The Dutch sexual health system is built around two parallel tracks. For gay and bisexual men, the GGD Soa Poli is almost always the better route — it is free, anonymous, and explicitly designed for high-frequency testing. Understanding when to use the GGD and when to fall back on your huisarts — and what each costs you under Dutch health insurance — is the core skill you need to navigate this system.

🛡️ The Situation

The Netherlands has exceptional clinical infrastructure, but navigating it requires understanding the deductible firewall. GGD clinics handle most sexual health needs for gay men for free, while GP visits for the same services will trigger your annual insurance deductible (eigen risico). Wait times at the GGD can be long, so knowing how to balance the two systems is essential.

⚖️ The Golden Rules

1. GGD vs. Huisarts: The Deductible Firewall

The GGD Soa Poli (Municipal Health Service STI Clinic) is your primary sexual health clinic. Testing is free, anonymous, and completely separate from your health insurance. This means it does not count towards your eigen risico — the annual deductible of €385 every Dutch resident must pay before their insurer covers medical costs. Book online at your city's GGD website.

2. PrEP: Bypass the Waiting List

The GGD runs a PrEP pilot programme that is frequently full or closed to new patients. The practical route is your huisarts: ask for a prescription for generic tenofovir/emtricitabine. The monthly cost is approximately €25–35. Combine the two tracks — get your prescription from the huisarts, and your free quarterly monitoring tests from the GGD Soa Poli.

3. PEP: Know Which Door to Use

PEP must be started within 72 hours of exposure. During GGD opening hours, call the GGD PEP line directly. Outside those hours — evenings, nights, weekends — go straight to a major hospital's SEH (spoedeisende hulp, emergency department). Do not go to the Huisartsenpost for PEP.

⚖️ The Reality of the System

  • GGD Soa Poli offers free, anonymous testing that bypasses the insurance deductible (eigen risico).
  • Exceptional official partner notification system (partnerwaarschuwing.nl).
  • PEP is readily available via GGD or hospital emergency departments (SEH).
  • Long wait times and limited capacity at the GGD, especially for the PrEP pilot programme.
  • Visiting a GP (huisarts) for STI testing will trigger your €385 annual deductible.

💬 Anonymous Partner Notification

If you test positive for an STI and cannot face telling a recent partner directly — whether due to safety concerns, anxiety, or not having their contact details — you still have a responsibility to stop onward transmission.

The Netherlands has an excellent official system for this: use partnerwaarschuwing.nl. You request a code from your doctor or the GGD, enter it on the website along with your partners' contact details, and the system sends them an anonymous SMS or email advising them to get tested without revealing your identity.

🗺️ Guide Map

Testing & Clinics

Prevention

Emergencies & Support

Result Management

Support & System

Other