Healthcare

Registering with the French Health Insurance (Social Security) is free and mandatory for all French and international students in France. This covers your healthcare costs for the duration of your studies. The Health Insurance (Social Security) reimburses all or part of the health expenses (around 70%) in case of illness or maternity, whether for consultations, medication, examinations or hospitalization. For optimal reimbursement of your healthcare costs, you can take out a complementary health insurance.

It applies to you if:

• You are enrolled in a PhD programme in France and you will be studying in France;
• You are enrolling in a higher education institution for the first time in France;
• You do not have a French social security number.

As soon as possible after enrolling in the university, you will need to sign up to the Social Security platform available in French, English and Spanish.

Signing up is a three-step process:

1. Register : enter your personal information
2. Send supporting documents : download the documents required depending on your status
3. Create your account : confirm your information and validate your email address to access your account

The French Social Security system gives all those with a French employment contract coverage of healthcare costs and workplace accidents after registering with the Social Security. Registering with the French Health Insurance (Social Security) is free and mandatory for all French and international employed people in France. The Health Insurance (Social Security) reimburses all or part of the health expenses (around 70%) in case of illness or maternity, whether for consultations, medication, examinations or hospitalization. For optimal reimbursement of your healthcare costs, you can take out a complementary health insurance.

You must register with social security when you arrive in France as soon as you have an address and a R.I.B. (Bank identification) (opened in France), as well as your signed employment contract.

European nationals (EU/EEA) have the choice of joining either their local CPAM or the MGEN (social security section). Your right to health insurance doesn’t change whatever organisation you choose.

Registering with the CPAM :

1. Send your application to the Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (CPAM) to request the creation of a Social Security number (one personal number per adult - use of parents’ number for children under 18);
2. Once your application has been processed (within approximately 6 to 8 weeks) by your CPAM regional department, you will receive a letter with your temporary registration number while waiting for your definitive number. You can use this number for all your administrative procedures related to healthcare.
3. After receiving your definitive social security number (starting with “1” for men and “2” for women), you will be able to create your account on the national CPAM website Ameli and apply online for your “Carte Vitale” and download your social security certificate (“attestation de droits”).

The “Carte Vitale” is proof of your coverage for healthcare professionals and means that you can be reimbursed without carrying out any administrative procedures. It is not a payment card but a means of automatic reimbursement. Keep it with your important documents.

Some non-European countries have signed bilateral agreements regarding social security in France to give their insured citizens access to health coverage in France. Find out more before leaving on the "centre de liaisons européennes et internationales de la sécurité sociale" website.

MGEN Registration (EU/EEA nationals only) :

1. You must make an appointment with an MGEN adviser (contact e-mail: jforot@mgen.fr) to file your application. Please include the following information in your e-mail: your full name, date of birth, mobile phone number and place of work).

2. Once MGEN has processed your application (this will take around 2 weeks), you will receive your provisional registration number by post with your provisional rights certificate. You can create your “personal account” on the mgen.fr website and download your “certificate of rights”, consult your reimbursements, etc.

Your application is then sent to an organisation (CPAM) which will assign you a definitive social security number within 1 to 2 months.

3. Upon receipt of your final registration number by post (starting with a "1" for men and a "2" for women), you can create a new "personal account" on the MGEN website with this number. 15 days later, you will automatically receive a form by post which you must fill in, sign and send back, along with a copy of your identity document and a photo ID (passport size) in order to receive your “carte vitale” (health insurance card).

Primary residence : France

European citizens (EU/EEA) who have retained their coverage in their country of residence should apply for Form S1 from their healthcare authority in their country of origin before registering with the CPAM in their place of residence in France. This will provide you with healthcare coverage as if you were under the French Social Security. As you are still covered by the social security system in another European country, your health insurance will also continue to apply for all healthcare received in your country of origin.

Primary residence: other EU/EEA member State / Switzerland

European citizens (EU/EEA/Switzerland) without a French employment contract will need to apply for the European Health Insurance Card from their health insurance provider in their country of origin before arriving in France. This card must be valid for the entire duration of your stay in France.

Other statuses

If you do not have a French employment contract or if you are no longer covered in your country of residence (for European citizens), you will need to take out private health insurance to cover your medical costs for the entire duration of your stay in France which includes: civil liability for your private and professional life, individual accident coverage.

Taking out private health insurance often includes answering a medical questionnaire and the rates proposed by insurance companies in France vary greatly. Ask for a quote and compare the offers to choose the one best suited to your needs.

If you are covered by the French health insurance, around 70% of your healthcare costs will be reimbursed. We therefore strongly recommend taking out complementary health insurance (“mutuelle”). Complementary health insurance reimburses all remaining healthcare costs, along with certain services that are poorly reimbursed or not reimbursed by the Social Security (vaccinations, glasses, dentures, etc.).

Complementary health insurance can only be taken out after you have received your definitive social security number from the CPAM. Always ask for a quote before signing anything.

To receive the maximum reimbursement from the Social Security, you will need to declare a general practitioner (“médecin traitant”) to the CPAM, who you will see if you have any health problems. Your general practitioner can decide to prescribe medicine, sign you off work or admit you to hospital. If necessary, a general practitioner can redirect you to a medical specialist or another healthcare professional.

Please note that you can make an appointment without seeing your general practitioner for some specialists such as gynaecologists, ophthalmologists, psychiatrists or neuropsychiatrists (16 to 25 years old) or stomatologists.

• European emergency number: 112 (emergency centre closest to the place from which you are calling)
• Ambulance services (“SAMU”): 15 (medical emergencies)
• Fire and emergency services (“Pompiers”): 18 (serious emergencies)
• Emergency number for the deaf and hard of hearing: 114
• On-call pharmacies: 3237 or http://www.3237.fr/

All patients are free to choose their place of treatment.

Here are a list of the main hospitals and medical centres in the cities of Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. Health insurance covers services provided in public hospitals and state-approved private non-profit hospitals, provided that the services are included in the list of services approved for reimbursement.

• Ameli (CPAM website where you can create your account)
• Doctolib (schedule appointments online with healthcare professionals)
• Maiia (schedule appointments online with healthcare professionals)