188体育

You must have health insurance cover to live in France.

State healthcare in France is not free. Healthcare costs are covered by both the state and through patient contributions. These are known as co-payments.

You may have to pay upfront for some treatments. The French national insurance fund, Caisse Primaire d鈥橝ssurance Maladie (CPAM), will then repay you for part of the costs later.

UK nationals usually access the French healthcare system in one of these ways:

• making French social security contributions through their employer or as a self-employed person
• using a UK-issued GHIC or EHIC for temporary stays when studying, or as a 鈥榩osted鈥� (detached) worker
• registering a UK-issued S1 form with the local CPAM office (see 鈥楿K-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in France鈥� below)

Healthcare if you live and work in France

If you are planning on moving to France, see the guidance on Living in France for more information about visa and residency requirements.

In some cases you must show proof of healthcare cover:

• before you can register as a resident
• when you apply for a visa

For details about the healthcare cover required for residency applications, contact local authorities in France or the appropriate French embassy or consulate in the UK.

You can apply to be covered by the French healthcare system (Protection Universelle Maladie or 鈥�PUMa鈥�) if you鈥檝e been a resident in France for at least 3 months. You鈥檒l have access to state healthcare on the same basis as a French citizen.

If you鈥檙e employed in France, your employer must initiate your registration for PUMa via the employers鈥� online portal before you start work. Read (in French).

You must apply for your social security number at your local CPAM office as soon as you start work. Read (in French). You should buy private health insurance while waiting for the registration process to be completed.

You鈥檒l pay for PUMa through social security contributions if you are employed or self-employed in France.

If you are not employed you may have to pay into PUMa yourself. There鈥檚 more information on the (in French).

You may be entitled to a French EHIC for travel, including visits to the UK. You cannot use a UK-issued EHIC in France if you live and work there on a French contract.

You may also have the right to apply for a UK S1 if you start drawing a UK State Pension (see 鈥楿K-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in France鈥� below).

How to register for healthcare

You can apply for PUMa through your local CPAM office. There鈥檚 online.

Once registered, you鈥檒l get a temporary social security number by post after 1 to 3 months.

You鈥檒l then receive a document called an 鈥榓ttestation de droits 脿 l鈥檃ssurance maladie鈥�. This confirms your right to French state healthcare and your French social security number.

Once you鈥檝e got that document, you can apply for your French state healthcare card, the 鈥樷��. Take it with you whenever you visit a doctor, pharmacy or specialist provider.

It can take 6 months or longer to get a carte vitale. If you have questions about your application, .

If you need healthcare before you receive your card, use your social security number. Ask your healthcare provider for a 鈥樷�� and send it to your CPAM office to be refunded for any treatment you鈥檝e paid for.

How to access healthcare services

on the Hopital.fr website (in French).

How much you鈥檒l pay

State healthcare in France is not free. You may have to pay some of the cost of any treatment.

Make sure you understand what you鈥檒l be charged and how much of that you鈥檒l get back through state healthcare cover. There鈥檚 .

You can also get top-up insurance called a 鈥榤utuelle鈥�. This will cover all or part of your medical costs not covered by the state.

If your UK employer has sent you to France temporarily (鈥榩osted workers鈥�)

A posted worker, also known as a 鈥榙etached worker鈥�, is someone who is employed or self-employed in the UK, but temporarily sent to a European Economic Area (EEA) country.

UK posted workers can access healthcare in France using a GHIC, EHIC or S1 form.

HMRC has a helpline for National Insurance enquiries from non-UK residents. They can answer questions about posted worker status and explain which documents you will need to get healthcare while posted.

You should register your S1 with your . Read (in French).

You may also need a UK-issued A1 certificate to show that you pay national insurance in the UK. You can get this from HMRC.

If you鈥檙e using a GHIC or EHIC, you鈥檒l need to show the card when you go to your appointment.

UK-funded healthcare: getting and using an S1 form in France

There鈥檚 different guidance if you have an S1 as a 鈥榩osted worker鈥� (see 鈥業f your UK employer has sent you to France temporarily (鈥榩osted workers鈥�)鈥� above).

You may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK if you鈥檙e a resident in France and receive a UK State Pension or an exportable benefit. See on the NHS website for more information about eligibility.

You may also be entitled to an S1 form if you鈥檙e a frontier worker (someone who works in one state and lives in another). You must contact HMRC National Insurance enquiries to find out if you鈥檙e eligible.

Once you have an S1 form, you must register it at your local CPAM office.

This will mean you and your dependants will be entitled to healthcare in France on the same basis as a French citizen.

You鈥檒l still have to pay part of your medical costs, just like other French residents.

You can also get top-up insurance called a 鈥榤utuelle鈥�. This will cover all or part of your medical costs that are not covered by state repayments.

You鈥檒l also get:

• a UK-issued GHIC or EHIC for travel
• planned treatments in other EU countries

You can find out more about and the rules on on the NHS website.

Dependants and family members may be classified differently in France than the UK.

Check with the local authorities when you register your S1 form.

If you鈥檙e entitled to an S1 form as a dependant of a State Pensioner, your health cover will be cancelled once you begin claiming your UK State Pension.

You will be sent a new S1 form to your registered address from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services. You must register this form to ensure continuation of healthcare cover.

You are responsible for informing NHS Overseas Healthcare Services if you change your address or your circumstances change.

How to get an S1 form

If you have a UK State Pension or another qualifying exportable benefit, you must request an application form by phone from NHS Overseas Healthcare Services (see contact details above).

How to use an S1 form in France

You must register your S1 with your local CPAM office. There鈥檚 online.

Once registered, you鈥檒l get a temporary social security number by post after 1 to 3 months.

You鈥檒l then receive a document called an 鈥榓ttestation de droits 脿 l鈥檃ssurance maladie鈥�. This confirms your right to French state healthcare and your French social security number.

Once you鈥檝e got that document, you can apply for your French state healthcare card, the 鈥樷��. Take it with you whenever you visit a doctor, pharmacy or specialist provider.

It can take 6 months or longer to get a carte vitale. If you have questions about your application, .

If you need healthcare before you receive your card, use your social security number. Ask your healthcare provider for a 鈥樷�� and send it to your CPAM office to be refunded for any treatment you鈥檝e paid for.

Studying in France

You should apply for a Student GHIC to get medically necessary, state-provided healthcare for the duration of your study period in France, whether this is for part or all of your course. This means that you鈥檒l get necessary healthcare services on the same basis as a French citizen either for free or at a reduced cost.

If you already hold a valid Student EHIC you can use this until the card expires.

on the NHS website.

Getting treatment in the UK

Because the NHS is a residency-based system, under NHS rules UK nationals who move abroad on a permanent basis may lose their entitlement to free NHS healthcare.

If you are a UK national and move to the EU, you should not expect to be able to use NHS services for free when visiting the UK unless you have an EHIC, PRC or S2 to show your healthcare costs are funded by the EU country in which you now live, or another exemption applies.

Some former UK residents do not have to pay for NHS treatment when visiting England. This includes:

• UK war pensioners
• UK government employees
• UK nationals living in the EU on or before 31 December 2020, once they have a registered, UK-issued S1

Read more about using the NHS when you no longer live in the UK (see 鈥楿K nationals who no longer live in the UK鈥� in Healthcare for visitors to the UK from the EU).

If you return to live in the UK you鈥檒l be able to use the NHS like any other UK resident.

Read more about using the NHS when you return to live in the UK.