Health and Insurance

If you are covered by a public social security system in your home country, you can benefit from the EU health insurance system by applying for your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in your home country – full details from the European Commission here. Your host institution will ask you for a copy of your EHIC.

If you are staying for a long period of time, you can register for free with the French Social Security on the official website. (see flyers below). Please note that the procedure is quite long (sometimes up to 5 to 6 months). As a result, social security is best suited for students who are staying for a long period of time (one year or more).

In any case, this coverage (through your EHIC or French Social Security) is limited and this means that you will only get a partial reimbursement of your health expenses (see LEVEL 1 below). Although health care is more affordable in France than in other countries, some expenses can be very expensive (surgery, specialized medicine, dental care, eye care…). It is therefore HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you take out complementary health coverage for the duration of your stay. You can contact your regular insurance provider in your home country for information on their international coverage or you can research options with companies that specialize in insurance for international students.

In addition, coverage through your EHIC or French Social Security never includes repatriation coverage. We therefore STRONGLY ADVISE you to obtain such coverage before arriving in France.

For a short stay (less than 3 months)

When applying for a short-term visa, you will be asked to provide proof of international health/travel coverage before leaving your country. This insurance must cover medical expenses and repatriation.

For a long stay (more than 3 months)

When applying for a long-stay visa, some consulates or embassies may ask for proof of international health or travel insurance, others may not.

It is important to note that once you arrive in France, you will be required to register to the French health insurance system, called Social security (Sécurité Sociale).

What is social security?

Mandatory & free of charge, it will cover any health costs you might have througout the duration of your studies. (Appointment with a GP, hospital care, etc.)

1. BEFORE YOUR ARRIVAL

Before your arrival, make sure you have the following documents in digital format (documents required to join the Social security)

• Proof of identity (passport)
• Proof of civil status (birth certificate)
• Valid student visa

2. At your arrival

When you arrive in France, and after having obtained your certificate of enrolment in a higher education institution, register at the dedicated website “Assurance Maladie” https://etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr/#/ and upload the document requested :

• Proof of civil status (birth certificate, no translation required);
• A student visa (and confirmation if possible) or a valid residence permit;
• Proof of enrolment for the current academic year;
• IBAN or RIB (French bank account details).

We recommend that you upload all the requested documents at the same time, as this will speed up the processing of your application. If compulsory documents are missing, Social security will not be able to validate your registration. Consequently, you will not be able to validate your application. The Social Security registration procedure can take time. We therefore advise you to take out international health cover until the French health insurance validates your registration and you are officially covered.

Once you have completed these steps, your personal space will be created. You can access it using the e-mail address you gave when you registered.

3. ON VALIDATION OF YOUR REGISTRATION (OR AffLIATION)

Once you have submitted the documents to French Social security, while the health insurance company checks and validates your application, you will receive a provisional certificate of affiliation, on which you will find your Social Security number.You will then be covered for all health care.

However, there are still a few steps to take:

• Appoint a doctor in France as your general practitioner to coordinate your healthcare with monitoring that matches your state of health and to receive better reimbursements (70% instead of 30%). Your general practitioner is the one who knows you best, because he/she cares for you on a regular basis;  guides your coordinated healthcare path (he/she is your preferred contact point to refer you to other healthcare professionals); manages your medical record by centralising all information relating to your care; provides you with personalised preventive care including, for example, vaccination checks, screening, help to stop smoking, etc. How can I find a general practitioner? (see relevant paragraph below)

• Good insurance is important in case of hospitalisation and to receive routine care. Although the Social security reimburses most of your healthcare expenses, there is still an amount left to pay. This is why we recommend taking out supplementary health insurance. If you have low income, with the Solidarity Supplementary health insurance, in most cases you will no longer be required to pay these healthcare expenses. Click here to learn more.

4. complete YOUR REGISTRATION (OR AFFILIATION) TO BENEFIT FROM REIMBURSEMENTS

Once your application has been validated by the Assurance Maladie, you will receive your definitive certificate of registration, with your Social Security number, and you will need to :

• Request your Carte Vitale
• Open an ameli account
• Use your Carte Vitale with healthcare professionals to receive quicker reimbursements and benefit from third-party payment. Your Carte Vitale contains all your rights and simplifies the procedure to receive healthcare reimbursements. The Carte Vitale can save you from paying for care or medicines up front: this is called third-party payment. 

For more information on the documents required when registering for Social Security, please see:

• The dedicated page of Campus France
• The Campus France tutorial
• You can consult the dedicated page of the Social Security

Having problem? You can reach out the Frenhc Social security via :

• Téléphone service on 36 46 (free service + cost of all) Moonday to Friday from 08:30 to 17:30. On request, you will be put in touch with a english speaking advisor
• In person at the “Assurance Maladie” fund of your place of residence
• Ameli.fr for news, rights and procedures, reimbursements, healthcare

What is complementary insurance?

Reimbursement of your health costs through the French Social Security system is still limited, which means that you will only receive partial reimbursement.

Although healthcare is more affordable in France than in other countries, some expenses can be very expensive (surgery, specialist medicine, dental care, eye care, etc.), so it is strongly recommended that you take out complementary health coverage for the duration of your stay.

You can look for options with insurance companies that specialize in international students in France or you can contact any supplemental insurance company.

Below are examples of supplemental insurance for students:

• LMDE (La Mutuelle des Etudiants)
• HEYME

REPATRIATION INSURANCE:

In addition, French Social Security coverage never includes repatriation coverage and it is therefore preferable to obtain this coverage through a complementary insurance.

Disclaimer: The websites listed above are for information purposes only. OMNES Education does not benefit financially from any of them and cannot be held responsible for any dispute or damage caused by the service providers listed above.

To find English-speaking doctors in Paris, you can consult the list provided by the US Embassy.

Find below the doctors and pharmacists around the Eiffel campus

General Practitioners

Ophthalmologist

Pharmacies

Pharmacies open 24 hours a day

The Paris Hospitals are listed on the website here

Hôpital Saint-Antoine 184 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine 75012 Paris Telephone: 01 49 28 20 00

Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard 46 rue Henri-Huchard 75018 Paris Telephone: 01 40 25 80 80

Hôpital Lariboisière 2 rue Ambroise-Paré 75010 Paris Telephone: 01 49 95 65 65

Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou 20 rue Leblanc 75015 Paris Telephone: 01 56 09 20 00

Hôpital Cochin 27 rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques 75014 Paris Telephone: 01 58 41 41 41

General Practitioners
Dr Robin GAUZERAN 23 rue Ney 69006 Lyon Telephone: 04 86 86 03 86	Dr Alix HILLEN 41 rue Pré-Gaudry 69007 Lyon Telephone: 04 28 29 66 80	Dr Mélodie CARON 18 rue Bichat 69002 Lyon Telephone: 04 72 41 04 10	Dr. David DANIELIAN 87 rue Bossuet 69006 Lyon Telephone: 04 78 24 77 41	Dr. Florian Caillierez 64 rue Challemel-Lacour 69007 Lyon Telephone: 04 81 91 44 70

Pharmacies
Pharmacie Jean Macé 73 avenue Jean Jaurès, 69007 Lyon Phone : 04 78 72 44 33	Grande Pharmacie Lyonnaise 22 rue de la République, 69002 Lyon 24h/24. Phone : 04 72 56 44 00 Most affordable pharmacy for hygiene products.	La Pharmacie 16 rue de la Barre, 69002 Lyon Phone : 04 78 37 78 71

Osteopath :
Cabinet Lyon Ouest 13 chemin du Petit Bois 69130 ECULLY Telephone: 04 78 66 12 34	Cabinet Lyon 7 Jean Macé 45 rue du Professeur Grignard Telephone: 69007 LYON 04 72 70 59 40	Cabinet Lyon Est 4 rue de la Doua 69100 VILLEURBANNE Telephone: 04 37 45 10 45

You have the possibility to benefit from free osteopathy sessions, by appointment from Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm and on Saturday from 8am to 2pm.

Hospitals
Hôpital Edouard Herriot 5 place d’Arsonval 69003 Lyon Telephone: 0 825 08 25 69	Lyon Sud Hospital 165 chemin du Grand Revoyet 69495 Pierre-Bénite	Hôpital de la Croix-Rousse 103 grande rue de la Croix-Rousse 69004 Lyon Telephone: 0 825 08 25 69

General practitioner

Dr Catherine Desenlis 31 rue de la jeunesse, 33700 Mérignac Telephone: 05.56.55.19.22

Dentist

Dr Yann Gombauld 8 rue de Ségur, 33000 Bordeaux Visit here

Dermatologist

130 rue de Pessac, 33000 Bordeaux Telephone: 05.56.91.08.08

Psychologist

Marlene Biotteau Occupational psychologist & ergonomist. Burnout, harassment, stress, anxiety and depression 133 boulevard George V, 33800 Bordeaux Phone : 06.68.71.18.77

Pharmacies
The Capuchin Pharmacy Open 24 hours a day. 30 place des Capucins 33800 Bordeaux Telephone: 05 56 91 62 66 contact@pharmacapucins.fr	Pharmacy of the Great Men 1 place des Grands Hommes, 33000 Bordeaux Telephone: 05.56.81.70.90	Aprium Pharmacy Bordeaux Lac Avenue des 40 Journaux, 33300 Bordeaux Telephone: 05.56.39.39.44

Hospitals
Pellegrin Hospital Place Amélie Raba Léon, 33076 Bordeaux Telephone: 05.56.79.56.79	CHU Saint-André Hospital 1 rue Jean Burguet, 33000 Bordeaux Telephone: 05.56.79.56.79

General Practitioners
Dr Hugo FERRIOL 12 boulevard de la Mer Caspienne, 73370 Le Bourget-du-Lac Phone number : 04 79 75 78 17	Dr Sophie MOUREAU 12 boulevard de la Mer Caspienne, 73370 Le Bourget-du-Lac Telephone: 04 79 84 46 20	Dr Capucine MANGIN 12 boulevard de la Mer Caspienne, 73370 Le Bourget-du-Lac Phone number : 04 79 75 78 17

Dentist

Dr Gaëlle Habrard Dental office of Dr Antonin Bats 12 boulevard de la Mer Caspienne, Savoie Technolac, 73370 Le Bourget-du-Lac Telephone: 04 79 65 79 73

Osteopath

Dr Sarah DESMARES Médilac 12 boulevard de la Mer Caspienne, 73370 Le Bourget-du-Lac Telephone: 07 61 35 25 10

Pharmacies
Priory Pharmacy 182 route Nationale, 73370 Le Bourget du Lac. Telephone: 04 79 25 00 04	List of pharmacies available in Aix-Les-Bains by day (15 minutes from Chambéry)	Pharmacy of L’EPINE c.c. super u 75 rue lavoisier, la motte servolex, Telephone: 04 79 25 41 68	Viviers du Lac Pharmacy 73 route d’Aix 73420 Viviers du Lac Telephone: 04 79 61 66 02	Pharmacy Aix les Bains Pavy 234 rue de Genève 73100 Aix les Bains Phone : 04 79 35 03 70
Pharmacies open 24/7
Greater Chambéry

Hospitals
Hospital of Chambéry Place Lucien Biset, 73000 Chambéry Telephone: 04 79 96 50 50	Grand Port Hospital – Metropole Savoie Hospital Center 49 avenue du Grand Port, 73100 Aix-les-Bains Telephone: 04 79 88 61 61	Medi-pole of Savoy 300 avenue des Massettes, 73190 Challes-les-Eaux Telephone: 04 79 26 80 80