Amsterdam Volunteer Insurance

The Amsterdam Volunteer Insurance (AVV) is a secondary liability and accident insurance for volunteers, informal caregivers, and social interns in Amsterdam. The insurance applies during volunteer work, informal care, and social internships, as well as during commuting. The costs of this insurance are fully paid by the Municipality of Amsterdam. Since January 1, 2023, board liability is also covered by the AVV.

Who is insured?

Volunteers

• Volunteers are persons who, within an organizational framework, perform unpaid and non-obligatory work for the benefit of others and/or society, serving a social interest.
• Persons active in civic initiatives, working groups, committees, resident groups, and religious communities.
• Refugees, including those without residence status who are staying in emergency shelters, provided they perform volunteer work.
• In exceptional cases: volunteers at a sole proprietorship, provided there is a social interest and no profit motive.

Informal caregivers

• Informal caregivers are persons who provide long-term, unpaid care to a chronically ill, disabled, or dependent partner, parent, child, family member, friend, or acquaintance.

Social interns

• A social intern is a secondary school student who, through an internship, becomes acquainted with bearing responsibility for social interests. This is not vocational training, but character development.

Who is not insured?

• Volunteers from outside the EU who are here as tourists.
• Volunteer firefighters and police (they have their own insurance).
• Paid professionals (the insurance applies only to volunteers).

Coverage and conditions in brief

1. The liability insurance is a secondary insurance. This means:

• The organization’s or volunteer’s own insurance always takes precedence.
• If no such insurance exists or does not cover the damage, the AVV takes effect.
• You can never be insured twice.

2. The accident insurance is a primary insurance. Claims can be filed directly.

Where does the insurance apply?

• Volunteers, informal caregivers, and social interns are insured as long as they carry out their activities for an Amsterdam-based volunteer organization, regardless of where they live.
• If volunteers/interns perform activities elsewhere in the Netherlands on behalf of an Amsterdam-based organization, they are also insured.

In all other cases, the volunteer insurance of the other municipality (if any) takes precedence.

What is covered?

✅ Liability of volunteers and informal caregivers.
✅ Accidents.
✅ Damage to personal property (e.g., clothing, bicycle).
✅ Traffic liability (damage while participating in traffic).
✅ Legal assistance for volunteers.
✅ Board liability.

What is not covered?

❌ Third-party liability (e.g., damage caused by visitors/participants at an event).
❌ Third-party accidents.

If an organization has its own board liability insurance, we recommend comparing those policy terms with the AVV policy terms. If the AVV is sufficient, the organization’s own insurance may potentially be discontinued.

Additional insurance

Some organizations need additional insurance, such as:

• Business liability
• Asset liability
• Data/cybercrime liability

Download the information sheet: Are we properly insured?

Policy

You will not receive a policy document

• Volunteers, informal caregivers, and social interns do not need to register: the insurance applies automatically.
• Organizations must keep track of who is active as a volunteer or social intern, in case a damage claim is filed.

Questions? Report damage?

For detailed information about the coverage, contact Arjen Verhoef – AVerhoef@vga.amsterdam.nl / 085-0811900.
To report damage, contact the municipality VGA Insurance: 085-0811900 | zv@vga.amsterdam.nl or use the digital damage report form.