Dental care for displaced people from Ukraine: prepare a clear first appointment.
A practical guide for people seeking care and dental teams: make contact, understand what is needed, check the current route and only then complete the administrative step.
Updated 27 August 2026
When someone displaced from Ukraine needs dental care in the Netherlands, the first questions are usually practical: where can I go, how will we communicate, and what happens to the invoice? A good first response follows the same order: make contact possible, understand the care question, check the appropriate official route, then record the administrative step.
This page helps people seeking care and dental teams make a first appointment calmer and clearer. The exact route for care and reimbursement is always checked through the current official source.
1. Make the first question specific
For pain, a check-up or a more extensive treatment proposal, it helps to clarify four things straight away: what is happening today, how urgent is it, which language does the person prefer, and which documents are available. This prevents a care conversation from getting stuck on an administrative question.
People should not have to know which arrangement applies to them. A practice can consult the current official route and calmly explain which information is still needed.
2. Bring what you already have
For a first appointment, bring what is available: identification, a Dutch citizen service number (BSN) if you have one, insurance or accommodation information, a short list of medicines, and any questions you want to ask. You do not need to understand every form before asking for help.
For acute pain, an accident or a broken tooth, contact a dental practice straight away and briefly explain what happened. The practice can help establish the next step.
3. Check the route against the current situation
The Dutch Regeling Medische zorg Ontheemden uit Oekraïne (RMO) is the official care arrangement for registered displaced people from Ukraine who are covered by the Temporary Protection Directive. The RMO provides current reimbursement information, documents and contact details.
Not every person from Ukraine has the same residence or insurance situation. For practices, the CAK decision tree therefore points to the RMO, care for asylum seekers and other arrangements. Check that route before confirming anything about an invoice or reimbursement.
Ask who will submit the claim before treatment
Do not pay a dental invoice first on the assumption that you can claim it back from RMO later. The standard dental route runs through the care provider: the practice checks eligibility in COV and submits the claim through VECOZO. Before treatment, ask whether the practice can submit the RMO dental claim. If it cannot, have the practice or RMO confirm the correct route before costs are incurred.
4. Use an interpreter before a conversation becomes difficult
In dental care, a person needs to understand what is being discussed: the care question, possible treatment steps, alternatives, costs and what happens next. A calm explanation one step at a time works better than one long conversation full of unfamiliar terms.
The RMO directs care providers to Global Talk for interpreter support in Ukrainian and Russian. This is especially valuable before a discussion about consent, medical history, alternatives or a treatment proposal — not only after communication has already broken down.
A short checklist for a first appointment
- Name the care question and urgency in plain language.
- Ask which language feels comfortable and decide whether an interpreter is needed.
- Collect only the documents that are available; do not make care dependent on a complete file at first contact.
- Check the current administrative route with the official decision tree or provider.
- Ask whether the practice can submit the dental claim to RMO through VECOZO.
- After the conversation, briefly set out what was discussed, the next step and where questions can go.
What a clear first conversation achieves
A good first conversation does more than simplify administration. It gives a person something to hold on to: what happens today, what will be assessed later, which information is still missing, and who they can contact. That is often more valuable than having every answer immediately.
