Belgium sickness benefits Morocco: Medical authorization required

In just five years, the increase has been spectacular. The daily newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws reveals, based on Inami statistics, that 14,713 people on long-term sick leave reside outside Belgium’s borders in 2025. This figure has jumped 58% since 2020, far exceeding the overall increase in benefit recipients. The majority of these expatriates are concentrated in neighboring countries, such as France and the Netherlands, a situation often linked to cross-border worker status. Spain also attracts a significant share of these insured individuals.

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Leaving Belgian territory for a destination outside the European Union must follow a particularly strict protocol. Individuals wishing to settle in Morocco must obtain written authorization issued by a medical advisor before their departure. This practitioner assesses the situation and may refuse the move if deemed inadvisable for health reasons. Packing for the kingdom without this precious medical clearance results in automatic suspension of financial benefits.

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The profile of these expatriate patients remains very specific: seven out of ten are over 50 years old and nearly all are salaried employees or civil servants, versus a tiny minority of self-employed workers. In theory, the health insurance fund retains the right to have the insured person’s health status verified while living in Morocco by mandating a local organization to prepare a report. In practice, the frequency of these remote inspections remains completely unknown, given that verifications already prove particularly complex on Belgian soil.