Hospitals in The Hague: Emergency Care Guide for Expats (2026)

Knowing which of the hospitals in The Hague to head for, and who to phone before you go, is worth sorting out on a quiet evening rather than a bad one. Dutch emergency care does not work the way newcomers expect: turn up at an emergency department unannounced and you will usually be sent to a GP post first, because the hospital wants a referral. Here is the 112 rule, the referral rule, the two emergency departments, what it costs in 2026, and where to find medicine at 3am.

In a real emergency, dial 112 first

If someone is unconscious, in chest pain, bleeding heavily or otherwise in danger, do not drive between the hospitals in The Hague looking for the right entrance. Call 112. It is the single European emergency number, free from any phone, staffed around the clock, and it dispatches ambulance, police and fire. You can speak English. The operator asks where you are and what happened, so have the street and house number ready, and make sure everyone at home can say the address out loud.

112 is for emergencies only. The Dutch police list 0900-8844 for non-urgent matters (2 cents a minute plus access charge) and +31 343 57 8844 from abroad.

Why hospitals in The Hague ask for a referral first

This catches almost every newcomer out. Haaglanden Medisch Centrum states it on its own site: you need a referral from a huisarts (GP) or another doctor to attend the emergency department. Arrive without one and you are registered at the huisartsenpost next door, which then decides whether you need the hospital at all. It is triage, not obstruction, and it is why the hospitals in The Hague are not the first door you knock on. The order of operations runs like this.

1. Life threatening, any hour: call 112 and let the ambulance crew decide where you go.
2. Weekday office hours: call your own huisarts, even when it feels urgent.
3. Evenings, nights, weekends and holidays: call the Hadoks huisartsenpost on 070 346 96 69.
4. Wait to be given an appointment. Hadoks is appointment only, so phoning ahead is not optional.
5. Go where they send you: the GP post, the emergency department, or home with advice.

No huisarts yet? Hadoks helps people in Den Haag, Leidschendam-Voorburg, Wassenaar and Rijswijk find one. Do it while you are healthy.

The two hospitals in The Hague with an emergency department

Only two sites run a 24 hour emergency department inside the city, and HMC states that its Antoniushove and Bronovo locations have none, which surprises residents living near them. HMC Westeinde runs one of the largest and best equipped emergency departments in the country and takes serious trauma and acute brain injury. HagaZiekenhuis has gathered its acute care into the Spoedplein at Leyenburg, where the emergency department, the children’s emergency department, the GP post and the night pharmacy share one building. Learn which of the hospitals in The Hague is closer to your postcode.

Lijnbaan 32 is Westeinde’s postal address; the emergency and GP post entrance is at Westeinde 150, so tell a taxi driver Westeinde 150. Between them these two hospitals in The Hague take everything the city sends out by ambulance.

Out of hours: GP post, night pharmacy and emergency dentist

Surgeries and pharmacies here keep office hours and close at weekends, so evenings and Sundays run on a duty system. Telephone before travelling.

During normal hours your own neighbourhood apotheek is quicker, and many medicines sold freely elsewhere need a prescription here.

What emergency care costs in 2026

Basic health insurance is compulsory for anyone living or working in the Netherlands, and you have four months from the moment that obligation starts to arrange it. Leave it later and you risk a fine while still owing the back premiums. Treatment is not refused over paperwork, though: the City of The Hague states that nationality and insurance status do not matter in an emergency, only that you identify yourself.

The figure that catches people out is the eigen risico, the annual deductible on the basic package, 385 euro for 2026. Huisarts care, the huisartsenpost included, is exempt, and under 18s pay nothing. Emergency care is not: HMC says an emergency department bill counts towards your eigen risico while a GP post visit does not. Late at night that makes the GP post cheaper and usually faster than presenting yourself at one of the hospitals in The Hague.

Hospitals here rarely take payment at the desk. The bill goes to your insurer and your share arrives weeks later as an invoice payable to a Dutch IBAN. If your money sits in a foreign account, wise.com or revolut.com settles a euro invoice without a conversion markup. Check the transfer fee first.

Sort these three things before you need hospitals in The Hague

None of the above helps if you cannot make a call, cannot prove who you are, or have no cover for the weeks before your Dutch policy starts.

• A phone that works on day one. 112 connects with no SIM and no credit, but the GP post, your insurer and the hospital all need to call you back. An eSIM from airalo.com or saily.com gets you online on arrival. The catch is that data only plans carry no voice number, so add a local SIM once you have an address.
• Cover for the gap. Your Dutch policy may start after your arrival date, and expat cover from ektatraveling.com bridges it. Compare excess, network and repatriation terms against anything your employer provides.
• Documents in one folder. Passport or residence card, BSN, policy number, huisarts details and a written medicine list, which HMC asks patients to bring.

Frequently Asked Questions

What number do I call for an ambulance in The Hague?

Dial 112 from any phone for an ambulance, police or fire anywhere in the Netherlands. It is free, answered around the clock even without a SIM or credit, and you can speak English. For non-urgent police matters use 0900-8844, or +31 343 57 8844 from abroad.

Which hospitals in The Hague have an emergency department?

Two: HMC Westeinde at Lijnbaan 32, entrance Westeinde 150, and the HagaZiekenhuis Spoedplein at Charlotte Jacobslaan 10, which also runs a children’s emergency department. HMC Antoniushove and HMC Bronovo have none, so do not head there in an emergency.

Can I go to the emergency department without a referral?

Not normally. The hospitals in The Hague ask for a referral from a huisarts or another doctor, and HMC says so on its own site. Without one you are registered at the huisartsenpost beside the hospital, which decides whether the emergency department is needed. Arriving by ambulance after calling 112 is the exception.

Do I still get treated at the hospitals in The Hague without insurance?

In a genuine emergency, yes. The City of The Hague states that nationality and insurance status do not matter for emergency treatment, though you must identify yourself and will be billed afterwards. Dutch basic insurance is compulsory within four months of the obligation starting.

Where can I get medicine at night in The Hague?

The Spoedapotheek at Charlotte Jacobslaan 10, on 070 210 1465, covers evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays. It sits in the same Spoedplein building as the emergency department and the GP post, so a prescription written there is filled on site.

Expat Essentials for The Hague

A few quick wins make settling into The Hague easier while you work through this guide. An Airalo eSIM keeps you online from the moment you land, a pre-booked Welcome Pickups transfer takes the stress out of arrival day, and NordVPN protects your logins on public wifi. See our full list of trusted services below.

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Written by FinePassport team