Refinancing a mortgage in Belgium
Refinancing in Belgium takes two forms. Renegotiating internally keeps the existing mortgage registration and avoids a new notarial deed. Moving to another lender means releasing the old registration and taking a new one, which is far more expensive. Both trigger a reinvestment fee owed to the original lender, capped by law.
Compare the two routes before comparing lenders. Internal renegotiation is cheap and quick; moving lender only wins when the rate gap is wide enough to absorb the release of the old registration, a new deed and the new lender's arrangement fee. Ask your current lender first — a refusal costs nothing and gives you a number to beat.
| Provider | Plan | Rate | Key points | View plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 KBC |
Crédit logement KBC | 3.54% |
| View plan |
 CBC Banque KBC |
Crédit logement CBC | 3.55% |
| View plan |
 Keytrade Bank |
Crédit hypothécaire Keytrade | 3.62% |
| View plan |
 Argenta |
Crédit logement Argenta | 3.85% |
| View plan |
 Belfius |
Crédit habitation Belfius | 4.00% |
| View plan |
 Elantis |
Crédit hypothécaire Elantis | 4.08% |
| View plan |
 Beobank |
Crédit hypothécaire Beobank | 4.20% |
| View plan |
Prices and features surveyed on August 31, 2026. They may have changed since. Always check the offer on the provider’s website before signing up.
The three costs that decide whether it pays
The reinvestment fee is owed to the lender you leave, as compensation for early repayment. Belgian mortgage credit law caps it, expressed in months of interest on the amount repaid, and the exact figure applicable to you must be stated in your credit contract. Read it there rather than estimating.
The release of the existing mortgage registration — the mainlevée, handlichting in Dutch — is only needed when you change lender. It is a notarial act with its own cost, and it is followed by a new registration and a new deed for the incoming lender.
The new lender's arrangement fee and valuation costs complete the picture. Taken together, these three items are what turn an apparently attractive rate gap into a marginal operation, especially late in a loan when little capital remains outstanding.
The calculation is not about the rate difference but about the point at which cumulative savings exceed cumulative costs. If that point falls beyond the remaining term, the operation loses money however good the new rate looks.
Internal renegotiation versus moving lender
Staying with your existing lender keeps the mortgage registration in place. There is no mainlevée, no new deed and no new registration, so the cost collapses to the reinvestment fee and a file charge. This is why internal renegotiation is worth attempting first even when the rate offered is slightly less good.
Lenders are not obliged to renegotiate, and some decline. A written offer from a competitor is the argument that works, because it converts an abstract request into a concrete risk of losing the file.
Moving lender makes sense on a large remaining balance early in the term, where a wide rate gap generates enough saving to cover the notarial costs several times over.
One point to check either way: what happens to your solde restant dû cover. An existing policy can often be kept and reassigned to the new credit, which preserves the premium set at the age you took it out. Cancelling and re-subscribing at a higher age is a hidden cost of refinancing.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the reinvestment fee cost in Belgium?
Belgian law caps the fee a lender may claim on early repayment of a mortgage credit, expressed as a number of months of interest on the sum repaid. The applicable figure is written into your credit contract, so read the clause rather than relying on a general estimate before running the calculation.
Is refinancing worth it for a small rate difference?
Rarely if you change lender, because the notarial costs of releasing and re-registering the mortgage are largely fixed and do not shrink with the size of the gap. For a small gap, internal renegotiation with your existing lender is the only route with a realistic chance of paying for itself.
Can my bank refuse to renegotiate?
Yes. There is no right to renegotiate an existing credit, and a lender may simply decline. What changes the answer is a written offer from a competitor, since the alternative for the lender is losing the loan entirely along with the associated banking relationship.
What happens to my solde restant dû insurance?
It can often be transferred to the new credit rather than cancelled, which matters because the premium was set at the age and health status you had when you subscribed. Ask the insurer before signing anything, since re-subscribing years later at a higher age can wipe out the interest saving.