Read this comprehensive guide to learn how to apply for carte Vitale in 3 steps:
- Apply for Assurance Maladie to get a numéro de sécurité sociale (permanent social security number)
- Create your Ameli account
- Order your carte Vitale
If you are not familiar with the French healthcare system, read Assurance Maladie (French healthcare system) first. Otherwise, let’s dive right in.
Apply for Assurance Maladie
When to apply for Assurance Maladie
When you move to France from the United States, you need to use a private health insurance for the first three months. By law, all residents in France must be covered by Assurance Maladie. Consequently, after residing in France for 3 months, you have to register with the French healthcare system. If you are on a visitor visa, make sure you read French VLS-TS visitor visa because Puma might not apply in this case.
If you work in France, your enrollment into the French healthcare system is done through your job and the three-month period does not apply to you.
To get health insurance for your first months in France, read Travel Insurance for French Visa or get the E or F plan from ACS.
Who’s filing the application for Assurance Maladie?
French employers apply for Assurance Maladie on behalf of their new employees. Self-employed persons are automatically entered into the French healthcare system at the time they register their business.
If you don’t work, you should apply on your own. Keep reading to find out how to apply.
How to apply for Assurance Maladie?
People who don’t work should fill out a Demande d’ouverture des droits a l’Assurance Maladie form or Cerfa #15763*02 (read What’s a Cerfa? if you’re not familiar with this French type of document).
Mail the form to your local CPAM (Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie). Use the English version Application for membership in the French health care system if you prefer.
Required documents to apply for Assurance Maladie
Here is the list of documents to send along the form:
- copy of your passport
- proof that you reside in France legally. Check out the list of documents you can use to prove that you are a legal resident.
- U.S. birth certificate. Call your local CPAM to ask if the birth certificate needs to be translated. If it does, you can use Translayte to get a translation from a sworn translator.
- justificatif de domicile to prove a stable residency (for the past three months)
- for your children under 18, formulaire Demande de rattachement des enfants mineurs (same form in English). For each child, you need to provide a copy of their passport and their birth certificate.
- RIB (French bank account information) of the account where you want to receive your reimbursements. Read Open a French bank account as an American if you don’t have a bank account in France yet.
Note
Once you start benefiting from the French healthcare system, you have to participate in its funding. Therefore, you have to pay contributions to Urssaf (Union de recouvrement des cotisations de sécurité sociale et d’allocations familiales). Urssaf is a branch of Sécurité Sociale that collects contributions to the healthcare system.
Numéro de sécurité sociale (Social security number)
After sending your application, you will receive a temporary French social security number. Be aware that you cannot use your temporary number to create your Ameli account.
Most mutuelles let you enroll with a temporary social security number. Make sure you read How to find the best mutuelle before shopping around for a mutuelle.
Your temporary number allows you to be reimbursed for your medical expenses. Every time you go to the doctor, the pharmacy or the lab, you will receive a feuille de soins. You have to mail your feuille de soins to your local CPAM until you have a Vitale card.
Did you know?
A French social security number is very different from an American social security number. It is only used by the healthcare system and some government agencies like France Travail (previously known as Pôle Emploi). A French bank will not ask for it when you open an account. In France, you never provide the last four digits of your social security number to prove your identity.
The French social security number, also called a NIR (numéro d’inscription au répertoire) is a 13-digit number.
| Digits | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 for males and 2 for females |
| 2-3 | year you were born |
| 4-5 | month you were born |
| 6-7 | 99 (for people not born in France) |
| 8-10 | country code |
| 11-13 | extra code for people born at the same place on the same day |
How to create an Ameli account online
An Ameli account gives you access to the details of all of your reimbursements from Assurance Maladie. You can make all your Assurance Maladie inquiries online very easily from your Ameli account.
Once you get your permanent social security number, you are ready to create your personal account on Ameli. Go to Ameli and click on Compte Ameli.
On the next page, click on Je crée mon compte.
At this point, you have the choice to manually create an Ameli account, or to use FranceConnect to automatically create your Ameli account for you. Read more about who can use FranceConnect in How to use FranceConnect.
I’ll describe the process for creating an Ameli account with no FranceConnect account because using FranceConnect is pretty straight forward if you already have an account.
Fill out your name (maiden name if married), social security #, birthdate (dd/mm/yyyy) and zipcode.
Click on Continuer.
Some people get an error message at this point because they need an extra code from CPAM. If you get the error message, call the CPAM English helpline (09 74 75 36 46) and they will provide an additional 4-digit passcode to create your Ameli account.
CPAM
CPAM English helpline is 09 74 75 36 46 (from France) and 0033 974 75 36 46 (from other countries). Call 36 46 to reach the regular (French-speaking) CPAM.
Apply for carte Vitale
If you are not sure what a Vitale card is or how to use it, read What is carte Vitale?
Apply for carte Vitale online
You can easily order your Vitale card from your Ameli account. Go to Mes démarches >> Commander une carte Vitale.
You will be asked to send a picture and a proof of id. Once you do, you should receive your card by mail within two weeks.
Apply for carte Vitale by mail
If you’d rather order your card by mail, use the Ma nouvelle carte Vitale form. You should have received that form shortly after getting your permanent social security number. Make sure your personal info is correct and glue a picture where indicated. Send a copy of your ID along with your form in the provided envelope. If everything goes according to plan, you should get your card within 3 weeks.
Waiting for carte Vitale
While waiting for your Vitale card, you can check the status of your order on your Ameli account in Mes démarches >> Suivre ma commande de carte Vitale.
Use your attestation de carte Vitale (Vitale card certificate) whenever you need proof of coverage. In order to get your attestation, go to Mes démarches >> Télécharger >> Attestation de droits (download my card certificate).
After you received your carte Vitale
You received your card and you are now enrolled into the French healthcare system. Take a break and celebrate!
It is important that the information stored on your card stays up-to-date. Update your carte Vitale regularly, preferably once a year. Remember to update it also after you switch médecin traitant or change your mutuelle. Most pharmacies provide a borne multi-services (carte Vitale updating machine) to their customers to update their card.
Keep the piece of paper sent along with your card as it lists the information stored on your card.
Once you managed to get into the French healthcare system, you should consider getting a top-up insurance or mutuelle. If you are not sure whether you should purchase a mutuelle or not, read 4 Reasons to get a Mutuelle Santé.
Install the carte Vitale app
You can install the new carte Vitale app on your smart phone if you live in one of the following French departments:
Ain (01), Allier (03), Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04), Alpes-Maritimes (06), Ardèche (07), Bas-Rhin (67), Bouches-du-Rhône (13), Cantal (15), Drome (26), Hautes-Alpes (05), Haute-Loire (43), Haute-Savoie (74), Isère (38), Loire (42), Loire-Atlantique (44), Puy-de-Dôme (63), Rhône (69), Saône-et-Loire (71), Sarthe (72), Savoie (73), Seine-Maritime (76), Var (83) and Vaucluse (84).
The carte Vitale app will be available to all French departments sometime in 2025. Just so that you’re prepared, the verification part of the installation requires that you follow verbal instructions in French. Here are a few of them to help you install the app.
Présentez le recto de votre carte.
Show the front of your ID.
Présentez le verso de votre carte.
Show the back of your ID.
Placez le document dans le cadre.
Move your ID in the center of the rectangle.
Souriez à la caméra.
Smile at the camera.
Arrêtez de sourire.
Stop smiling.
Once you’re ready to shop for a mutuelle, read How to Find the Best Mutuelle.
source: https://www.ameli.fr/assure/remboursements/etre-bien-rembourse/carte-vitale
Hi Nathalie: Thank you for your amazing resources. You’ve been extremely generous with those of us who desired to follow you to France.
My friends in the same town are less than 65 and are here on the VLS-TS (inactif) with appropriate Visa insurance coverage, and they successfully validated their Visas after arrival to France. Their Visas are the VLS-TS which allow them residency and to renew from within France each year.
They applied for their social security numbers (CPAM for Carte Vitale) many months ago, and have had multiple letters stating they don’t qualify. I stood with them while one polite man in the CPAM office explained its because they have health coverage from a private source. This is true — it’s mandatory that we Americans have private insurance to obtain our Visas and then to stay legal within France before we have the Carte Vitale. There is nothing different in their situation from many other retired Americans I know who are here with mandatory Visa insurance and who successfully applied for the Carte Vitale. They are turning my friends away with this reasoning even after intervention with the English speaking lines and a sit down meeting (with interpreter) where it was stated that everything was resolved and would be fine. It’s not.
I’m wondering if you can point us toward any part of law where it might be written or explained by the French government that an American legally residing in France on the VLS-TS MUST have Visa Health Insurance while they await admission to the health insurance program, and that HAVING it is not an exclusionary criteria. If my friends were to cancel their health insurance in order to then qualify for the Carte Vitale they would be in an illegal insurance status as it’s mandatory to keep it until Carte Vitale is received. They’re stuck! It seems the office has misinformation, and I’m wondering if something from the French government’s own laws could be included for submission with the last letter they got.
I looked at some legal links for another gentleman above, but I could not find anything that would state an American (“other”) can qualify for the Carte Vitale while maintaining their legally mandated Visa Health care coverage.
Thanks for anything you can offer. I’m anticipating this is my/our fight next.
Hello Nancy and thank you for reaching out. Everything you mentioned is correct, having private health insurance shouldn’t prevent your friends from getting carte Vitale.
Could you maybe include the exact reason (in French) specified for their carte Vitale application being denied? Do I understand correctly that everything was settled during a meeting
but then, their application was denied again?
This official page https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F302 lists “Attestation d’une assurance maladie couvrant la durée de votre séjour” in the required documents section for VLS-TS visa.
Hope this helps,
Nathalie
Hello, I am an American and recently received my Carte de Sejour as a spouse of a Swiss Citizen. We bought our house in France and decided to permanently live here. I am a U.S. military retiree and we do not plan to work here at all as my pension is enough for us to live a modest lifestyle. My wife and I along with our 2 children (4&6) have a very good private medical and dental insurance that covers everything and doesn’t cost us an arm and a leg to keep…so we will definitely keep this.
With that, we’ve been trying to figure out what form we need to send to CPAM to apply for our SSN & then Carte Vitale. The form you and CPAM is saying we need to complete clearly stated do not fill that form up if I have a SSN elsewhere and I’m a pensioner. Is there any other form we need to fill out along with mailing all of the documents required for us to apply for the SSN? I would hate to have to pay someone €700 to help us with the process as we could use that money for something else important.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Hi Jose,
Does your private medical insurance cover you in France? Because the paragraph you are referring to applies to countries that will cover you in France.
For instance, some people from the EU can get a S1 form that is proof that their healthcare costs in France are covered by their home country (not France).
If your private insurance doesn’t cover you in France, you should fill out the regular application form.
Hope this helps!
Yes our private medical and dental insurance covers us worldwide.
May I ask why you want to apply for French healthcare if you’re already covered?
We were told we need to do it as everywhere we go they ask us for it. Is it not mandatory to get SSN and Carte Vitale?
I know that medical coverage is mandatory in France but I didn’t think you’d need to get a SSN if you’re already covered. I made some research but couldn’t find anything about situations like yours.
In that case, I would simply apply to French social security using the standard form.
I found this Article L160-6 of law https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000031669594.
From what I understand, French social security is not mandatory when you don’t work in France and your home country pays for your (and you dependents) healthcare costs.
I’m not familiar with your situation though so it might be worth asking someone who knows more about this (https://aaro.org/ maybe?).
Take care!
Also, we were told that for Tax purposes as we are now fully residing here in France and own a home we need that SSN.
Hello,
I so appreciate your articles, as I’m trying to navigate all this by myself.
I’m a bit confused and would greatly appreciate it if you could clear a few things up for me.
I applied, and got a letter from the local CPAM office asking for more documents. I then went directly into the office with what was requested. From what I understand, my Carte Vitale is now processing.
So, I’m waiting for something in the mail, I assume?
You said in the article, that I’ll get a temporary social security number in the mail first? I has previously assumed it came along with the Carte Vitale.
I didn’t realize what you get, isn’t a permanent number. But, you didn’t say when to expect your permanent Social Security number?
Can you elaborate a little bit please. And I see other people commenting that they didn’t get their Carte Vitale for years? Ouch!
I am very soon ready to renew my Visa, and I have to provide proof of insurance. I thought once I was in the system, I “have” insurance required to renew my Visa, rather than purchasing operate for a whole next year. Could you help me understand what I’ll need for my Visitor renewal as far as insurance required?
Very grateful for your assistance!!! I so appreciate this group, have watched webinars and purchased my insurance through FAB for my first Visa. Thank You!
Trish
Hello Trish,
It’s very difficult to give you a timeframe because it depends not only on your local CPAM but also on who’s processing your application.
I’ve heard of people who had to wait 2 years to get carte Vitale but most people get it within 6 months. I recommend that you call CPAM regularly (or ask someone to do it on your behalf) to check on your application.
You should receive your temporary number by mail. You do get a permanent social security number as soon as your application is accepted and the last thing left to do is ordering your carte Vitale.
Most people do use their carte Vitale as proof of insurance to renew their carte de séjour, but lately, some préfectures have been refusing carte Vitale and asked for private insurance. Most of the time though,
carte Vitale is accepted so it shouldn’t be an issue. I talk a little more about this issue in this article: https://mafrenchlife.com/french-visitor-visa/
Hope this helps!
Nathalie
Bonjour Nathalie,
Thank you very much for having written this very informative article.
I see that it says on the Cerfa form: “Pour bénéficier de la prise en charge des frais de santé… vous devez travailler en France ou, si vous êtes sans activité, résider en France de manière stable et régulière.”
So, if I buy a house in France and move there permanently, but I’m never employed in France, can I really get the French “Sécu” just by paying regular (monthly?) “cotisations”?
“I also see on the Cerfa form that it says this: “Si vous relevez du régime de sécurité sociale d’un autre pays, par exemple en tant que… retraité, vous ne devez pas remplir ce formulaire. Pour exercer vos droits et ceux des membres de votre famille, vous devez fournir à votre caisse d’assurance maladie un formulaire S1 ‘Inscription dans l’Etat de résidence’ ou un document équivalent pour les pays hors espace européen.”
But this seems to suggest that if I’m retired and on U.S. Medicare, and I’ve moved to France permanently, then the U.S. Medicare system will reimburse the French “Sécu”, and yet Medicare says that in general, there’s no coverage outside of the U.S.:
https://www.medicare.gov/publications/11037-medicare-coverage-outside-the-united-states.pdf
Here’s my situation: I moved to France in 2004 and worked at l’École des Hautes Etudes Commerciales in Jouy-en-Josas for 11 months continuously, beginning in 2004, then I moved back the States. But while I was working at HEC, I paid the “Sécu” cotisations, I had a Carte Vitale, I got medical care there on occasion and was reimbursed by direct deposit into my French bank account, etc.
Now I want to move back to France permanently and bring my wife with me, who is a U.S. citizen and who has no ties to France. We plan on buying a house in France, living there for the rest of our lives and so on, although we will be retired and have no employment in France. Can we really somehow get our heathcare paid for through the “Sécu” and if so, how, i.e. what do we do when the day comes? Very specifically, I’m wondering about:
1. Will we have to pay “cotisations” to the “Sécu” or will we instead subscribe to Medicare Part A, Part C, etc. and pay Medicare costs?
2. Should I fill out and submit a Cerfa form — or perhaps not, since I could be on Medicare, and since I already have a “Sécu” number?
By the way, these days, when I insert my Carte Vitale into a borne at a pharmacy in France (whenever I’m on vacation there), I get an error message saying that I must visit a CPAM.
If you could please enlighten me, I would be very grateful.
Merci.
Robert
Hello Robert,
Yes, you can enroll into the French healthcare system (la sécu) after you’ve been living in France for 3 months. You don’t need to be working or to own a house, you simply need to reside in France on a stable basis (meaning, you are not on vacation and have no intention of leaving soon).
Since you will not be contributing to the system, it is possible that you’ll have to pay CSM (https://mafrenchlife.com/french-visitor-visa/#visitor-visa-csm) once a year if you receive passive income (other than your US retirement). To answer your questions:
1- The S1 thing is for Europeans so it doesn’t apply to you. I do not know the Medicare system well enough to advise you but once you’re enrolled with la Sécu, you’ll get the same benefits as any French person, no Medicare involved.
2- Yes you will have to submit a Cerfa form to apply after you’ve lived in France for 3 months.
3- Your carte Vitale is no longer valid and you’ll need to order a new one once you’re into the system.
Hope this helps!
Bonjour Nathalie,
Thank you very much for your message.
After clicking on the link that you provided and reading up on visas, I would think that whether or not I’d have to pay contributions to la Sécu might also depend on the kind of authorization I had to reside in France, no? I mean, there’s everything from a short-term stay visa to a full residency permit, isn’t there?
As for Form S1 one though, the mention of it on the Cerfa form finishes with “… hors espace européen”, as if S1 also applies to non-European countries and so perhaps the USA as well, no?
And regarding my Carte Vitale, wouldn’t this be a matter of somehow reactivating it, given that I was also assigned, back in 2004, a French Social Security number? Or is it for certain that my Sécu account has been deleted such that I must apply for a new S.S. number and go through the whole process all over again?
Merci.
Robert
Hey Robert,
From your situation, wanting to live in France while not working and without French family ties, you’ll probably get a long term visitor visa (VLS-TS) as you don’t have many options.
Once you are in France, you’ll need to renew your titre de séjour (residency permit) every year.
Who pays CSM doesn’t depend on the immigration status but rather on your revenue from passive income. Here’s Urssaf’s official page with details on CSM: https://www.urssaf.fr/accueil/particulier/beneficiaire-puma.html
The “… hors espace européen” mention is because some countries that are not part of the EU follow the S1 schema (Switzerland for instance). As an American, it doesn’t apply to you. When you apply for sécurité sociale, you’ll enter your past French SS# and it’s very likely that they’ll re-open your rights with that same number. Before you do though, you can’t use your carte Vitale because you lost any right to Sécurité Sociale when you left France.
Hope this helps,
Nathalie
Thank you for your additional comments, Nathalie.
So, would you say that first I should visit a CPAM with my Carte Vitale circa 2004 in hand? Then, if that doesn’t work, fill out and submit a Cerfa form?
Thanks.
I’m pretty sure you can save a trip to CPAM. You’ll need to start over but you’ll specify your SS# on the form when you apply. The process is the same for French expats who come back to France.
Hello,
Thank you for your very informative article!
One thing I continue to be confused about though, is whether a U.S birth certificate need to be less than 3 -6 months old and if it needs an apostille for the purpose of applying for social security number and carte vitale. Could you shed more light on that? If you already explained this and I somehow missed it, I apologize.
Hi Isabel!
This is actually a tricky question as it depends on your local CPAM and it’s best to ask them directly. When you do, make sure you explain to them that U.S. birth certificates are not altered with life events, unlike French birth certificates.
Sorry I can’t help more!
Greetings, Nathalie Nahmani.
i live in france since 2018. i had temporaire social Security number, after 5 years when i got resident pramite card then i applied vital card since july 2023. afther 5 month i got it attestation de sroits avec Numéro National Provisoire (NNP) à I’Assurance Maladie but i didn’t understanding how can i get Permanent security social number and when? could you please advice me.
thank you.
Hi Bikash,
If you haven’t heard from CPAM, it means that your file is still being processed and you’ll receive your permanent social security number eventually.
I can’t tell you how long it takes because it varies a lot depending on where you live in France.
You can use your NNP number to get reimbursed for medical expenses by sending feuilles de soins to CPAM.
Hang in there!
I have received my temporary social security number 5 years ago. Still waiting for a permanent number and the card.
Does anyone knows of a lawyer who speaks English and can help me.
They refuse to give me appointments or talk to me.
I am in Tours
Thanks everone
You are so kind to help, Nathalie. Great idea to use my marriage certificate. Merci mille fois!
You’re very welcome Gina!
I received my Carte Vitale today, April 4. Both my maiden and married names are on it. Thank you again for your help!
Awesome! Time to celebrate!
I sent my paperwork went to Marseille in very late December 2022 and received my permanent numéro de sécurité sociale on March 13, 2023. There was a 3 week delay on my part because they asked for my marriage license via mail but I was out of town. Today I called the 3646 number to get help with my Ameli account and had that set up in no time. According the lovely lady helping me at 3646, I will get the paper form to send in for my Carte Vitale in the next two or three days. (I was unable to upload my photo to my application online.) It was much faster than I expected. I think finding a médecin traitant in Aix will be harder.
Congrats Gina, that was super fast!
Thank you for your feedback, it’s very reassuring for people living around Marseille!
Regarding a médecin traitant, start your search today and ask around (you could start asking your local pharmacy, see if they can recommend someone).
Good luck Gina and keep us posted!
Thank you so much for this site. It is extremely useful. I will use your links as I need them!
Thank you Gina!
Happy to help!
I am a little worried that something has gone wrong. Today I received a letter, same letterhead as all other written correspondence. But this time it contains my maiden name and instead of the 3646 number to call for help, it sends me to 3422. I called the latter number and told the woman that I was concerned that suddenly my name was changed to my maiden name (Mon nom ou celui de mon ayant droit:) and that it could pose problems since ALL my documents are written with my married name and none of them have my maiden name. The woman insisted this was how it is in France and that all communications with Sécurité Sociale would be with my maiden name. However, the four prior letters have my married name. I understand French fine, even on the phone, so I am sure this is what she told me. A local friend has hers in her married name. The only difference is, although we are both American, I was born in France and have a French birth certificate. I am not a French citizen. Am I in big trouble here?
Hi Gina,
Don’t worry, this is exactly the way it works for women in France (or anyone who changes name really). Your maiden name stays your name forever for French administration.
This is an issue for most American women as the only name that French administration will refer to is the one from your birth certificate.
I’m not sure why your American friend is able to use her married name with CPAM but most women don’t.
Make sure you carry one document with both your maiden name and your married name on it (marriage certificate) to be able to prove your ID.
I will write an article about this shortly. It was weird for me as well to suddenly have official French documents with my birth name on them, when I have been using my married name for almost 30 years!
This is tremendously helpful – thank you!
One question – I am a French national (although I’ve never lived in France), my kids are citizens too and my marriage is registered with the French government (& noted in my livre de famille). We are moving to France for the first time ever (likely not forever, but who knows!). You mentioned that French nationals and their spouses qualify for the French health care system immediately. Do you know if this means that we can start the paperwork and application process prior to actually landing in France?
Many thanks!
Hi Maureen,
I’m sorry but it was actually an oversight on my part and I removed that sentence from the article. As a French National, you still have to be living in France for 3 months before you can apply for Assurance Maladie, unless you work in France. Are you going to be working in France?
Excellent details on the process, but your timeline doesn’t seem realistic from what I’ve experienced and other expats I know have been through. Especially this: “After you applied, you can expect to receive a temporary social security number in around three weeks.” I delivered my meticulously assembled dossier to the CPAM office here in Paris on Dec. 10, 2021. My good friends delivered their documents the same place, the same way — in person — a week before. Neither of us has heard a word from CPAM; no temporary number, no acknowledgement our paperwork had been received nor any questions/requests for additional information and documents. Should we do anything or just wait it out? I’m saving my feuille de soins and paying out of pocket for doctor visits and medications and wondering when my coverage starts — on receipt of my application or when I get my attestation de droits. Thanks for all you write about!
Hi Valerie,
Delays have been getting even longer with covid. I’ll update my article to reflect that.
You are doing the right thing by saving your feuilles de soins. You can try calling CPAM around the end of January to try to get an update.
That said, if your friends experience the same delays, then there is not much you can do other than waiting it out…:-(
I would really appreciate if you could send me your timeline once it’s over so I have a better idea of the time it takes.
Thank you for your valuable feedback Valerie! Have a great day!
Nathalie
Hi Valerie,
Have you received your temporary social security number yet? Because I am planning on applying for my wife and child as well in early March 😖
Hi Nathalie,
Thank you very much for the guideline, really helped me a lot in finding the necessary forms, especially for the English ones! 🙏With regards to the IBAN information for my wife’s application, do you think the CPAM can accept my bank identity (not a joint account)? If they need a specific one in the name of my wife, she actually has opened a WISE account with IBAN. However there is no “official” bank detail, all I got is just an account detail that I can screenshot from its app. Do you think that the WISE account is acceptable (as long as there is a reference to IBAN)? Thank you 🙏🙏
Hi Eldo,
I am really not sure that CPAM will accept a Wise account for your wife. Many French institutions only accept French IBAN.
I think it’s safer to attach your own RIB to her application. For the long term, I advise that she opens a French bank account in her own name.
Good luck Eldo!
Hello! Thank God for you. Applying for the Assurance Maladie. Our first month in France we lived a friend. Then we have a lease for the next 7 months to prove domicile. Do we have to supply the form that my friend would fill out for being in her home for a month? Or will our lease, despite not starting until a month after our arrival be accepted (and does our lease need to be translated?)? And, if my friend does have to fill out form, none of us can figure out how to get it to print out. Thank you!
Hi Laura!
You cannot apply to Assurance Maladie before you have been in France for three months unless you are married to a French national or you are on a work visa. Do you qualify for the three-month exemption?
as of January 23 we will have been here for 3 months. 1 month with a friend, and the following 7 months on a lease. We arrived October 23, and started our lease december 1. thank you!
Then, your lease is your justificatif de domicile. Is your lease in English? If it is, you probably need to get it translated.
Excellent article, and from what I’ve seen so far, all your articles are excellent! My Carte Vitale took TWO years. Why?
Because I’m near Nice, the fonctionnaires have a working knowledge of English, and don’t always require translated documents. In my case, my NY birth certificate had my birthdate in all digits: (Feb 4) 2/4/19xx. But even though I wrote a letter explaining my birthdate was February 4, they read my birthdate as April 2 (European style). I had to correct them. Then a couple months later when I got my Attestation de Droits de Santé, I saw they again had the wrong birthdate of April 2, so I had to correct them again. Finally, I get a letter saying I have a Carte Vitale. Except I noticed the digits in my numéro de Sécu were wrong… again, the digits were based on the April 2 date! Ugh. So I finally sent them a translation of my New York birth certificate and the error was fixed (3 times in all). All’s good!
French bureaucracy can be overwhelming at times to say the least. I am glad you figured it out Janice! One thing I learned is to not give up and try calling again until you find the person who will do what it takes to fix the issue. I also try to pause and celebrate once I get things sorted out before moving on to the next step 🙂