Medical questionnaire for death insurance: what to declare, and what are the risks in case of error?

You must answer the medical questionnaire accurately and truthfully: this is the rule set by service-public.fr. An intentional false statement allows the insurer to request the cancellation of the contract and refuse to pay the lump sum or annuity. An unintentional error has other consequences, which depend on when it is discovered.

This page explains what the insurer can ask you, what you don't have to declare, and what happens if an answer is incorrect. It does not cover: the time limit for the insurer to contest a declaration, medical confidentiality and access to your medical records, the amount of a surcharge, the situation of a non-resident policyholder, or the cancellation of a contract purchased remotely. These points could not be verified in the official sources consulted.

The rules below come from service-public.fr (page checked on 08/12/2025 for the questionnaire, on 07/05/2025 for the Aeras agreement) and from economie.gouv.fr (page written on 14/09/2026).

What is the purpose of the questionnaire?

Before signing a contract that includes life insurance, the insurer may ask you to complete a medical questionnaire. According to service-public.fr, its purpose is to allow them to fully understand your state of health.

The same principle is found on economie.gouv.fr: when concluding the contract, you fill out a risk declaration form and you "must answer it accurately".

According to the contract, the insurer will pay a lump sum or an annuity. For a loan, our firm's page on the mandatory or optional nature of borrower's insurance details this point.

What the insurer can ask you for

There is no single model for a medical questionnaire. The questions cover three main themes:

A simplified questionnaire is frequently requested. service-public.fr provides two examples of questions:

• «"Have you experienced depression in the last 5 years?"»
• «"Have you had a work stoppage of more than 3 months in the last 5 years?"»

Depending on your answers, the insurer may also require you to undergo medical examinations (service-public.fr).

What is forbidden

Questions about genetic characteristics are prohibited (service-public.fr).

What you need to declare

The rule is simple to state: you must answer the medical questionnaire (service-public.fr) exactly and truthfully.

Three situations deserve to be distinguished.

The right to be forgotten

For a mortgage, service-public.fr indicates a right to be forgotten for two illnesses: cancer and hepatitis C. This right applies to a treatment protocol completed five years prior, without relapse. The two service-public.fr pages consulted do not use the same wording for this period ("at least five years" on one, more than five years on the other), and the page on the Aeras agreement adds a condition relating to the future insurance contract.

Important: "You must declare the consequences of the illness covered by the 'right to be forgotten'" (service-public.fr, page on the Aeras agreement). The illness itself is not declared; its consequences are.

The detailed conditions of this right, particularly those relating to age, vary depending on the official source. You should verify them with the source at the time of your request. Our firm's page dedicated to the Aeras Convention presents this right to be forgotten in more detail.

The reference grid

The Aeras agreement defines a reference grid listing certain illnesses. These illnesses must be declared when applying for insurance, but the insurer is not allowed to apply a surcharge. The grid only applies if two conditions are met: you will be under 71 years old at the end of the future contract, and the amount of the loan to be insured does not exceed €420,000 (service-public.fr). The list of illnesses in the grid is not reproduced here; it can be consulted at the source.

Credits where no questionnaire can be required

For a mortgage loan, the insurer cannot demand any information about your health when two conditions are met (service-public.fr, page on the Aeras agreement verified on 07/05/2025):

• the cumulative amount of your mortgage loans is less than or equal to €200,000 (amount fixed per borrower, according to this page); ;
• The repayment period ends before you turn 60.

These two conditions must be considered together. If one is not met, this rule does not apply. For loans with multiple borrowers, the wording of this limit varies depending on the official document: check with the source.

What the insurer can decide

Once the questionnaire has been reviewed, the insurer can:

• agree to insure you without any particular conditions; ;
• to insure you with an additional premium; ;
• to insure yourself by excluding certain risks; ;
• refuse to insure you.

For a loan, the Aeras agreement establishes three levels of review when you present an increased health risk. The insurer is not obligated to offer you a contract (service-public.fr). If they refuse at the third level, they must inform you of the reasons for this refusal.

What if an answer is incorrect?

service-public.fr distinguishes situations according to the intention and the time of discovery.

The service-public.fr page refers to Articles L113-8 (intentional misrepresentation) and L113-9 (omission or inaccurate declaration) of the Insurance Code. The first line of the table concerns intentional misrepresentation; the following two concern omission or inaccuracy. We were unable to review these articles in their current version: only the information from the official page is reproduced here.

Numerical example (fictitious profile)

Situation. Julien, 44 years old at the time of signing, wishes to borrow €260,000 over 20 years for his primary residence. He is borrowing alone and has no other mortgage. He was treated for cancer: his treatment protocol ended on March 15, 2021, and he has had no relapse since. He completes the questionnaire on November 16, 2026.

Issue. Julien wonders if he should mention this cancer, and if he might be asked to complete the questionnaire.

Strategy. He first checks whether the insurer can require a questionnaire. The total amount of his mortgage loans (€260,000) exceeds the €200,000 threshold by €60,000, and the repayment period ends at age 64 (44 + 20), after he turns 60: the two conditions for waiving the questionnaire are not met. He then checks the conditions for the right to be forgotten and consults with the firm before responding.

Result. The 5-year period following the end of the protocol was reached on March 15, 2026. As of November 16, 2026, 5 years and 8 months had elapsed (68 months), which satisfies both formulas found on the service-public.fr website. The other conditions of the right to be forgotten still need to be verified with the source at the time of the request. If they are met, the illness covered by the right to be forgotten does not need to be declared, but its consequences do (service-public.fr). In all cases, Julien answers each question of the questionnaire exactly as it is asked.

This profile is fictitious. The amounts and dates illustrate the calculation. They do not reflect your specific situation, and the detailed conditions of the right to be forgotten are those that apply on the date of your request.

What changes depending on your situation

• The type of contract and the relevant loan, if applicable.
• The amount and duration of the loan, which determine whether a questionnaire can be required.
• Your age at the end of the contract.
• The disease in question : right to be forgotten, reference grid or other case.
• The insurer's questionnaire, which varies from one insurer to another.
• The moment an inaccuracy is discovered : before or after a disaster.

The rule depends on your situation. No results are guaranteed.