Your purchases in Belgium: guarantees, protections and steps to take

The practical Garanti guide for individuals By Pierre Leonet, founder of Garanti · Last updated: 6 November 2026 · Reading time: around 12 minutes

In short: in Belgium, every new purchase from a professional seller carries a 2-year legal guarantee. A defect that appears during the first two years is presumed to have existed at delivery. Contact the seller first, in writing, with your proof of purchase; a manufacturer warranty, extension or bank card may add further cover.

An appliance breaks down, a purchase is damaged or you want to return it? The right steps depend on what happened, the seller and the terms of your protections. This guide helps you find the right information and prepare your request.

It covers purchases of items for private use: household appliances, electronics, furniture, clothing… Services, digital content sold separately and other particular situations require specific checks.

1. Where should you start?

This table guides your search; it does not confirm that a request will be accepted. The distinctions are explained below.

What Garanti does for you: each purchase brings its possible protections together in one place — legal guarantee, manufacturer, card — so you know straight away whom to turn to.

2. The legal guarantee: your point of contact is the seller

For a new item bought from a professional seller for your private use, the legal guarantee of conformity is, in principle, two years from delivery. It concerns a lack of conformity: for example, an appliance that does not work as expected or a product that does not match what was ordered.

The final seller is responsible for it. On a marketplace, check the identity of the seller shown on the order or invoice: it is not necessarily the platform.

A defect that appears during the two years is presumed to have existed at delivery; the seller may provide evidence to the contrary. A lack of conformity is not the same as any breakdown: the guarantee is not insurance covering accidental damage or normal wear and tear.

Act promptly: notify the seller as soon as you discover the problem and, in any event, within the following two months, unless a longer period has been agreed. Keep a written record.

Source: FPS Economy — Your rights regarding guarantees.

What can you request?

First, repair or replacement free of charge, depending on what is possible and proportionate. The remedy must be provided within a reasonable time, without significant inconvenience.

A price reduction or cancellation of the sale may be possible, in particular if the seller refuses to bring the goods into conformity, if the defect persists despite an attempt or if the defect is sufficiently serious. A minor defect does not entitle you to demand cancellation.

The guarantee period is suspended during repair or replacement. Replacement does not automatically start a new two-year period. Keep the dates when you handed the item over and received it back.

Source: FPS Economy — The law on guarantees.

What Garanti does for you: Garanti estimates the legal guarantee period when it has the necessary information. The calculation uses the delivery date entered or, failing that, an estimate based on the purchase date. Check the expiry date, particularly after a date correction or a repair.

3. What about a second-hand purchase?

From a professional seller: the default period is two years. It may be reduced by contract, but not to less than one year, provided the seller clearly informs you of this at the time of sale. Check your proof of purchase and the agreed terms.

Between private individuals: the sale does not create the same legal consumer guarantee owed by the private seller. However, a legal guarantee still in force with the original professional seller may continue for the remaining period. Ask for the original proof of purchase. Whether a commercial guarantee can be transferred depends on its terms.

In Garanti, a second-hand purchase therefore requires a check: “To be checked — 1 to 2 years” for the legal guarantee when the purchase falls under this regime; two years is never displayed as confirmed until the agreed period is known. Card protections are not tracked automatically for second-hand purchases; any cover you enter remains self-declared.

Sources: FPS Economy — Frequently asked questions and commercial or contractual guarantee.

What Garanti does for you: Garanti lets you specify the item’s condition and identify the seller. Some information may be suggested based on the proof of purchase or the purchase context. Estimated or presumed data still needs to be confirmed when it is important for determining your rights.

4. Manufacturer’s guarantee: look at what it actually covers

A brand or seller may offer a commercial guarantee, free of charge or for a fee. It supplements your legal rights and cannot reduce them.

Check its duration, the parts concerned, any excluded costs and the steps required. An advertisement stating “motor guaranteed for ten years” does not necessarily mean that the whole appliance, labour and call-out costs are covered for ten years.

Keep the guarantee document and, if necessary, confirmation of product registration. If in doubt, ask the manufacturer which terms apply to your model and your purchase.

Source: FPS Economy — Commercial or contractual guarantee.

What Garanti does for you: for certain listed brands, Garanti may suggest an indicative commercial guarantee period based on published sources. Its applicability depends, in particular, on the model, the components covered and the manufacturer’s terms. You can check or complete the information about your product.

5. Your bank card may offer additional protection

Compare the protection of 50 Belgian cards, with their official sources: Bank card guide.

Some cards include purchase insurance or an extended guarantee. Depending on the contract, a protection may cover certain accidental damage, certain thefts or a breakdown after the initial guarantee. Having paid by card is not enough to confirm cover.

Before relying on it, check:

• your card’s exact name and plan;
• the payment required: full, partial or another condition;
• the items and events covered;
• the coverage period and the deadline for reporting a claim;
• the limits, excesses, exclusions and documents required.

There is no duration or rule common to all cards. Consult the terms corresponding to your contract and ask the organisation handling claims for confirmation. A manufacturer’s guarantee and card insurance do not automatically add together.

Example of a contractual source illustrating these differences, without recommending a card: Beobank — Visa Extra and associated insurance documents.

What Garanti does for you: Garanti compares your purchase and card information with the terms of the listed protections. It indicates potential protections, known criteria and checks still required. A displayed protection does not constitute confirmation that the insurer will cover a claim: an official source consulted is not confirmed cover, and not all individual excesses or exclusions are checked.

6. Returning a purchase: breakdown or change of mind?

You have changed your mind

For an online purchase of an item from a professional seller, you generally have 14 calendar days starting on the day after receipt to notify your withdrawal. After this notification, you have, in principle, 14 days to send the item back.

Exceptions exist, particularly for personalised goods, perishable goods or certain products sealed for hygiene reasons that you have opened. For an order delivered in several instalments, the period generally starts on receipt of the last item. You may have to pay the return costs if you were informed of this.

Keep proof of your notification and of dispatch. Do not confuse the deadline for announcing your decision with the deadline for returning the parcel.

Sources: FPS Economy — Changing your mind and online sales rules.

In a shop, there is generally no right to return an item simply because you have changed your mind. An exchange or refund then depends on the seller’s commercial policy. This does not remove your rights if the product has a defect.

Source: FPS Economy — Withdrawal periods.

What Garanti does for you: for an online purchase, Garanti may display an estimate of the usual deadline for notifying your withdrawal, based on the known delivery date. Certain sales are excluded from this right or are subject to particular rules. Check the applicable terms before acting.

7. Prepare an easy-to-understand file

Start with the essentials:

1. Identify the purchase: product, seller, purchase date and delivery date if different.
2. Keep the evidence: a legible receipt or invoice, with all relevant pages.
3. Record the payment: cash, bank transfer, card… and the specific card if you want to check its protections.

If a problem occurs, add whatever is useful for your request: a factual description, the date the problem was noticed, photos, serial number, correspondence with the seller and any repair reports.

For insurance, additional documents may be requested: proof of payment, a quotation, a certificate stating that the item cannot be repaired or a police report in the event of theft. Ask for the list corresponding to your contract before incurring costs. Do not throw away the damaged item before receiving the necessary instructions.

Example of documents required under a particular contract: Beobank — Purchase insurance claim form. This list does not apply to all insurance policies.

What “3/3 — File assembled” means in Garanti

Your purchase is identified, you have added an invoice OR a receipt, and you have entered a payment method. A specific card is not required to assemble the file.

This status means that the basic elements have been brought together in Garanti. It confirms neither the legal guarantee, nor insurance, nor acceptance of a claim. An assembled file may still require additional information for an insurance claim or a legal step.

What Garanti does for you: photograph your receipts and invoices or forward them by email; Garanti reads them, stores them privately and shows you what is missing to assemble the file. Review the information read, especially dates and amounts.

8. If a problem occurs, follow these five steps

1. Record the facts. What happened, when and in what circumstances? Describe what you observe without inventing the cause.
2. Choose the right point of contact. The seller for a defect falling under the legal guarantee; the organisation named in the contract for insurance; the manufacturer for its commercial guarantee.
3. Check the deadlines immediately. Do not wait for a Garanti reminder to report a known problem.
4. Send a clear request. Attach the relevant documents and keep a copy as well as the acknowledgement of receipt.
5. Keep track of progress. File reference, response, additional documents requested and proposed solution.

Example of an initial message to the seller

To be adapted only for a defect for which you are requesting application of the legal guarantee:

Subject: Request for remedy — [product / order] Dear Sir or Madam, I purchased [product] from your business on [date], delivered on [date]. Since [date the problem was noticed], I have observed the following problem: [precise description]. I ask you to assess my request for a remedy under the legal guarantee. I would like [a repair / a replacement], subject to what is possible and proportionate. Please find attached [proof of purchase and relevant information]. Please let me know the procedure and the expected timeframe. Kind regards, [Name and contact details]

Complete every field before sending. For accidental breakage or theft, use your insurance procedure rather than this template.

What Garanti does for you: Garanti brings together the information and supporting documents you have saved. When a problem occurs, you can add the missing facts, specify the date the problem was noticed and prepare your request more easily. Certain procedures require additional documents — a diagnosis, photos, correspondence with the seller, proof of payment, a repair report.

9. Common pitfalls to be aware of

These situations are common and often misunderstood. They provide guidance; each case still needs to be checked against the facts.

The seller and the platform

• Marketplace or seller outside the EU: a platform such as Amazon or bol is not necessarily the legal seller. Distinguish between the platform, the contractual seller, the applicable law and the practical possibility of seeking a remedy. If a professional directs its business activities towards Belgium, Belgian protection may apply subject to conditions. Find the seller named on the invoice or order confirmation; Garanti does not verify its legal status or location.
• Purchase from a private individual: resale does not create a new legal guarantee against that seller, but the original professional seller’s guarantee may continue for its remaining period; how it can be exercised needs to be checked. Keep the original proof of purchase.
• Business purchase or mixed use: the consumer guarantee is intended for private purchases. A business purchase does not automatically benefit from it; mixed use needs to be checked. Garanti is designed for individuals.

The condition and nature of the goods

• Second-hand or refurbished from a professional: two years in principle. “Second-hand” does not automatically mean “one year”: a reduced period, never less than one year, must be clearly stipulated.
• Gift paid for by someone else: the commercial guarantee may be reserved for the original purchaser, and card insurance follows the beneficiaries specified in its contract. No automatic conclusion is possible: specify who made the purchase.
• Live animal: a specific regime applies, in principle one year for the contracts concerned since 1 May 2024, with situations in which two years may apply. The usual calculation is not always suitable. Source: FPS Economy — Guarantee for live animals.

Dates and deadlines

• Invoice issued before delivery: the legal guarantee begins on delivery, not on the order or invoice date. Record the date of receipt.
• Breakdown after more than one year: the presumption covers two years in Belgium. A request cannot be rejected solely because the purchase was made more than one year ago.
• Defect noticed and then reported late: the guarantee period is not the reporting deadline, and any limitation period is yet another issue. Notify the seller within two months of noticing the defect, unless a longer period has been agreed.
• Repaired or replaced product: the guarantee is suspended while the goods are being brought into conformity; replacement does not automatically start two new years. Garanti does not recalculate this suspension: keep the repair document and check the expiry date.

Damage, deliveries and payments

• Broken screen, moisture, wear and tear: the legal guarantee concerns non-conformity, not accidental damage. A “breakage” or “moisture” label is not always enough to settle the matter: ask for the precise findings.
• Parcel not delivered or left outside the door: in principle, the risk remains with the seller until you take possession of the parcel, unless you chose a different carrier yourself.
• Payment split between two cards or made with a voucher: there is no common rule. Some contracts require full payment; others compensate proportionately.
• Manufacturer’s guarantee of five or ten years: it may cover only one part or exclude certain costs. It never reduces your rights against the seller.
• Immediate refund: repair or replacement normally come first; a refund becomes possible in the event of refusal, failure or a serious defect.

Sources: FPS Economy — The law on guarantees and Guarantees: your rights as a consumer.

What Garanti does for you: Garanti prompts you to specify the condition of the goods, the type of seller and the delivery date, and adapts its messages accordingly. Presumed information is identified as such, and a displayed card protection still needs to be confirmed with the insurer.

10. The seller refuses? Possible responses

Here are the most frequent refusals and a written response you can adapt when your request falls under the legal guarantee.

Remain factual and keep a copy of every exchange. These responses do not guarantee acceptance of your request.

Sources: FPS Economy — Commercial or contractual guarantee and Frequently asked questions.

What Garanti does for you: the information you have saved — proof of purchase, seller, delivery date if known — remains in the record; you add the date the problem was noticed and respond more quickly, with supporting evidence.

11. If you do not obtain a solution

Start with a written complaint to the business and keep its response.

Additional sources: FPS Economy — Guarantees and remedies and withdrawal and reporting.

What Garanti does for you: from a product record, Garanti can prepare a draft complaint based on the available information. You complete the facts, check the recipient, select the supporting documents and review the message before sending it yourself. Garanti does not contact the seller, opening the message in your email application does not prove it has been sent, and no repair or refund is guaranteed.

12. Three frequently asked questions

Do I need an invoice if I already have the receipt? Either one is enough to assemble your Garanti file. For a request, you must be able to establish the purchase concerned; additional information may be needed if the receipt does not identify the product sufficiently.

Do I need to keep the box for the legal guarantee? No: not having the original packaging does not remove this right. Above all, keep the proof of purchase. The rules for a change-of-mind return are a separate matter.

I no longer have my receipt: is it necessarily a lost cause? Look for an electronic invoice, request a duplicate or gather other evidence identifying the purchase. Another form of proof may be useful; a bank statement alone does not always identify the product.

Source: FPS Economy — Frequently asked questions about guarantees.

What Garanti does for you: your purchases, supporting documents and complaint files remain accessible in Garanti; tracking depends on the steps and responses you record there.

Your next step: gather the proof of purchase for a recent purchase in Garanti and enter its payment method. You can then examine the associated potential protections.

Garanti helps you organise your documents and understand possible protections. The information displayed remains subject to the facts and applicable terms; it does not guarantee acceptance of a request. This guide provides general guidance, not personalised legal advice.