Can I request my medical records?

The short answer

You have the legal right to view your medical records and obtain a copy. This applies to all information your healthcare provider has recorded about you, such as diagnoses, treatment plans, letters, and test results. You do not need to provide a reason for wanting to access your records. The healthcare provider must respond to your request within four weeks. They may charge reasonable costs for providing a copy of your records.

What does the law say?

The WGBO gives you the right to access your medical records. This law requires healthcare providers to maintain all your medical data and make it available upon request. The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) also gives you the right to know what personal data is being processed about you. Healthcare providers must retain your records for at least 15 years after your last treatment.

What should you be aware of?

The healthcare provider may only refuse your request if providing access would cause serious harm to your health. In that case, they must provide a written justification. Note that they may charge reasonable costs for copies, usually between 10 and 50 euros. On-site access is always free of charge.

Example from practice

Sarah wants to switch to a different general practitioner and requests her medical records to pass on. She sends an email to the practice with her request and a copy of her ID. Within two weeks, she receives a response that her records are ready. For the copy of 20 pages, she pays 15 euros. She receives all the information, except for some notes that the GP has marked as personal working notes.

What can you do?

Follow these steps to request your medical records.