What to do in case of cross-border work? - I am retired

You live in Belgium, were a cross-border worker and you receive your pension from one or more countries.

You receive your pension from several countries

What about your rights to reimbursement for healthcare if you are retired and were a cross-border worker?

You live in Belgium and receive your pension from one other EEA country or Switzerland

Do you live in Belgium and are you a pensioner dependent on another EEA country (European Union countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or Switzerland? Then you can register with CM with a foreign S1 form. You then have the same rights to healthcare in Belgium as Belgian insured persons.

To be insured during a temporary stay in another country, during a planned procedure abroad or upon return to the country where you are dependent, you must take certain procedures into account.

Temporary stay abroad

If you go abroad temporarily, for example when traveling, you must take the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with you.

The EHIC is proof that your health insurance is in order .
The card is personal and you must therefore apply for each family member.
If you receive medically necessary care, the EHIC entitles you to reimbursement from a foreign health insurance fund. If necessary, you can also obtain a refund afterwards. Submit your invoices to your insurance institution in the country that provides your medical care.
The card is valid in all EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland;
You do not need it in Belgium or in the country that provides your medical care.

You must apply for the EHIC in the country that provides your medical care.

If you are a Dutch pensioner and you live in Belgium, the Central Administrative Office (CAK) will automatically send you the EHIC.
If you are a German retiree and live in Belgium, apply for the EHIC at your Krankenkasse.
If you are a Luxembourgish retiree and live in Belgium, apply for the EHIC at the Caisse Nationale de la Santé (CNS).
If you are a pensioner dependent on another EEA country or Switzerland and you live in Belgium, you must apply for the EHIC from the competent institution of that country.

Planned treatment

You require prior permission for planned treatment in an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
Your insurance institution in the country that provides your medical care is authorized to do so.

What should you do?

You direct your request to CM.
CM will process your application and submit it to the competent institution of the country that provides your medical care.
This setting may or may not give you approval.

Consent is not required for planned treatment in Belgium or in the country that provides your medical care, if that country grants the right of return.

Right of return

If you are dependent on a country that grants the right of return, you can always go there for medical care. You do not need an EHIC or prior authorization for the refund.

The following countries grant the right of return:

Bulgaria	Cyprus	Germany	France	Greece	Hungary
Iceland	Liechtenstein	Luxembourg	The Netherlands	Austria	Poland
Slovenia	Spain	Czech Republic	Sweden	Switzerland

If you are dependent on another country , you are only covered for medically necessary care.

You live in Belgium and receive your pension from several countries

You are a retired cross-border worker. You live in Belgium and you receive a pension from more than one country. Even if you are no longer insured under your last country of employment, you can still seek care through the limited right of return or, in some cases, the extended right of return.

Limited right of return

Thanks to a European regulation (law) that came into effect on May 1, 2010, you are entitled to ' continuation of treatment ' in the country where you last worked.

You can return there to continue a treatment that has already started.
You do not need permission from your current insurance institution for this.
Ask your current insurance institution for the S3 form that proves that you are entitled to 'continued treatment'.

Your dependent family members also enjoy this limited right of return and can therefore receive an S3 form. However, this is not the case if your last country of employment was one of the following.

Denmark	Estonia	Finland	Hungary
Ireland	Iceland	Italy	Lithuania
The Netherlands	Norway	Spain	Sweden
United Kingdom

There, only you as a former cross-border worker can continue a treatment that has already started.

Extensive right of return

If you have worked at least two years in Germany, France, Luxembourg, Austria, Portugal or Spain in the last five years before you retire, you retain the right to health care there.

You do not have to ask permission from CM for medical services in that country. Do request the S3 document. This proves that you are entitled to all healthcare in your former country of employment.

Your dependent family members and surviving relatives also enjoy this right of return in the above-mentioned countries, except Spain. They can therefore also receive an S3 document.