Right to be forgotten expanded in June 2026: what every broker should know
Since June 2026, a cancer cured for 5 years no longer needs to be declared. The right to be forgotten also covers chronic illnesses. Here is what changes for your practice.
The right to be forgotten in insurance has been significantly strengthened in Belgium. Since June 2026, the rules have changed, and every broker should inform their affected clients. It is a concrete differentiator and a full-fledged duty of advice.
What the law says
The right to be forgotten is enshrined in Articles 61/1 to 61/7 of the Law of 4 April 2014 on insurance. Its principle is simple: a former cancer patient must no longer be penalised when taking out certain insurance policies, provided their treatment has been completed for a defined period.
Since 1 January 2025, this period has been set at 5 years for all types of cancer, regardless of age at diagnosis. Previously, the period was 8 years (10 years before 2022).
Since June 2026, three major changes have come into effect. The declaration obligation has been removed after 5 years of recovery: the client no longer needs to mention their former cancer in the medical questionnaire. Travel cancellation insurance is now covered by the right to be forgotten. And the insurer is obliged to inform the insurance applicant of the existence of this right.
Insurance types covered
The right to be forgotten applies to three types of insurance:
Outstanding balance insurance (assurance solde restant du), linked to mortgage credit. This is the most common case in practice.
Guaranteed income / disability insurance. A client who has been cured for 5 years can no longer be refused, excluded, or surcharged for this coverage.
Travel cancellation insurance, added in June 2026.
Conditions to verify
Treatment (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy) must have been fully completed for at least 5 years. No relapse must have occurred since the end of treatment. Follow-up hormone therapy does not break the period: a client on hormone treatment after breast cancer remains eligible if the main treatment was completed 5 years ago.
Certain cancers benefit from even shorter periods, according to the reference grid of the FPS Economy. A cutaneous melanoma pT1a or certain breast cancers may be covered after just 1 year. Thyroid cancer T1a/T1b, Hodgkin lymphoma, or testicular cancer after 3 years.
Chronic illnesses too
The right to be forgotten is not limited to cancer. Certain chronic illnesses are covered by Annex 2 of the reference grid, with specific periods and surcharge caps per condition. The complete grid is available on the FPS Economy website.
Files to reopen in your portfolio
You probably have clients who were denied outstanding balance insurance, or who accepted a significant surcharge, because of a medical history that now falls under the right to be forgotten. This is the time to revisit those files, check the dates, and reopen the dialogue with the insurance company.
The client who discovers they can finally take out an outstanding balance policy under normal conditions immediately understands the value of their broker. This is exactly the kind of proactive approach that distinguishes a broker from an online comparison site.
In case of dispute, two remedies exist: the Pricing Monitoring Office (free, with equal representation of insurers and patients) and the Insurance Ombudsman.
To stay informed of regulatory developments and keep your website compliant with the latest obligations, solutions like BrokerWeb automatically integrate legal updates into the structure of your professional website.
