Use this comprehensive guide to pick an affordable France Visa travel insurance. If you’re not familiar with the process of applying for a French visa, read How to get a French long-stay visa first.
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What is the Schengen area?
France is one of the twenty-six countries inside the Schengen Area. All twenty-six countries share a common visa policy. One common requirement is that anyone entering the Schengen Area should hold an insurance policy valid in the area for the duration of their stay.
This is the reason why you need an insurance certificate to enter France from outside the European Union.
The countries inside the Schengen Area are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Insurance policy requirements
France-Visas travel insurance requirements
An insurance certificate is mandatory to enter France or any country in the Schengen Area. France-Visas insurance requirements apply to both short and long stays (longer than ninety days) in France.
Ensure that the insurance policy you pick is valid for the entire duration of your visa. In order to be acceptable, your travel insurance for France visa should cover:
- up to €30,000
- all medical and hospital expenses for which you may be liable in France
- medical repatriation costs
- expenses in the event of death
If you’re applying for a visitor visa, read VLS-TS visitor visa because some insurance requirements are different.
In this article, I focus exclusively on insurance policies that meet France-Visas insurance requirements. I do not take into consideration the medical benefits you get through your insurance policy.
Depending on your overall health, you might need to take a closer look at insurance benefits. Ensure that your policy covers your medical needs while living in France.
That being said, medical costs in France are considerably lower than medical costs in the United States. As an example, a visit to a doctor in France costs €25 without any health insurance coverage.
To learn about medical costs and reimbursements in France, read French healthcare system.
Travel insurance or medical insurance?
Each insurance company uses a different name for its travel insurance policies: Schengen insurance, travel insurance, international insurance, expat insurance or travel medical insurance.
When it comes to travel insurance, the requirements for a Schengen (short-stay) visa and a long-stay visa are the same (except for visitor visas, read VLS-TS visitor visa for details.
The name of the insurance policy you pick does not really matter as long as it meets France-Visas insurance requirements. Before signing up, ensure that the insurance policy is valid for the whole duration of your stay in France.
Duration of your travel insurance for France Visa
Some insurance companies offer multi-year policies but I recommend that you buy a travel insurance for the duration of your stay in France only. After living in France for three months, you can start the process of enrolling into the French Healthcare system (or right away if you work in France).
By the time your first year in France is up, you might already be enrolled in the French Healthcare system.
If you’re on a visitor long-stay visa, read VLS-TS visitor visa before picking a policy.
Purchase travel insurance for France Visa
You have multiple options when it comes to buying travel insurance for France visa.
French insurance brokers
Several French insurance brokers can help you get the policy you need. Subscribing online is easy and convenient. You usually receive your insurance certificate via email right after you pay. The following brokers come highly recommended by the expat community in France.
ACS is a French broker who specializes in insurance solution for foreigners in France. The ACS’s E and F plans meet the visa requirements for people under 60 as well as foreign students between 40 and 60. The E plan is priced at €761 for one year while the F plan costs €1,118 a year and offers a more comprehensive coverage (up to €46,000 maximum refund per year). You can easily subscribe online and get your insurance attestation within minutes. ACS has been around for 40 years and their benefits are subscribed among the biggest French and international companies.
Fab is an English-speaking insurance broker company that specializes in medical coverage for foreigners in France. Fab uses its extensive experience with visa holders to get you a policy that’s compliant with your VLS-TS visa.
Affordable travel insurance companies
Expats in France have successfully purchased travel insurance policies from the following companies.
AXA Schengen insurance policy is a good option if you need insurance coverage for up to six months. The Schengen policy is around €45 a month. For insurance coverage longer than six month, Axa offers short-terms international health insurance.
Allianz provides insurance policies for a minimum of twelve months. If you are coming to France for less than a year, Allianz also offer short-term plans for three, six or nine months.
Travel insurance for seniors
Unfortunately, most insurance companies do not provide medical insurance coverage for people over sixty-five or seventy. The following companies provide some great options for seniors.
Fab is a great option for seniors because of their experience with insurance for French visas. They speak English and will guide you all the way through until your visa gets approved.
Mondial Care has no age limit and there is no medical questionnaire. You can purchase a one-year insurance policy online.
I hope this article helped you find an affordable travel insurance for France. Read Moving to France checklist to start preparing for your move abroad.
Just a heads up for people who are earlier in the process than I am:
I am in the process of my first residency permit renewal (to stay in France for a second year), and although I applied for a Carte Vitale after three months, I still don’t have it. I called the English-speaking helpline, and while the person on the other line was able to verify that my submitted documents had been received, she said that there is no way to know when I will be fully in the system. It could be a few days, a few weeks, or a few years. Until it comes through, I have to keep buying private insurance every time I renew my visa. So this insurance requirement is not always a one-time expense, as I thought that it would be.
In will be reimbursed once the card comes in, but that apparently doesn’t count for the residency requirement.
Thank you for sharing Jennifer! I was not aware of that. I hope it won’t be long before you receive your carte vitale. In what department is your local CPAM?
Thanks. I’m in Paris (75). The phone operator I talked to said that they have a backlog of 3000 applications. I’m sure that this is one of the many things in France that varies a lot by location.
You’re right, some CPAMs take longer than others! Keeping my fingers crossed!
“ACS offers a E,F, ENP plan. The E(NP) option from this plan provides travel insurance for people between sixty and seventy-nine at €878 for eleven months.”
The E(NP) option is the only one open to those of us 60 and older. It does not seem to be compliant as the maximum cover is about 8000 euros (should be 30,000).
Hi Richard,
You’re right, it says in the Maximum refund section that the ENP plan covers around €8,000 but it also says that all their plans are valid for visa. I’ll ask them and I’ll come back here with an answer.
Thank you for your feedback Richard!
Hi Richard!
ACS got back to me and the ENP plan does not qualify for a French visa. Consequently, I removed ACS from the senior section.
Thank you so much for your feedback!
Nathalie:
I looked at Europ Assistance for travel insurance for a year. They will sell you a policy, but each “trip” can only be 4 months in duration!
Patrick
Hi Patrick and thank you for your comment!
I read Europ Assistance Terms and conditions and you are totally right! I haven’t noticed before but it clearly says “The maximum duration of a Trip covered by this Policy is 4 months”.
I’ll remove Europ Assistance from my list since most people want an insurance that covers them for the whole year.
Thanks again for your feedback Patrick!
Take care!
Nathalie
Hello Natalie.
Considering we can apply for a carte vitale after three months, we plan on taking one of the plans you mentioned above for 6 months just to be safe. I am unclear about the coverage. Is this only in case of an accident or can I be reimbursed if I go see a Dr and fill out a prescription. I know in France it’s much cheaper to go to the Dr but it would be nice to find an insurance to reimburse any medical expenses. Thank you!
Hey Samira,
You need to read the fine lines on every policy or ask them because each policy is different. Sorry 🙁