Charging a no show fee in Belgium: what the law allows

What exactly is a no show fee?

A no show fee is a fixed amount you charge when a client neither turns up nor cancels in time. It sits in your terms, and the client knows in advance what missing the appointment will cost.

Belgian lawyers separate two kinds of clause. With a cancellation clause, the client pays a price for the right to cancel. With a penalty clause, you agree in advance on the compensation due if the client does not keep the appointment. For a salon or clinic it is almost always a penalty clause, and that comes with one important rule: the amount must stay reasonable.

The difference from a deposit matters a lot. With a no show fee you chase the money afterwards. With a deposit you already have it. More on that below.

When can you charge a no show fee in Belgium?

No Belgian law says in so many words that a no show fee is allowed or banned. Ordinary contract rules apply. According to an article by the law firm Wanted Law dated 7 October 2026 and a piece by the firm De Haese, both read on 21 October 2026, four things need to be true.

1. 1There is an appointment. The client actually booked a treatment. A phone call asking for information is not an appointment.
2. 2The client knew and accepted the rule. Since 1 January 2023, article 5.23 of the Belgian Civil Code says a term only binds the client if they could genuinely read it and accepted it, at the latest when they booked.
3. 3They did not cancel in time. Your rule has to say until when cancelling is free, for instance up to 24 hours before.
4. 4There was no force majeure. A client in a car accident or rushed to hospital does not owe you the fee.

That is exactly why a poster in your waiting room does not cut it. The client sees it on arrival, after the appointment was already made. The same goes for a rule tucked away at the bottom of your website that nothing points to.

How much can you charge?

There is no legal cap. But a judge can reduce a penalty clause that is clearly unreasonable (article 5.88 of the Civil Code). With consumers, the unfair terms rules of the Code of Economic Law come on top. An amount far above your real loss risks being thrown out altogether.

The safest route is a fixed amount you can explain. What do you lose when a chair or treatment table stays empty? The price of the treatment, minus what you do not spend, such as products. These worked examples use the starting prices we suggest per trade. They are our own assumptions, not advice.

Healthcare professions often face extra rules from their professional order or association and agreements with the national health insurer, RIZIV. Check those before you settle on a figure.

Want to see what missed appointments cost you over a year first? Run the numbers with our no show calculator.

What have Belgian courts decided?

Court cases over a no show fee are rare, because the sums are small. The known rulings still show what it comes down to: could the client have known the rule?

• Court of First Instance, Antwerp, 8 February 2010. A dentist was awarded €90 per planned hour after a patient skipped four long appointments. There was no written contract, but other documents showed the patient knew the rule.
• Justice of the Peace, Bruges, 6 October 2015. A dentist won against a patient who kept failing to turn up. His rule was on his business card and in his confirmation emails.
• Kontich, 2018. The fee was refused, because nobody could prove the patient had agreed to the appointment, let alone the rule.

The lesson never changes. Whoever put the rule in the confirmation won. Whoever could not prove it lost. These rulings predate the new Civil Code, but the reasoning still holds.

How do you make sure the client accepts your rule?

It depends on how the client books.

Online booking

Show the rule in the last step, before the confirm button, and have the client tick a box to agree. That is the strongest proof you can get.

Phone booking

Mention the rule on the call, then send a written confirmation by text, WhatsApp or email that includes it. You will find wording in appointment confirmation templates.

At the front desk

When you book the next visit after a treatment, send a confirmation then as well. An appointment card is fine. A message the client can find again is better.

Wording you can use for your rule

Short and specific works best. Adjust the notice period and the amount to your business.

The line about events beyond the client's control is not a weakness. It shows your rule is reasonable, which helps if you ever have to defend it. More wording by trade is in cancellation policy for appointments.

How do you collect a no show fee?

This is the hard part. Having a rule is one thing, getting paid is another.

1. 1Within a week, send a friendly message with the amount and a payment link or your account number.
2. 2Refer to your rule and to the confirmation the client received.
3. 3If they do not pay, send one reminder.
4. 4Still nothing? Decide whether to take it further. For €20, legal action is rarely worth it.

That is why more and more businesses ask for a deposit instead. A client who pays €10 or €15 when booking either turns up or lets you know. And if they still do not come, there is nobody to chase. Read asking your clients for a deposit.

When is it better to let it go?

A no show fee is a tool, not the goal. Sometimes it costs you more than it earns.

• Genuine emergencies, such as an accident or a child who had to go to A&E.
• A loyal client of many years who forgets for the first time. A kind message is worth more than €20.
• When the rule was not in the confirmation. You will struggle to prove it.
• When you forgot to send the reminder yourself.

Running a business in the UK or the Netherlands? Different rules apply there, so have your terms checked locally. This article is general information about Belgian law, not legal advice.

How Bookable helps

Bookable cannot chase a client for money after the fact. What it does is make sure you rarely need to.

• A deposit per treatment. A fixed amount, a percentage or the full price up front. The client pays by Bancontact or iDEAL into your own Mollie account. Mollie charges €0.39 per Bancontact payment.
• Reminders by WhatsApp and email. Every client gets a reminder before their appointment, automatically.
• A confirmation after every booking. The client has the appointment in writing straight away.

Start costs from €29 a month and Praktijk from €49 a month when paid yearly, or from €34 and €58 a month when paid monthly. Try it free for 14 days, no card needed. Full details are on the pricing page.

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