-loss prescription? Any experiences or tips? Let us know in the comments!