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Carte Vitale at a glance
- Eligibility: any resident living in France on a stable basis for at least three months (PUMa scheme) ;
- Realistic 2026 processing time: three to six months, sometimes longer in the Paris region ;
- Ameli's English-speaking line: 09 74 75 36 46 (Mon-Fri, 8:30 am to 5 pm, standard rate) ;
- While you wait, your attestation de droits works as a temporary Carte Vitale at any doctor or pharmacy.
What Exactly Is the Carte Vitale?
The Carte Vitale is the personal health insurance card issued by the Assurance Maladie, France's public health insurer. The chip stores your numéro de sécurité sociale and your insurance rights, but no medical data. Presenting it at the end of a doctor's visit, at the pharmacy, or in a lab triggers automatic reimbursement, usually within five working days.
A few acronyms to keep straight:
- PUMa (Protection Universelle Maladie) is the scheme that grants healthcare rights to anyone residing legally in France. It replaced the older CMU in 2016 ;
- CPAM (Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie) is the regional office that processes your application and issues the card ;
- Ameli (Assurance Maladie en Ligne) is the public-facing website and app where you manage your file ;
- The Carte Vitale itself is the physical card you carry to appointments.
The card reimburses around 60 to 70% of standard medical costs. To cover the remainder, most residents take out a mutuelle (private complementary insurance) — see the section at the bottom of this page.
Who Is Eligible to Apply?
Under PUMa, the rule is simple in principle: you qualify if you live in France stably and regularly (at least 183 days per year) and you have done so for at least three months. The application route, however, depends on where you're coming from.
EU, EEA and Swiss Citizens
For stays under three months, your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) covers you on the same terms as a French citizen. Beyond three months, you become eligible for PUMa and a Carte Vitale. EU pensioners receiving a state pension from another member state should bring an S1 form from their home country's health authority — it transfers their healthcare rights to France without paying contributions.
UK Citizens (Post-Brexit)
UK nationals resident in France before 31 December 2020 keep their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement and can use an S1 form if drawing a UK state pension. Newer arrivals follow the standard third-country route: a long-stay visa, three months of stable residence, then a PUMa application. The UK GHIC replaces the EHIC for short visits but does not grant residency rights.
US and Other Non-EU Citizens
If you hold a long-stay visa (VLS-TS) or a titre de séjour, you become eligible after three months of continuous residence. Non-EU pensioners typically pay a CSM contribution (Cotisation Subsidiaire Maladie) of around 6.5% on capital income above a threshold, since they don't pay French income-based social charges. Students with a long-stay visa register through etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr as soon as they arrive.
| Profile | Key documents | Special form |
|---|---|---|
| EU/EEA/Swiss worker | Passport, employment contract, RIB, proof of address | None |
| EU/EEA pensioner | Passport, RIB, proof of address | S1 form from home country |
| UK citizen (post-Brexit) | Passport, titre de séjour, proof of residence | S1 if pensioner, otherwise none |
| US / non-EU worker | Passport, long-stay visa, employment contract, RIB | None |
| Student (any nationality) | Passport, visa, school enrolment certificate, RIB | Online registration on etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr |
Children aged 16 and over can apply for their own card or stay registered on a parent's card until then. For the residency conditions themselves, see our guide to French visas and residency.
Documents You Need to Prepare
Before opening the online application, gather a clean PDF or photo of each of the following:
- Your passport (and visa or titre de séjour if you are a non-EU national) ;
- A full birth certificate with parents' names (avec filiation), translated into French by a sworn translator if originally in another language ;
- A French RIB (bank account details) — you'll need a French IBAN, so see our guide to opening a bank account in France if you haven't yet ;
- A justificatif de domicile dated within the last three months (utility bill, rental contract, or attestation from your landlord) ;
- Proof of three months' stable residence: payslips, employment contract, school enrolment, or any document showing you've been in France for that period ;
- Your S1 form, if you are an EU/UK pensioner.
A short note on translations: only documents not already in French need a sworn translation, and you only need to do this once. Local mairies keep an official list of traducteurs assermentés. Don't translate anything until your CPAM has confirmed which documents they require — rules vary slightly by region.
How to Apply, Step by Step
The application is mostly online via Ameli's English-language portal. Expect the process to unfold in four stages:
Step 1: Submit your initial PUMa file
If you don't yet have a French numéro de sécurité sociale, your first application is for healthcare rights, not the card itself. Download the S1106 form from ameli.fr (Demande d'ouverture des droits à l'Assurance Maladie), complete it, and post it to your local CPAM along with the documents listed above. The CPAM address depends on your département; the Ameli site has an address finder.
Step 2: Receive your social security number
Once your file is processed, the CPAM issues a 13-digit numéro de sécurité sociale, sometimes preceded by a temporary number while a definitive one is registered. With this number, you can create your account on ameli.fr. You'll also receive an attestation de droits, a printable certificate that doctors and pharmacies accept as proof of insurance until the card arrives.
Step 3: Order the Carte Vitale
Inside your Ameli account, go to Mes démarches then Commander ma Carte Vitale. You'll be asked to upload an ID-style headshot (white background, neutral expression) and a copy of your ID. Submit, and the request goes to the central card-issuing centre.
Step 4: Receive the physical card
In 2026, realistic delivery times run from three to six months from initial application, sometimes longer in Île-de-France due to volume. The card arrives by post with an activation letter; once activated, it works at every healthcare provider in France.
Stuck at any stage? Ameli's English-speaking helpline is 09 74 75 36 46, open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5 pm. It is a standard-rate number (the older premium 3646 short number is no longer used for English support). From abroad, dial 00 33 9 74 75 36 46. For other English-language helplines, see our directory of English-speaking helplines in France.
Using Your Carte Vitale Day to Day
Hand the card to the receptionist or insert it into the reader at the end of the appointment. The reimbursement is then transmitted electronically to your CPAM and credited to your French bank account, typically within five working days. You can track every reimbursement on the Ameli app or the Mes paiements section of your account.
Two concepts worth knowing:
- Tiers payant means the healthcare provider is paid directly by the insurer — you don't pay upfront. Always available at pharmacies, hospitals, and labs ; partial at most GP surgeries ;
- Télétransmission is the electronic relay between your card, the provider, and your CPAM. It happens automatically when you swipe the card and removes the need for paper feuilles de soins.
To get the best reimbursement rates, register a médecin traitant (GP of record) on the Cerfa form your doctor will provide. Without one, you're considered hors parcours de soins coordonnés and reimbursed at a lower rate.
At hospitals, labs and specialists
The card works the same way in public and private structures. Public hospitals invoice the CPAM directly under tiers payant; private clinics may ask for upfront payment beyond the regulated tariff. Our guide to hospitals in France explains the public-private split in detail.
What to Do Before the Card Arrives
Three to six months is a long wait, but you are insured from the moment the CPAM accepts your file. The tools you have in the meantime:
- Print your attestation de droits from the Ameli portal and bring it to every appointment ;
- Ask the doctor for a paper feuille de soins ; pay upfront, then post the form (or photograph and submit it via the Ameli app) for reimbursement ;
- For pharmacies, presenting the attestation with your ID is usually enough to trigger tiers payant on prescription medication ;
- Keep originals of every feuille de soins until the reimbursement appears in your account.
Reimbursement timelines on paper claims run two to three weeks, against three to five days once the card is active.
If You Lose, Damage or Need to Update the Card
Losing the card is not a security risk in itself — no medical or banking data is stored on the chip — but you should report it to avoid a duplicate being used in your name. Log in to ameli.fr, go to Mes démarches, then Déclarer la perte ou le vol. A replacement is dispatched in two to four weeks at no charge.
After major life events — change of address, marriage, civil partnership, the birth of a child — update your file on the Ameli portal. The card itself doesn't expire, but outdated information can block reimbursements. A useful habit is a yearly login to confirm your address, RIB, and registered médecin traitant are still correct.
Topping Up With a Mutuelle
The Carte Vitale reimburses the regulated tarif de convention, which covers 60-70% of standard care. Dental work, glasses, hearing aids, hospital co-payments and specialists charging above the regulated rate often leave a meaningful gap. A mutuelle (private complementary insurance) closes that gap, and most French employers are required by law to offer one with at least 50% of the premium covered.
If you are self-employed, retired or between contracts, you'll buy a mutuelle individuelle directly. Premiums in 2026 range from around 25 to 80 euros per month for a single adult, depending on age and the level of cover (notably for dental and optical). Compare two or three quotes before signing — guarantees and exclusions vary widely between insurers.
Setting Up French Life Beyond Healthcare
Healthcare is one piece of settling in France. The other recurring battles for English-speaking newcomers are setting up electricity, gas and broadband — most providers offer customer support in French only. If you'd rather not navigate that in a second language, Selectra runs a free English-speaking line that compares every supplier and signs the contract on your behalf.
English-speaking helpline · Free callback available
Set up electricity, gas or broadband in minutes — in English
Selectra's English-speaking advisors compare every supplier on the market and open the contract in your name, free of charge. Have your French address, IBAN and a phone number ready before calling.
Energy line: Mon-Fri 8 am-9 pm, Sat 8:30 am-6:30 pm, Sun 9 am-6 pm. Broadband line: Mon-Fri 9:30 am-7:30 pm. Or get a free callback.
For the broader picture, our healthcare in France hub covers everything from finding a GP to choosing a mutuelle, and our Moving to France guide walks through the rest of the admin you'll meet in the first year.