Cost of Medical Interpretation in Belgium: Rates and Reimbursements

Medical interpreting is a critical service that ensures patients and healthcare providers can communicate accurately, safely, and respectfully across language barriers. In Belgium, the landscape of medical interpreting combines publicly subsidised services, hospital-based interpreters, and private professional agencies. Understanding the cost structure helps patients, hospitals, and general practitioners make informed decisions.

Public and subsidised medical interpreting in Belgium

Belgium has developed a network of subsidised social interpreters (interprètes sociaux / sociaal tolken) coordinated primarily by the regional integration bodies: Bruxelles-Laïque / CAL in Brussels, SETIS in Brussels, and various provincial centres in Flanders (Kruispunt Migratie-Integratie network). These services offer interpreting in community languages for medical, social, and administrative consultations.

For patients using these subsidised services, the cost is typically zero or very low. Healthcare providers (hospitals, GPs, CPAS) that use registered social interpreters may pay a subsidised fee - often €20 to €50 per session - or benefit from regional co-financing. However, these services have significant limitations: availability in rare languages, same-day bookings, and highly technical medical consultations (oncology, psychiatry, complex surgery) may fall outside their scope.

Private professional medical interpreting: rates

When a subsidised service is unavailable or insufficient for a particular language pair or medical context, healthcare providers and individuals turn to private agencies. Professional medical interpreting rates in Belgium:

• In-person medical interpreting: typically €60 to €120 per hour, with a minimum of 1 to 2 hours, plus travel expenses. Total cost for a typical GP or specialist consultation: €80 to €200
• Telephone interpreting: €1.50 to €3.00 per minute, with a minimum connection charge. Effective for short clarifications but less suitable for detailed consultations
• Video remote interpreting (VRI): €60 to €90 per hour for scheduled sessions. Increasingly used in hospitals for planned consultations

Is medical interpreting covered by Belgian health insurance?

Currently, private professional medical interpreting costs are not reimbursed by the INAMI/RIZIV (Belgian national health insurance). The cost falls on the patient or, in some cases, is absorbed by the hospital as part of its equal access policy. Some CPAS (public welfare centres) cover interpreting costs for their beneficiaries on a case-by-case basis.

Legislative discussions have periodically addressed this gap, particularly for psychiatric consultations and chronic disease management. However, as of 2026, no systematic INAMI reimbursement scheme for private medical interpreting exists.

When is a professional medical interpreter mandatory?

Ethically and legally, informed consent requires that patients fully understand their diagnosis, treatment options, and risks. In practice, this means professional interpretation is essential for surgical procedures and anaesthesia explanations, oncology consultations, psychiatric assessments, complex chronic disease management, and end-of-life care discussions. Using an untrained family member as interpreter in these contexts creates serious medical and ethical risks.