Funeral insurance in the Netherlands: Why think about funerals?
Funeral insurance in the Netherlands… really DutchReview? Don’t run away just yet, this could help you or your family!
Ah…funerals, not something you’d ever want to bring up at a family party or gathering. Not something you’d think was appropriate to talk about with people on an average day. You’d probably be met with: ‘stop being so morbid!’ or ‘don’t jinx it!’ The thing is, talking about funerals is important and should be normalized. Nobody wants the stress of death, along with a mountain of debt and an awful funeral (the person may come back to haunt you for that one). So let us give you the low down of why you should be thinking about your funeral today and what could be out there to help you sort out your Dutch funeral insurance.
How much does a funeral in the Netherlands cost anyway?
Funerals aren’t something to take lightly, and certainly aren’t something can you can chuck a few hundreds euros at. Some people don’t realise, but funerals cost thousands – in fact, they’re dead expensive. On average, it costs almost €8.000 for a funeral, however the cost (depending on what you want), could be much higher.
The importance of having insurance aka an uitvaartverzekering in the Netherlands
We are going to be quite blasé, but as stated earlier, it’s expensive to die. Death is inevitable, therefore it’s something that everyone should be proactive in organising. When you do pass away, not only is this upsetting for your family, but they’d have to pull together thousands of euros (which they may not have), in order to give you the funeral you deserve. So, how can this be made easier for you all?
(If you want to compare funeral insurance in the Netherlands than this website will help)
Well funeral insurance is the way to go (just like all of the many insurances that the Dutch love to equip themselves with). When that day comes, the insurance will pay out for the funeral. Taking the burden off your family. You also save money by doing it this way, opposed to saving up and sticking it in an account for a rainy day. The best part is that you only need to pay a small amount per month, so you would hardly notice the difference to your finances. Also, it’s cheaper per month when you start with the ‘uitvaartverzekering’ when you’re younger (for obvious reasons).
Do expats need funeral insurance? You do if you want your body repatriated to your home country…
For an expat, this may not have been something that crosses your mind. However, being an expat, this means that it’s even more important to be sorting out a funeral insurance. Why, you ask? Well, chances are if something was to happen, then you would probably want your body to be taken back to your country. Depending on how far away this is (and even if it’s close it isn’t cheap), it’s either expensive or very expensive. Shipping the body back would cost more than just the average Dutch funeral total cost (and then this cost, plus the actual funeral, is huge). This highlights the importance of having funeral insurance in the Netherlands, even if you’re an expat. And don’t panic, there’s an insurance tailored for that, they’re called a ‘kapitaalverzekering’.
But I don’t know how anything about funerals…
Well as long as you know to insure yourself and understand these few important points, then you don’t have have to worry!
SO, did you know?
- To be cremated or buried is more expensive on the weekend. Especially on Sunday, and even more so on a public holiday (so maybe best to avoid that one).
- If someone dies, you must report it to the municipality where the death happened
- If there is literally no money available for the funeral, then the municipality will cover the costs for a basic funeral.
- Most cemeteries are open between 9am and 3pm on weekdays and shorter hours on the weekend, from 9am – 12pm.
Did you know this though?
More beautiful Dutch discoveries. “Uitvaart” = funeral. From the verb “varen” = to sail. So, sail away; a departure. I love how your words are made, The Netherlands ❤#dutch #translation #language
— Amsterfam (@amsterfam) 15 May 2018
So, how do I get Dutch funeral insurance?
The best and easiest way to secure a good Dutch funeral insurance is to use a comparison site. This comparison site for funeral insurance in the Netherlands is in English, so it makes it even easier for you to secure the right insurance. On this site, you can also compare the top 10 funeral insurances, so you can rest assured that you’re getting what you need for the best price.
On this site it provides you with how much you are covered for, the type of insurance, when/if you will stop paying, whether your child is covered and customer ratings. Then you can compare them all quickly and easily.
Okay, so have you clicked the link to the comparison site for Dutch funeral insurances? Then I’ll talk you through what types of insurance there is (so you don’t get confused and pick the wrong thing).
Comparing Dutch funeral insurances: what kind of funeral insurances in the Netherlands are there?
There are different insurance packages, depending on what fits your needs best:
- For example, ‘naturaverzekeringen’ is a pre-arranged set package. What does this mean? Well, this means that the insurance company will directly pay the bill to the undertaker. This type of insurance tends to be cheaper, because it’s already pre-fixed.
- ‘Sommenverzekeringen’, is an ‘expenses only’ policy, where you get a payout for the expenses that are directly linked to the funeral and nothing else.
- ‘Kapitaalverzekering’, is perfect for expats or people who would like have their funeral away from the Netherlands. Once the person has passed, the insurance money (pre-set) is paid out to you to be used as you wish.
- ‘Combinatieverzekering’, is a combination policy, which means you have can have a combination of the insurance policies just listed. This way you can tailor it to your needs further.
So as you can see, there is a lot to think about. But hopefully us at DutchReview, and have got you well on your way to organizing your Dutch funeral insurance (as morbid as that may sound).
Have you sorted your funeral insurance out? How important is it to you? Let us know in the comments, don’t be shy!
We’ve worked together with uitvaartverzekering.nl on this article about funeral insurance in the Netherlands, they’re the experts after all!
I never thought about it. As an expat I always thought I am not having my funeral here, but now I understand its wise to insure the charges for shipping.