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Practical guide

Accident or hospitalization abroad

You or someone close to you has been admitted to hospital outside Belgium. Here is whom to call within 48 hours, what the European Health Insurance Card covers and who pays for repatriation, because the Belgian State never does.

Before you start

  • A European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for each traveller. It is free; request it from your health-insurance fund or the CAAMI before leaving.
  • The contract and policy number of your travel or assistance insurance.
  • The assistance number for your health-insurance fund, often printed on the back of the card.
  • The identity documents of the hospitalized person, and the name of the medication they are taking.
  • The name and number of a contact person in Belgium.

The steps, in order

  1. Call for aid from the country: 112 in the European Union

    Obtain medical care first. Within the European Union, 112 works everywhere and in several languages. Note the exact name of the hospital and department, as you will need them for every following step.

  2. Call the assistance centre within 48 hours

    Forgetting this call can be very expensive. If you belong to the Christian Mutuality, Solidaris or the Liberal Mutuality, call Mutas 24 hours a day on +32 2 272 09 00 through MC or +32 2 272 08 70 through Solidaris. More than 48 hours after admission, the contribution may be sharply reduced; at Solidaris it falls to 125 €.

  3. Check which assistance centre covers you

    Not every health-insurance fund uses Mutas. The Independent Health Insurance Funds, including Partenamut and Helan, appear to have their own assistance centre. Do not guess: call the number on the back of your health-insurance card or your fund's reception desk to confirm who handles your case before 48 hours have passed.

  4. What to know firstThe European Health Insurance Card covers neither repatriation, private-clinic treatment nor costs outside Europe. Outside the European Union, travel insurance is essential in practice. Travelling without suitable insurance in a risky situation may also be grounds for refusing consular assistance. This information was checked in August 2026; amounts and conditions vary by health-insurance fund and contract, and your fund has the final say.

    Present the European Health Insurance Card at the hospital

    The EHIC gives access to medically necessary care under the same conditions as residents of the country, in the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland. You pay what a resident would pay, which may be a lot or nothing. Coverage in the United Kingdom has differed since Brexit; call your health-insurance fund before travelling or as soon as you are admitted.

  5. Notify the Belgian consulate if the situation is serious

    A serious accident is one of the legal grounds for consular assistance. Find the diplomatic post in the directory at https://diplomatie.belgium.be/fr/ambassades-et-consulats or contact FPS Foreign Affairs on +32 2 501 81 11. The consulate can notify your family in Belgium and give you a list of local doctors. It does not pay hospital bills or obtain preferential treatment, so do not rely on it for funding.

  6. Have repatriation organized by insurance or Mutas

    Medical repatriation is organised and paid for by your assistance insurer or your health-insurance fund's assistance centre. Mutas arranges it when it considers it medically necessary. The Belgian State does not repatriate anyone at its own expense. If you have no cover and no family able to pay, the only remaining option is an advance of consular funds against an acknowledgement of debt; see the guide "Belgian in distress abroad".

  7. Keep all invoices and medical reports

    Always request paper copies of detailed invoices, proof of payment, the discharge report and prescriptions. Without these documents, the health-insurance fund and insurer will not reimburse you after your return. Keep them with the case reference supplied by the assistance centre.

This guide offers guidance, never legal advice. Practice differs from one commune to another: call before you go. If you are in immediate danger, call 112.