Carte Vitale: how do new arrivals apply for French health insurance card?

Reader Question: How do I request a carte Vitale now I live in France? 

You cannot just apply for a carte Vitale (French health card) upon arrival in France but carry out several prior steps, the most important of which is obtaining a social security number. 

If this is not organised for you automatically through your work (for example, because you moved here as a retiree), then you must apply for one.

To do so you must send this form to the Caisse primaire d’assurance maladie (Cpam), the local state health insurance office, for your area. There is one Cpam per department. You can find yours with a web search for Cpam + name or number of your department (eg. 06 for the Alpes-Maritimes).

To apply for a social security number, you need to have lived in France for at least three months (eg. with three months of utility bills at a French address) and provide other information including valid ID.

There is an English-language phone number to provide help for completing the form 09 76 77 36 46, and the general French number is 3646. 

The services are open Monday to Friday, between 08:30 and 17:30.

Apply for card online

It can take some time to receive your social security number, and it is advisable or in some cases (or depending on your visa) have private medical insurance to cover you during this time.

Once you have applied you will often be sent a temporary French social security number in the post, followed by a document called the attestation de droits, which proves you are in the system. With these, you can already apply for reimbursements if you have out-of-pocket health expenses, but will need to do so by sending in paper forms to the Cpam.

Once you have your definitive number, you can create an account at the Ameli website (online portal for French health insurer Assurance Maladie) and order your carte Vitale, which will simplify your reimbursements. 

Follow the instructions to make your account, which you need your social security number for.

Once you have created an account and are logged in, go to mon compte [my account] > mes démarches [my procedures], > ma carte Vitale [my carte Vitale] > commander ma carte Vitale [order my carte Vitale].

Follow the steps (you will need to provide information about yourself, a passport-style photo and copies of your passport). 

The card will then be sent to your address.

Note that after you apply for your social security number, you may receive a manual letter prompting you to obtain a carte Vitale. 

This is automatic, and if you have already applied on the Ameli website, should be ignored.

Once you have your physical carte Vitale, you can use the smartphone app to download a digital version. 

You can be reimbursed for healthcare usually covered with the card while you are waiting for it provided you ask for, and retain, feuille de soins (healthcare forms) from doctors.

You will need to pay upfront but then be reimbursed once you have your carte Vitale, unless you are covered through your private insurance.

Your private insurance may not be compatible with a carte Vitale, and you may need to cancel it and switch to a French top-up insurance known as a mutuelle.