You want to insure yourself:

• for income during unemployment, illness, disablement and retirement
• for expenses in cases of illness, fire, theft, damage, accidents
• for claims by third parties in cases of car accidents, not being able to perform due to illness, etc.

What to do?
That depends on the risk and on your ‘capacity.’ Legally speaking people can have several ‘capacities.’ Many artists have three: private individual, employee, and independent worker with a career or business.

Insurance for private individuals and employees

• Social services like supplementary benefits, study financing and AOW (old age pension). This insurance for minimum incomes for special groups is paid for through tax money. You don’t have to pay premiums for this. You have to belong to the legally specified category (for example, for study financing you must be a student in higher education, for AOW you are a resident of The Netherlands, etc.). Then, under certain conditions, you can request the benefits.
• Employees’ insurance. This insures that you have income during illness, unemployment, and if you’re fired. Employees are required to have this insurance (arranged by the employer).
• Pension schemes. Most employers offer their employees a pension scheme. Both employer and employee make monthly payments for this.
• Medical insurance. The rules in the 'zorgstelsel' apply for everyone in the Netherlands who is 18 year or older. Health insurance is compulsory.
• Wettelijke Aansprakelijkheid verzekering (WA, third-party liability insurance). It is not compulsory, but still a must. The premiums are low, and if you cause damage it could involve large amounts of money. Liability insurance for car owners is compulsory!
• Other insurance. Loss, theft, etc. These are not required, but are advisable.
  

Insurance for independent workers and businesses
You can also insure yourself for risks you have as an independent entrepreneur or as a business. It doesn’t matter whether or not you have established a legal entity for your company. If you establish a foundation, association or private limited company (BV) and are then employed by it, then the above forms of insurance apply. In other cases you have to consider the following forms of insurance:

• Disability insurance (AOV in Dutch). Freelances are not covered by the Law on Work and Income according to Capacity for Work (WIA). The WIA is a law for employees who become incapacitated for work. So a freelance can only insure against loss of income through illness privately. This is expensive. You can reduce the costs by only insuring yourself up to a certain level.
• Unemployment insurance. This does not exist for self-employed persons.
• Medical insurance. The rules in the 'zorgstelsel' apply for everyone in the Netherlands who is 18 year or older. Health insurance is compulsory.
• Pension scheme. Independents have to arrange this themselves.
• WA and other insurance. The forms of insurance for private individuals do not apply to business’ risks. So before you come out with a performance, CD or exhibition, find out the risks and who would be responsible for possible consequences. Check what has been settled in your contract.
  

Expenses
Insurance costs can vary a lot, but so can the coverage! Ask for quotations and get advice from experts, preferably disinterested third parties.