Blood tests for expats in the Netherlands
If you moved here from a country where you could walk into a lab and order a panel, the Dutch system takes some getting used to. Your GP decides what gets tested, and without symptoms the answer is usually no.
How the Dutch system actually works
In the Netherlands the huisarts, your GP, is the gatekeeper for almost everything. You register with one, and they decide whether you see a specialist and whether lab work gets ordered. This keeps costs down and it works well when you are ill. It works badly when you are healthy and simply want to know your numbers.
Dutch GP guidelines are built around finding disease in people with symptoms. Asking for ferritin, ApoB or a full thyroid panel out of interest falls outside those guidelines, so the request is usually declined. That is not your GP being unhelpful. It is the system working as designed.
What you can do instead
You are allowed to order and pay for blood work yourself. That is the route Mario Test offers, with one difference from the walk-in labs you may be used to: the draw comes to you.
- No referral needed. You choose the markers, you pay directly.
- Venous draw at your home. Not a finger-prick kit you post back.
- English throughout. The conversation, the report and the explanation.
- Price known upfront, split into lab cost and appointment fee.
Message Mario in English
Send a WhatsApp with what you want tested, or what your doctor back home used to check. You get a reply from Mario himself, usually the same day.
Reachable Monday to Saturday, 08:00 to 18:00. An appointment can usually be scheduled within a few days.
What it costs
These are the actual amounts. The lab cost is what the lab charges, passed on without a markup. There is no discounted-from price and no subscription. Enter your address in the price calculator for the exact total including travel.
One thing to be clear about: this is not reimbursed. Dutch basic health insurance (basisverzekering) does not cover preventive testing without a medical indication. On the other hand, nothing is charged against your mandatory deductible (eigen risico, € 385 in 2026), which stays available for care you may need later in the year.
Common reasons expats test here
- Continuing a routine you had at home, where annual panels were normal.
- Vitamin D. If you moved from a sunnier country, your first Dutch winter is usually a shock to this value.
- Thyroid, ferritin and B12, which are rarely in a standard Dutch GP panel.
- ApoB and Lp(a), if you track cardiovascular risk and your GP will not order them.
- Language. Getting a result explained properly, in English, without translating a Dutch lab sheet yourself.
Packages
See all packages, or read how the home visit works on the at-home page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Dutch GP to get a blood test?
Not for this. You order it yourself.
You do still need to register with a GP for regular healthcare in the Netherlands. This route is for testing you want to do on your own initiative.
Why will my Dutch GP not order the tests I ask for?
Because Dutch guidelines require a medical indication.
GP guidelines are built to detect disease in people with symptoms, not to monitor healthy people. Without an indication there is no basis to order lab work. It is not personal.
Is this covered by my Dutch health insurance?
No, not by the basic insurance.
Preventive testing without a medical indication is not covered. Some supplementary policies reimburse part of a health check. Check your policy under preventie or gezondheidscheck.
Does this affect my eigen risico?
No, because nothing is claimed from your insurer.
You pay directly, so your mandatory deductible of € 385 in 2026 stays untouched and remains available for care you may need later that year.
Will the report be in English?
Yes.
The conversation, the report and the explanation of each value are in English. You do not have to translate a Dutch lab sheet yourself.
Do you come to my address, or do I travel somewhere?
Mario comes to you.
Home, office or another address in the Netherlands. Within Amsterdam there is no travel charge, outside that a per-kilometre rate applies.
Note: a blood test gives you insight and direction. It does not prove or rule out a condition on its own. Results are meant for prevention and for tracking change over time, not as a diagnosis. For symptoms or values outside the reference range, see your GP.