Pharmacies in the Netherlands in 2026: the out-of-hours dienstapotheek system, when you need a prescription, typical opening hours, foreign prescriptions, how to check a legitimate online pharmacy, and the €385 eigen risico. Covers the 353 pharmacies listed in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Utrecht, Eindhoven and Groningen — call first, as no opening hours are listed. General information, not medical advice.
The Netherlands has 353 pharmacies listed in six cities — Amsterdam (108), Rotterdam (81), Den Haag (79), Utrecht (36), Eindhoven (30) and Groningen (19) — and 351 of them list a phone number. No opening hours are listed for any of them, so always call first or check the pharmacy's hours on apotheek.nl. There is no general 24-hour pharmacy shop: outside opening hours, urgent medicines go through the dienstapotheek system explained below. All figures are for 2026 unless dated otherwise. General information, not medical advice.
Where do I go for urgent medicines outside opening hours?
To the dienstapotheek — the out-of-hours pharmacy, usually at or near the hospital emergency department, next to the huisartsenpost (out-of-hours GP post). It handles urgent medicines only, while regular pharmacies are closed.
The dienstapotheek is the designated out-of-hours pharmacy for its region — one per region, with night cover bundled by the health insurers. In Utrecht, for example, the Dienstapotheek Utrecht covers night-time prescriptions for almost the whole region from 22:00. The route is: see the huisartsenpost or the hospital emergency department (SEH) first for the prescription, then go to the dienstapotheek. Never treat a named pharmacy as the night pharmacy without checking the current rota on apotheek.nl — the role rotates and is not fixed.
Are there 24-hour pharmacies in the Netherlands?
No — there is no general 24-hour pharmacy shop. What exists is the dienstapotheek system: one designated out-of-hours pharmacy per region, usually at a hospital, covering nights, weekends and holidays for emergencies only.
It is not feasible to keep every pharmacy in a region open at night, so the health insurers together designate one dienstapotheek per region to cover the night shifts. That pharmacy is only open for emergency care during the hours regular pharmacies are closed, and the service is limited — it is not in every town, and it is not a shop you can walk into at any hour for anything. Do not expect a 24-hour pharmacy counter; expect the emergency route in the previous card.
Do I need a prescription for medicines in the Netherlands?
Yes, for prescription-only medicines (receptgeneesmiddelen, status Uitsluitend Recept or UR): only on a doctor's prescription, dispensed at an apotheek. Self-care medicines (zelfzorggeneesmiddelen) need no prescription.
Self-care medicines are sold without a prescription at pharmacies, drugstores (drogist), supermarkets and sometimes petrol stations. Prescription-only medicines are dispensed at an apotheek only on a doctor's prescription — the CBG Geneesmiddeleninformatiebank states the status (Uitsluitend Recept) for each medicine. Medicines sold freely in your home country, such as strong painkillers or sleeping pills, often need a prescription here, so check with the pharmacist before assuming you can buy them over the counter.
What are the opening hours of pharmacies in the Netherlands?
There is no national standard. The typical pattern on apotheek.nl listings is Monday to Friday 08:00 or 08:30 to 17:30 or 18:00, Saturday closed or morning-only, Sunday closed — but hours vary per pharmacy.
The pattern above is what apotheek.nl (the KNMP pharmacy finder) listings show for ordinary pharmacies — for example 08:00–17:30 or 08:30–17:30 on weekdays, closed on Sundays. Some city-centre or hospital pharmacies run later, and some offer a 24/7 collection locker. Hours vary per pharmacy, so check the individual pharmacy's hours on apotheek.nl before you go. This guide lists no hours for any of the 353 pharmacies, because none are recorded in the directory.
Can I hand in a repeat prescription at the out-of-hours pharmacy?
Only if it is urgent — for example, you have nothing left at home. The dienstapotheek is not for routine repeat prescriptions.
A repeat prescription can be handed in at the dienstapotheek, but only when it is genuinely urgent — the stated example is having nothing left at home. It is expressly not intended for your ordinary repeat prescriptions: those belong at your own pharmacy during its opening hours. The dienstapotheek's range of prescription medicines is agreed with the huisartsenpost, so it stocks what emergency care needs, not a full regular range.
Can I register at the out-of-hours pharmacy and always collect my medicines there?
No. You cannot register at the dienstapotheek, and you cannot always collect your medicines there.
The dienstapotheek is only open for emergency care during the hours that regular pharmacies are closed. Registration there is not possible, and collecting your medicines there as a routine is not possible either. Choose your own regular pharmacy for everyday prescriptions, and use the dienstapotheek only for the urgent case described in the previous cards.
How do I send my prescription to the pharmacy?
Usually you send nothing yourself: your GP sends the prescription digitally, straight to the pharmacy of your choice. If you hold a paper prescription, you can hand it in, upload a photo of it, or email it.
Electronic prescribing is the standard route — ask your GP to send the prescription digitally to your chosen pharmacy; it is the easiest and fastest way. If you received a paper prescription yourself, the options are to hand it in at the pharmacy, upload a photo of it in the pharmacy's online account or app, or send it by email. Tell the pharmacy which one you are using so the prescription is not filled twice.
Are foreign prescriptions accepted in the Netherlands?
Prescriptions from another EU or EEA country are valid in principle; prescriptions from outside the EU are not valid — see a Dutch GP instead.
An EU prescription is valid in all other EU countries, provided it contains the required information: patient and prescriber details, the generic (substance) name, form, quantity, strength and dosage. Ask your doctor for a paper copy if you have an electronic prescription, and note that a medicine prescribed in your country is not always available in the Netherlands, or may have another name — the pharmacist may substitute the generic. The pharmacist may refuse if the authenticity or content is in doubt. Outside the EU, a prescription is not valid here: if you run out of your medicine while visiting, make an appointment with a Dutch GP (huisarts) for an assessment and a new prescription.
Can I order all medicines through an online pharmacy?
Through a legitimate, registered Dutch online pharmacy, yes — all prescription medicines, but only with a valid prescription. No legal online pharmacy sells prescription-only medicine without one.
A registered online pharmacy supplies prescription medicines and smoking-cessation products, delivered to your home — but only against a valid prescription, and it must meet the same standards as physical care. Check before you order: a trustworthy seller shows the EU common logo, is listed at aanbiedersmedicijnen.nl, and its pharmacist can be checked in the IGJ apothecaries' register. If the website is not on that list, do not buy there. The IGJ takes enforcement action against sellers offering prescription medicines online without a prescription.
What are the opening hours of the (online) pharmacy?
These are the hours of one provider, Nationale Apotheek: Monday to Thursday 08:00–20:00, Friday 08:00–18:00, Saturday 10:00–14:00, Sunday closed. They are not online-pharmacy hours in general.
Nationale Apotheek is the online pharmacy in the source for this question, and its hours are longer than a regular pharmacy's — open until 20:00 on weekdays and on Saturday mornings. But they are one provider's hours, not a standard for online pharmacies, so check the hours of whichever online pharmacy you use. For a regular local pharmacy, the typical pattern is Monday to Friday 08:00 or 08:30 to 17:30 or 18:00, Saturday closed or morning-only, Sunday closed (see the opening-hours card).
Where do I go if I need an emergency prescription at night?
Life-threatening: call 112. Urgent but not life-threatening: contact the huisartsenpost (out-of-hours GP post) first — call your own GP's number, which redirects after hours — and the prescription then goes to the dienstapotheek.
Do not go straight to a regular pharmacy at night — it will be closed. The huisartsenpost assesses you and, if needed, prescribes; the emergency pharmacy sits next to the out-of-hours GP post and is only intended for emergency care during service hours, for example if you were prescribed medication after a consultation there. In a life-threatening situation, call 112 immediately. This guide publishes no single national number to call, because none was verified against an official source — use your own GP's number or your local huisartsenpost.
How much will my medicines cost me?
The compulsory excess (eigen risico) is €385 a year for adults in 2026 and 2027: you pay the first €385 of basic-package care costs yourself, including prescribed medicines. GP visits are exempt, and under-18s pay no eigen risico.
The eigen risico is a compulsory amount (Rijksoverheid): if you are 18 or older and use care from the basic package, you pay the first €385 yourself each year, and only then does your health insurer pay the costs. Prescribed medicines count toward it, while GP visits do not. Children under 18 pay no eigen risico. An extra out-of-hours tariff may apply at the dienstapotheek, but no national amount was verified, so this guide publishes none — check with your insurer or the pharmacy. No co-payment cap is published here either; it was not verified against an official source.
