Can the beneficiary clause of a life insurance contract be changed?

Verified 25 September 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)

The beneficiary clause is the clause in the life insurance contract that allows for the designation of the person or persons who will receive the principal or annuity after the death of the insured.

This clause appears on the membership form in the initial contract (or on a endorsement in case of modification made after the signature of the contract).

When you take out a life insurance policy, most often you are both subscriber and insured. In this case, it is your death that triggers the payment of the principal or annuity.

Until the date of your death, you can change the beneficiary clause your life insurance policy, except if the person you originally designated has accepted its designation as a beneficiary under the conditions provided for by law.

Once the person you have designated has accepted the beneficiary clause for their benefit, this clause becomes irrevocable. You can no longer change the name of the beneficiary of this contract without his agreement. And you can no longer carry out transactions that violate the contract (make repurchases or obtain advances) without its consent. In this case, we are talking about accepting beneficiary.

The beneficiary you have designated may accept the designation, but only with your consent.

The law provides for 2 procedures for acceptance of the beneficiary clause, with the agreement of the subscriber :

Signature of an amendment to the contract by you, the accepting beneficiary and the insurer
Signature of a written document between you and the accepting beneficiary, followed by notification to the insurer.

As long as the person you have designated as beneficiary has not accepted his designation, you can freely modify the beneficiary clause at any time and as many times as you like. The insurer cannot oppose your request for modification.

However, in the particular case where the subscriber and theinsured are 2 different persons, the modification of the designation of the beneficiary also requires the agreement of the insured.

Only the will of the subscriber (when he is also the insured) is required for the designation of the new beneficiary to be valid.

You can change the beneficiary clause of your contract, including:

By a endorsement
By a will.

To establish an amendment to your life insurance policy, contact (by phone or email or via your customer area) the bank or insurance company that manages your policy.

You can send him a letter, dated and signed, containing the references of your contract, the full identity and address of your new beneficiaries and the distribution of the capital that will have to be made between them. Once the change is made, keep a acknowledgement of receipt from the insurer or a copy of your endorsement containing the new beneficiary clause.

If you are writing a will, remember the references of your contract, write that you revoke the previous beneficiary clause and designate your new beneficiaries (usual name and birth name, first name(s), full address, date and place of birth) by fixing the distribution of capital between them.

The contents of your will will not be revealed until after your death, so the identity of your beneficiaries remains secret. However, it is strongly recommended thatinform the insurer of the existence of the will which modifies your contract. This will prevent the insurer from mistakenly paying the principal to the original beneficiary of the policy.

If the insurer has paid the capital to the beneficiary in good faith as shown in its information, there is no recourse against the insurer to recover the funds.

Please note

For the drafting of a specific beneficiary clause in a will, you can ask for advice from a notary. He will check the validity and effectiveness of the clause and can ensure the conservation of your will if you wish.

The insurer is obliged to send you annual information on the financial situation of the life insurance contract. But it is up to you to check that the beneficiary clause always corresponds to your wishes.

Think about refresh your beneficiary clause if your family situation changes or if one of your beneficiaries dies before you.

FYI

The right to modify the beneficiary clause belongs to the subscriber of the contract. But if the subscriber has lost his legal capacity, the modification must be made with the assistance of its curator (if placed under curatorship) or authorized by the judge (if placed under guardianship). If it is placed under family empowerment or pursuant to future protection mandate, the measures provided for in the acts of disposition.