- Abortion legal status
- Legal
- Emergency number
- 112
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: tripwaffle.com, travelladies.app
Good to know
Good to Know
- The CSG's free 0800-0188 hotline only works with a Dutch phone provider — if you're on a foreign SIM, use their online chat instead.
- The morning-after pill (both levonorgestrel and ellaOne versions) is sold over the counter at any Dutch pharmacy or drugstore with no prescription and no age restriction — you can just take it to the till.
- A copper IUD fitted within 5 days of unprotected sex works as emergency contraception too, and can then double as long-term birth control for years.
- If you're 21 or older, expect to pay out of pocket for routine contraception (pill, IUD, implant) unless you've specifically added supplementary insurance for it — basic Dutch insurance only covers contraception for under-21s.
- You do not need to involve the police to get help at the Centrum Seksueel Geweld — medical and psychological support is available regardless of whether you report.
- You do not need to be a Dutch resident to get an abortion in the Netherlands, and no referral or waiting period is required — but if you don't have Dutch health insurance or residency, expect to pay out of pocket and to arrange payment in advance.
- For routine gynecological care as a nomad, Dutch primary care runs through a GP (huisarts) gatekeeper system for insured residents, but hospital gynecology outpatient departments (like Erasmus MC or Franciscus) can generally be booked directly or via a short intake for visitors/expats.
- The Dutch abortion pill protocol requires taking the second medication in-clinic and staying for several hours of observation afterward — factor this into travel/scheduling if you're not staying locally long.
Street, Night and Taxi Safety
Street Harassment
Rotterdam is generally considered workable for women travelling or living alone, with busy central streets and good transport, but some women report catcalling or unwanted attention in quieter areas, particularly late at night once the nightlife crowd has dispersed. Being followed or nuisance behaviour after bars close is also mentioned as an occasional risk rather than a constant one.
Walking Alone at Night
Central, well-used nightlife streets such as Witte de Withstraat and Nieuwe Binnenweg stay busy and are considered reasonable to walk late. Sources advise avoiding empty parks, isolated dockside stretches and industrial zones after dark if you are alone and unfamiliar with the area, and one local-women's safety source specifically flags South Rotterdam as an area to be more cautious in at night.
Taxis and Ride-hailing
Official taxis and reputable ride-hailing apps are recommended over flagging down unmarked cars, especially near train stations where fake taxis are known to operate. Locals who contributed safety reports for the city specifically recommend taking an app-based ride (naming Uber) rather than hailing on the street late at night.
Night Buses and Transport Hub
Rotterdam Centraal functions as the main late-night transport hub, and on Friday and Saturday nights it is the starting point for RET's night bus network (locally called BOB buses). These generally start between about 00:30 and 01:00, run roughly hourly, and the operator advises checking the live journey planner before heading out since routes and timings can change.
Practical Precautions
Recommended precautions include planning your route and last transport connection home before going out rather than improvising late at night, sticking to direct and populated routes instead of shortcuts through unfamiliar quiet streets, and keeping an eye on your drink in bars and clubs. Sharing your live location or return plans with someone when out late is also commonly suggested.
Cost And Eligibility
- Residents
- Free of charge for people who are registered residents of the Netherlands and/or hold Dutch health insurance and/or work in the country, though exact eligibility rules can differ slightly by clinic.
Non Residents Foreigners
- Second Trimester Surgical Example
- €1,100
- Note
- Non-Dutch residents (including many nomads without local Dutch health insurance) generally pay out of pocket, with cost depending on weeks of pregnancy and clinic.
OB-GYN Options In Rotterdam
Erasmus MC (Erasmus University Medical Center) — Gynaecologie Department
- Type
- Academic hospital, public/mixed
- Services
- Full gynecological care including cysts, endometriosis, prolapse, ultrasound/echo diagnostics, hysteroscopy, IUD placement/removal, and second-opinion consultations; the hospital's gynecology team also runs specialized endometriosis and pelvic-floor programs.
- Location Note
- Centrally located in Rotterdam, within easy reach of the city center.
Franciscus Gasthuis — Gynaecologie Department
- Type
- General hospital
- Services
- Gynecology outpatient clinic covering menstrual disorders, bladder prolapse, incontinence, menopause, contraception, and gynecological cancers, plus a linked obstetrics (verloskunde) department for pregnancy and birth care.
- Location Note
- Rotterdam hospital location; a short tram/bike ride from the center.
Maasstad Ziekenhuis — Gynaecologie Department
- Type
- General hospital
- Services
- General gynecology consultations and named specialists (e.g., listed OBGYNs practicing at this hospital's main Rotterdam location per the national ZorgkaartNederland directory).
- Location Note
- South Rotterdam; reachable by metro from the city center.
Contraception Access
- Regulatory Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- General Note
- All female contraceptive methods (pill, IUD, implant, emergency contraception) are legal, medically regulated, and widely available through pharmacies, GPs and midwives in the Netherlands.
- Insurance Note
- Basic Dutch health insurance covers most contraception costs (except condoms) for people up to age 21, but anyone 21 or older pays for contraception out of pocket unless they've taken out supplementary insurance covering it.
Methods
- Cost
- €16
- Prescription Required
- No
- Access Notes
- Available over the counter at any pharmacy or drugstore (apotheek/drogist) without a prescription, and can be taken up to about 72 hours after unprotected sex, with effectiveness decreasing over time.
- Cost Range Note
- Sources report a typical range of roughly €12–20 for standard levonorgestrel morning-after pills.
- Cost
- €25
- Prescription Required
- No
- Access Notes
- Also sold over the counter without a prescription and is effective for up to 120 hours (5 days) after unprotected sex, making it the more effective option the longer someone waits.
- Cost
- €120
- Prescription Required
- Yes
- Access Notes
- Fitted by a GP (huisarts) or at a clinic; as emergency contraception it must be inserted within 5 days of unprotected sex, and can then be left in place for years as regular contraception.
- Cost Range Note
- Reported ranges vary by source and IUD brand, roughly €47–160 for the device and fitting.
- Cost
- €130
- Prescription Required
- Yes
- Access Notes
- Inserted by a GP; a separate placement fee applies on top of the device cost, and this fee is often reimbursed by supplementary health insurance.
Approximate annual cost; varies by brand.
- Cost
- €50
- Prescription Required
- Yes
- Access Notes
- Requires a prescription from a GP; once prescribed, refills can be picked up at any pharmacy without a new prescription each time.
Assault Support Services
Centrum Seksueel Geweld (Sexual Assault Center) — national/Rotterdam
- Phone
- 0800-0188
- Cost
- Free
- Type
- 24/7 sexual assault helpline and care center
- Services
- Visitors are met by a forensic nurse and, if they wish, a team of doctors, police, psychologists and social workers can be involved; medical care to prevent pregnancy and STIs, forensic evidence collection, and a case manager for follow-up support are all offered without any obligation to file a police report.
- Availability
- Available by phone 24 hours a day, though the toll-free 0800 number only works with a Dutch mobile provider; an online chat is offered as an alternative for those without one.
- Description
- The Centrum Seksueel Geweld (CSG) offers professional medical, forensic and psychological help to anyone who has had an unwanted sexual experience, regardless of when it happened or whether it was online or offline.
- Rotterdam Specific Note
- The Rotterdam branch of CSG provides 24/7 medical, forensic, psychological and legal help to victims from the Rotterdam-Rijnmond region, working with local hospital and police partners.
Veilig Thuis Rotterdam Rijnmond
- Cost
- Free
- Type
- Domestic/dependency-relationship abuse hotline
- Availability
- Reachable safely, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, and free of charge.
- Description
- This service focuses specifically on sexual violence occurring within a relationship of dependency, such as a partner, family member, teacher or coach; for sexual violence outside such a relationship it refers callers to the Centrum Seksueel Geweld.
Slachtofferhulp Nederland (Victim Support Netherlands)
- Cost
- Free
- Type
- General victim support
- Description
- Provides emotional support to victims and next-of-kin, assists during the criminal justice process, and helps victims apply for compensation.
GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond
- Cost
- Free
- Type
- Public health service / information point
- Description
- The regional public health service directs residents to the Centrum Seksueel Geweld for professional help after an unpleasant sexual experience and can be contacted day or night by phone or chat.
Zedenpolitie (Police Sex Crimes Unit)
- Cost
- Free
- Type
- Police reporting
- Description
- Victims (or people who know a victim) of sexual violence can make a report or file a formal police statement with the specialized sex crimes police unit; involving police is entirely optional and can be arranged through CSG if desired.
Law Overview
Abortion in the Netherlands has been legal since the Termination of Pregnancy Act (Wet afbreking zwangerschap) took effect on 1 November 1984. Under the law, an abortion may be performed up to the time when the foetus is viable outside the mother's body, which is generally taken to mean the 24th week of pregnancy. In practice, most doctors apply a safety margin and stop performing elective abortions around 22 weeks. After that point, termination is only permitted for serious medical reasons, such as a non-viable fetus. Legally the procedure is technically still framed as a criminal-code exception rather than an affirmative right: doctors who follow the law's conditions are exempt from prosecution, a structure that reproductive-rights researchers have flagged as offering fewer guarantees than a rights-based framework.
Legal Status
Fully legal and regulated
Access Routes
Access Routes
- No referral is required — a person can go directly to a certified abortion clinic or contact their GP (huisarts), who can also prescribe the abortion pill or refer to a clinic.
- Treatment happens either in one of roughly 100 certified general hospitals or in one of about 17 specialized abortion clinics, with the large majority of procedures (over 90%) taking place in the specialized clinics.
- Abortion clinics operate independently of the hospital referral system and can be contacted directly by phone or online booking, including by non-Dutch residents and people from abroad.
- Treatment is confidential/anonymous: identity and treatment details are not shared with third parties without explicit consent, though anonymized statistics (age, country of origin, pregnancy length) are reported as required by law.
Waiting Period
A mandatory five-day reflection period used to apply after the first consultation, but Dutch parliament abolished this requirement in a law that took effect in January 2023, so there is now no mandatory wait once an appointment is made.
Abortion Time Limits
- Post 24 Weeks
- Only permitted for serious medical reasons (e.g., non-viable fetus).
- Elective Limit
- Up to approximately 22-24 weeks of pregnancy, depending on the clinic/hospital's own safety margin.
- Medication Abortion Pill
- Legally permitted up to 49 days after the first day of the last menstrual period (about 9 weeks); most clinics apply an 8-9 week cutoff for the pill regimen.
- Surgical Vacuum Aspiration
- Available after the medication window through the first trimester and into the second trimester.
Practical Notes
- Timing
- CSG advises contacting them as soon as possible after an incident, ideally within 7 days, since this improves chances of psychological recovery, pregnancy/STI prevention, and forensic evidence preservation — but they will still help regardless of how long ago the incident occurred.
- Evidence Preservation Advice
- If considering a forensic exam, CSG advises not showering, brushing teeth, eating/drinking, using the toilet, or washing clothing beforehand (bring soiled clothing in a paper bag if already changed).
Emergency Number
112 (police/ambulance/fire, all of Netherlands)
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this women's health & safety research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Rotterdam
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.