Health Insurance France for Expats: 2026 Guide

If you are new to France

Visa applicants

The health cover required depends on your visa category. Check the requirements for your category on France-Visas.

Documents for your public health file

The documents requested depend on your situation. Ask your local health insurance office (CPAM) which ones it needs. The guide to opening a bank account in France explains how to get a French bank account.

EU nationals with an EHIC

If you hold a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), note that it is meant for temporary stays. The questions at the end of this guide explain what it covers.

How French healthcare works

French healthcare has two layers. The public Assurance Maladie, often called Sécurité sociale or Sécu, reimburses a percentage of regulated tariffs. The mutuelle is a private complementary contract that tops up those reimbursements.

Example: a GP visit (médecin secteur 1)

Consultation tariff (médecin secteur 1) from 22 December 2024: €30
Assurance maladie reimbursement (70% of the consultation amount): €21 (calculated)
Flat participation (since 15 May 2024): €2

Source: Service-Public.fr, news item published on 2 July 2024 and updated on 9 December 2024, accessed on October 6, 2026. Check the current amounts on your reimbursement statement.

Public coverage: PUMA and AME

Protection universelle maladie (PUMA)

PUMA is governed by articles L160-1 to L160-7 of the Code de la sécurité sociale. According to Service-Public.fr (page verified on 13 May 2026), two cumulative conditions apply: the residence must be regular and stable. For people without professional activity, you must wait three months in France before your rights open.

Aide médicale d'État (AME)

AME is for people who have lived in France for more than 3 months and whose resources over the last 12 months do not exceed set ceilings. For a single person in metropolitan France, Service-Public.fr (page verified on 1 April 2026) shows an annual ceiling of €10,421.

How to get your Carte Vitale

The Carte Vitale follows the opening of your rights to the public scheme. People without professional activity have to wait three months in France before PUMA rights open (Service-Public.fr). Then contact your local CPAM (Caisse primaire d'assurance maladie), which tells you which application form and which documents apply to your situation.

The 100% Santé reform

100% Santé is a regulated basket of care in optics, dental care and audiology (hearing aids). According to securite-sociale.fr, it applies to contracts taken out or renewed from 1 January 2020 for optics and dental care and from 1 January 2021 for hearing aids; certain dental prosthetic treatments are fully covered only for contracts taken out from 1 January 2021.

When you compare mutuelles, check how each contract treats the 100% Santé basket.

How to switch your mutuelle

Article L113-15-2 of the Code des assurances, in the version modified by the law of 14 July 2019 (n° 2019-733) and in force since 1 December 2020, lets you cancel a complementary health contract without fees or penalties once one year has passed since you first took it out. Cancellation takes effect one month after the insurer receives your notice, and your new insurer can carry out the formalities for you.

Compare guarantees rather than the headline price: hospitalisation, dental and optical reimbursement levels matter more than the monthly premium.
Let the new insurer handle the cancellation formalities and check your first direct debit.

Frequently asked questions

Is a mutuelle compulsory in France?▼

For mandatory collective cover set up by an employer, article L911-7 of the Code de la sécurité sociale provides that the employer finances at least half of the cover (the first part of that article has applied since 1 January 2016, per Légifrance). Outside such a contract, a mutuelle is a private choice.

Does my European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) cover me once I live in France?▼

The EHIC is meant for temporary stays: according to Your Europe (European Commission), an EU citizen who unexpectedly falls ill during a temporary stay in another EU country is entitled to any medical treatment that cannot wait until they get home, on the same terms as people insured in that country. It does not cover planned treatment. If you live in France, look at the public scheme PUMA and, if you meet its conditions, AME.

Who can get AME (Aide médicale d'État)?▼

According to Service-Public.fr (page verified on 1 April 2026), you must have lived in France for more than 3 months and your resources over the last 12 months must not exceed set ceilings. For a single person in metropolitan France the annual ceiling shown is €10,421.