Health Cover

Health Insurance for Students in Belgium

You need health insurance twice: proof of cover for your visa, and then a Belgian health insurance fund (a group that pays part of your doctor bills) after you arrive. Here is how both work.

Student Insurance Plan • Belgium

POLICY TYPE

Belgian health insurance fund, "student" status

Doctor, medicine and hospital costs

Partly paid back

Fee set by law for students (2026)

EUR (euro) 78.93 every 3 months

How Health Insurance Works in Belgium

Belgium requires every non-EU student to have health cover.

Why You Need Health Insurance

The visa rules ask for it.
Non-EU students must join a Belgian health insurance fund.
Universities ask for proof at the start of your studies.

Legal Requirements

Cover for any illness or accident in Belgium for your whole stay (visa).
Each year you must show your insurance when you renew your residence card.

Insurance Approaches for Different Students

For the visa

Proof of cover for any illness or accident in Belgium for your whole stay.

After arrival

Join a Belgian health insurance fund as a "student".

With your residence card

Change to "resident" status at your fund.

Without insurance proof, you can stay only four months.

What Universities Ask

Universities want proof of health insurance when you start.

Your Insurance Options

Students from India and Pakistan are from outside the EU and the EEA (the European Economic Area: the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). They join a Belgian health insurance fund (mutualité in French, ziekenfonds in Dutch).

Belgian health insurance fund

Required for non-EU students. It partly pays for care, medicine and hospital stays.

Extra hospital insurance

Optional. Your fund or a private insurance company such as Ethias can sell it.

Getting Care

How to get help when you are ill.

Healthcare System Basics

Your fund pays back part of the cost of care, medicine and hospital stays.

Step-by-Step Care Guides

Emergency

1Call 112 for an ambulance.

Ill at night or at the weekend

1Call 1733 for the doctor on duty.

What It Costs

The fee set by law is the same at every fund.

Hidden Costs to Consider

Membership fee

On top of the fee set by law, funds charge their own membership fee. HZIV/CAAMI is a fund that does not charge this.

Money-Saving Tips

Change to "resident" status once you have your residence card.

Questions and Official Links

Short answers and where to read more.

Official Government Resources

Belgian Immigration Office: student visa

Insurance rules for the visa.

Visit Resource →

University of Antwerp: health insurance

How non-EEA students join a fund at the University of Antwerp (UAntwerpen).

Visit Resource →

Emergency Contacts

Ambulance and fire

112

Free emergency call.

Doctor on duty

1733

Nights and weekends.

Important: Save the local emergency numbers in your phone before you travel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need insurance for the Belgian student visa?

Yes. Your visa papers need proof of cover for any illness or accident in Belgium for your whole stay. If you do not have it, you can still stay four months.

What if I have no insurance proof for the visa?

You may stay only four months at first. Show your insurance at the town hall (commune in French, gemeente in Dutch) at least 15 days before the four months end.

When do I join a Belgian health insurance fund?

Right after you arrive, as a "student". You need a letter from your university that shows you are a student there.

How much does it cost?

In 2026, students paid EUR 78.93 every 3 months. The fee is the same at every fund. Most funds also charge a membership fee.

Can it get cheaper later?

When you get your residence card (the card that shows you may live in Belgium), send your fund a copy. Ask to change from "student" to "resident". With no or very low income you then pay no fee set by law.