Medical approval for planned medical care abroad
Are you going abroad for a specific treatment or procedure? For planned hospital stays of at least one night, you always need medical approval, as well as for certain outpatient treatments (e.g., an MRI). Inform your health insurance fund before you leave. This way, you know whether you are entitled to reimbursements and what kind of support you can expect.
Apply for approval in good time
Well before your departure, send us a registered letter with information about your planned medical care abroad. This letter must include:
- the type of medical treatment or consultation.
- a detailed medical report from your specialist, including the date and location of the treatment or consultation, and the reason why the medical care will take place abroad.
When assessing your request, the advising doctor follows several fixed rules. Your request will be approved if:
- your medical care abroad is included in the Belgian nomenclature.
AND - your health condition and the expected evolution of your illness do not allow the treatment to be postponed, and the appropriate care cannot be provided within a reasonable time in Belgium.
OR - the treatment abroad can be provided under more favourable medical conditions than in Belgium.
If the advising doctor gives medical approval, you will receive the S2 document. Submit this document to the foreign hospital so that all interventions from the compulsory health insurance can be handled through the third‑party payment system.
Are you additionally insured through a hospitalisation insurance? Be sure to check the reimbursement conditions for any costs that may remain after the intervention of the compulsory health insurance.
Good to know
If the planned treatment starts before you have received approval, you cannot receive any reimbursement. Submit your request well in advance: sometimes the advising doctor needs to request additional information, which may take some time.
The reimbursement
Depending on the type of treatment, the country, and any hospital stays, the reimbursement of approved medical care may differ.
There are 2 possible ways of reimbursement:
- You do not have to pay anything extra, or you only need to pay part of the invoice on the spot.
- You pay the costs yourself first and receive a partial reimbursement later.
