Are you a scholarship holder managed by Campus France? Here is the main information you need to know about your health insurance.
Social security for students
Are a student enrolled in a higher education institution in France?
As soon as you arrive in France and have your enrolment certificate, you must register with the French health insurance system by visiting the website dedicated to international students: etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr
This procedure is free of charge and mandatory if it is your first stay in France.
All you have to do is fill in some information (your identity, your personal details, etc.) and submit the requested documents (school certificate, identity document, visa, VLS TS validation, full copy of your birth certificate, etc.)
"How to register for social security"
Watch the following tutorial to help you register.
Social security number and health insurance card
Your file is immediately sent to your CPAM (Primary Health Insurance Fund) in your residence for processing. You will quickly receive a social security number which means that your rights to health insurance are open. You can then access the French healthcare system. You will then receive the documents to apply for your French health insurance card (Carte Vitale).
If you have already benefited from French social security during a previous stay in France, then you must apply directly to your CPAM of residence in order to reopen your Health Insurance rights.
Social security for European students
Students from the European Union who have requested a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in their country of origin before leaving for France do not have to register with the French social security system as their EHIC allows them to benefit from coverage of their health expenses. Those who do not have an EHIC must register on the site dedicated to international students.
What is the purpose of French National Health insurance?
French National Health Insurance protects everyone health and reimburses all or part of your health costs in the event of illness or maternity.
As soon as you receive your certificate of rights to the Health Insurance, you should send it immediately to your Campus France case manager.
For a better coverage of health expenses, we recommend that you join a supplementary health insurance plan.
If you are a French government scholarship holder, after receiving your certificate of rights to health insurance, Campus France will take out a complementary health insurance policy for you with an insurer at no cost and with no additional steps to you. The supplementary insurance offered by Campus France also includes civil liability for private and university life (mandatory insurance in France) as well as repatriation.
How the French health care system works?
For a better understanding of the French health care system, the need to declare a doctor and the third-party payment and reimbursement mechanism, Campus France has made a tutorial that we invite you to watch.
Students and interns who are not eligible for French health insurance
Those who cannot be affiliated to the French social security system or who complete their studies abroad may, depending on the scholarship programme, benefit from insurance taken out by Campus France with a group of insurers managed by April International. They will then be covered for their health expenses, liability and repatriation.
If this service is included in your scholarship, all you have to do to benefit from it is to confirm your arrival at your place of stay to your case manager on the first day of your mobility. You will then receive an email from the insurer that will allow you to download their application and create your personal space in order to carry out all your procedures online and retrieve all your insurance documents.
Attention
Please note that until you inform Campus France of your arrival, you are not insured. Any medical expenses incurred will remain entirely at your expense.