Health Insurance for Students in Belgium: Mutuality, Costs, EU and Non-EU

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

In Belgium, health insurance is organised through health insurance funds, called mutualities in French (mutuelles) and ziekenfondsen in Dutch. Non-EU students must join one. EU students can choose between three arrangements. This guide uses the public fund CAAMI-HZIV and the pages of Belgian universities consulted in October 2026. The insurance needed for the visa application is in the student visa guide for Belgium, and a Europe-wide overview is in health insurance for students in Europe.

How the system works

You choose a fund. There is the public fund CAAMI-HZIV, which offers only the compulsory cover, and five private mutualities, which also sell optional extra cover. The CAAMI-HZIV page says the compulsory insurance includes a contribution to medical care costs and a partial reimbursement of certain medicines, so you still pay part of the cost yourself.

UCLouvain explains that the private funds charge an additional amount for complementary insurance, which covers extras such as ophthalmology, psychological help, speech therapy and osteopathy. The amounts it gave date from 2023, so ask each fund for its current price.

If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss student

UCLouvain lists three options:

Keep your national insurance. You are reimbursed under your home country's rules and you pay for care in Belgium yourself. You do not need to register at the town hall, so you do not get a Belgian registration number.
Register at the town hall and join a Belgian fund. Belgian reimbursement rules then apply and the doctor does not need to be paid in advance.
Join a Belgian fund and keep your national insurance. This is free and does not require town hall registration. The Belgian fund acts as an intermediary, and Belgian reimbursement rates apply.

CAAMI-HZIV says EEA nationals can register without paying a contribution by showing the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from their national insurer. The University of Antwerp advises getting the EHIC before travelling, and registering with a Belgian insurer if your home insurer cannot issue one.

If you are a non-EU student

Belgian health insurance is mandatory and you must show that you have it, or will have it, when you apply for the student visa. After arrival, you join a fund. The University of Antwerp says to register as a student immediately on arrival with a certificate confirming your enrolment. Once you have your residence permit, you send a copy to the fund to change your status from student to resident.

CAAMI-HZIV describes the two statuses:

Student: your legal residence is abroad. You provide an annual certificate of registration from your institution and pay €78.93 per quarter in 2026.
Resident: your legal residence is in Belgium and you hold a valid residence permit. With no official income, you pay no contribution. With income, you pay a contribution proportional to it.

You register with a form in French (39F), Dutch (39N) or German (39D), depending on the region of the office, with your enrolment certificate and a copy of both sides of your identity document. For non-Europeans that means a card A, B or C, or the temporary document Annex 15 together with a valid type D visa. Fund pages from other universities also ask for a bank account number. CAAMI-HZIV registers you in the status most advantageous for you.

UCLouvain adds that the status depends on the document you receive. If you arrived with travel or scholarship insurance, you receive a one-year permit and enrol under the resident status. If you arrived without insurance, you receive a temporary permit of about four months and usually enrol as a student, then switch to resident when the permanent permit arrives.

Extra rules to know

Flemish healthcare premium (zorgpremie). The University of Antwerp says it applies from age 26 to people living in Flanders. Foreign students over 25 who are registered in the foreigners' register are asked to pay it, although some are exempt.
Increased reimbursement. As a resident, you may qualify for a higher reimbursement rate, which depends on income.
First enrolment check-up at UCLouvain. Non-EU students enrolling for the first time must complete a free medical check-up with the campus doctor. Other institutions have their own rules, so read your own institution's page.
Renewing your permit. You need proof of Belgian cover when you renew. Keep the fund's certificate with your enrolment papers.

A short plan

Before you travel, decide whether you are an EU student with an EHIC or a non-EU student who needs Belgian cover.
Get your enrolment certificate. Every fund asks for it.
Join a fund in the first days, and ask about the price of optional extra cover.
Update your status when you receive the residence permit.

Prices for the year are in how much it costs to study in Belgium. Our catalogue lists 1,429 programmes at 131 institutions in Belgium, see all programmes.

Official sources

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.