Work in the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
Working abroad can be a rewarding experience, but it is essential to prepare well for your departure, especially when it comes to your health insurance coverage.
Seconded Belgian, maintaining residence in Belgium
Seconded Belgian worker transferring residence abroad, transferring residence abroad
Insured worker abroad, residing in Belgium
Seconded Belgian, maintaining residence in Belgium
If you are temporarily posted abroad while maintaining your residence in Belgium, you are still dependent on Belgian social security and you can access medically necessary healthcare in your country of posting thanks to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
The EHIC :
- Is issued by your Belgian health insurance fund
- Guarantees that you will be able to claim reimbursement for your medically necessary healthcare
- Allows you to benefit from an intervention according to the reimbursement conditions and rates in force in the country of posting in the same way as its social security insured persons.
More information on EHIC coverage
| Any changes in your situation (family or personal) must be notified to your Belgian health insurance fund. |
Treatments in Belgium
Are you coming back to Belgium? Don't worry, you maintain your right to reimbursement for your Belgian healthcare.
Healthcare in a third countryduring a temporary stay
If you plan to stay in a country other than your country of residence or Belgium (in a third country), Belgium remains the competent country to issue any coverage documents that will allow you to benefit from any coverage of your medically necessary health care.
Find more information on temporary stays abroad
Assistance abroad – Mutas
Neutral health insurance funds offer assistance abroad with the Mutas alarm centre. If you are in good standing with your mutual insurance contributions and provided that our statutes are respected, you can benefit from Mutas travel assistance as part of your emergency care during your holiday in a country other than your country of residence or Belgium (in a third country).
Find out more about Mutas' overseas assistance service
Scheduled care in a third country :
If you are planning Planned healthcare in a country other than Belgium or your country of residence, certain administrative procedures must be carried out beforehand.
Contact your Neutral Health Insurance Fund
Seconded Belgian worker transferring residence abroad, transferring residence abroad
If you are posted abroad and you deregister from your Belgian address to transfer your residence to this country, you can access healthcare in this country of posting, under the same conditions and reimbursement rates as a local insured person, using the S1 form issued by your Belgian health insurance fund.
What is Form S1 ?
The S1 form is an official European document that certifies your right to coverage of your healthcare received in your country of residence.
This nominative document will allow you to benefit from possible coverage of your health care, in the same way as a social insured person in this country, but on behalf of Belgium, which remains your competent country.
It therefore allows you to transfer your Belgian health insurance rights to your new country of residence.
| Any changes in your situation (family or personal) must be notified to your Belgian health insurance fund. |
Best practices before your departure: contact your Neutral Health Insurance Fund
- Request the S1 form
- Inquire about administrative procedures you need to complete
- Find out about the specific health requirements in your destination country.
- Find a local health insurance fund :
Consult the directory of European health insurance companies by clicking here
When you arrive in your country of residence :
- Register your S1 form to a local health insurance fund. This nominative document allows you to register and benefit from the medical services provided for by the legislation of the country of residence.
The cover document can also :
- Be transmitted electronically by your Belgian health insurance fund to your foreign health insurance fund on explicit request.
- Be requested by the social security of the country of residence electronically
- Once the registration has been confirmed, you will be able to claim reimbursement for medical care under the same conditions as an insured person in the country.
How to insure your family members ?
Under certain conditions, family members who live with or without you in the territory of a country of the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein can also be insured on the basis of a nominative S1 document issued by your Belgian health insurance fund.
Contact your Neutral Health Insurance Fund
Treatments in Belgium :
Are you returning to Belgium temporarily? Don't worry, you maintain your right to reimbursement for your Belgian healthcare.
Healthcare in a third countryduring a temporary stay
If you plan to stay in a country other than your country of residence or Belgium (in a third country), Belgium remains the competent country to issue your coverage documents which will allow you to benefit from any coverage of your medically necessary health care.
Find more information on temporary stays abroad
Assistance abroad – Mutas
Neutral health insurance funds offer assistance abroad with the Mutas alarm centre. If you are in good standing with your mutual insurance contributions and provided that our statutes are respected, you can benefit from Mutas travel assistance as part of your emergency care during your holiday in a country other than your country of residence or Belgium (in a third country).
Find out more about Mutas' overseas assistance service
Scheduled care in a third country :
If you are planning Planned healthcare in a country other than Belgium or your country of residence, certain administrative procedures must be carried out beforehand.
Contact your Neutral health insurance fund
Insured worker abroad, residing in Belgium
If you are a foreign worker and you maintain your residence in Belgium, you can access Belgian healthcare using the S1 form issued by your foreign social security.
Find more information on the S1 form
Treatments in Belgium
To be able to benefit from the reimbursement of your healthcare in the same way as a Belgian insured person, you must be insured with one of our Neutral Health Insurance Fund on the basis of your foreign S1 form.
Learn more about the benefits of our mutual funds
Healthcare in a third countryduring a temporary stay
If you plan to go on a temporary stay, then you depend on the country in which you pay your social security contributions. It is also this country that will issue you with the cover forms for your temporary stay in order to possibly benefit from the third-party payment system on site.
We strongly advise you to check with your competent health insurance fund abroad.
Scheduled care in a third country :
If you are planning Planned healthcare in a country other than Belgium or your country of residence, certain administrative procedures must be carried out beforehand.
We strongly advise you to check with your competent health insurance fund abroad.
Insured worker abroad, residing abroad
If you move to another country for which you will work and contribute, this will be your country responsible for social security.
We therefore invite you to :
- Contact your Neutral Health Insurance Fund to close your Belgian file.
- Find out more at the competent health insurance fund abroad in order to register for it.
Treatments in Belgium
You can access medically necessary healthcare in Belgium through the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
The EHIC :
- is issued by your foreign social security
- guarantees that you will be able to claim reimbursement for your medically necessary healthcare in Belgium
- allows you to benefit from an intervention according to the reimbursement conditions and rates in force in Belgium in the same way as its social security insured.
Healthcare in a third countryduring a temporary stay
If you are planning to go on a temporary stay, then you depend on the country in which you work. It is also this country that will issue you with the cover forms for your temporary stay in order to possibly benefit from the third-party payment system on site.
We strongly advise you to check with your competent health insurance fund abroad.
Contact your Neutral Health Insurance Fund :
For detailed information on your rights and the steps to take to ensure that you and your family continue to benefit from adequate coverage.
Contact your Neutral Health Insurance Fund
Work in Albania, Algeria, Australia, Bosnia, North Macedonia, Morocco, Montenegro, Quebec, Tunisia and Turkey
In some countries and under certain conditions, workers can receive coverage for their health care in their countries of residence/work.
This possibility depends on various factors specific to each country.
It is therefore crucial to contact your Belgian health insurance fund to check whether you are eligible for such coverage and to find out what steps are necessary.