PhD students with "Etudiant" visas and their family

This information applies to third-country nationals holding a "student" visa. It does not apply to doctoral students holding a "Talent" visa (formerly "Talent Passport") or a "researcher/scientist" visa.

International students enrolled in a French institution must—depending on their specific situation—complete the necessary procedures to access the French health insurance system.

It is strongly recommended that you take out insurance coverage for your arrival in France while awaiting your enrollment in the health insurance system.

If you have a visa or residence permit with student status, you must register on the website dedicated to foreign students and upload your documents in order to apply for affiliation to the French social security system.
You will then be affiliated with the CPAM in your place of residence.

Registration website for foreign students.
For more information, visit the Université de Lyon health portal: "Health insurance for international students."

You will always need to provide the original copy of your birth certificate, and in some cases, you may be asked to provide an official translation.

Translation

Only birth certificates in Albanian, German, English, Danish, Croatian, Spanish, Finnish, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Swedish, Czech, and Turkish are accepted. Birth certificates in all other languages must be translated into French by a sworn translator approved by a French Court of Appeal (cour d’appel).

 

Authentication
The health insurance authority (Assurance Maladie) may require birth certificates from certain countries to be apostilled or legalized. In both cases, this constitutes certification proving that the document is indeed an official one.
Exception: providing a multilingual birth certificate extract exempts the document from legalization and apostille requirements.

Under certain specific conditions, you may be eligible for the Universal Health Protection (PUMA) scheme.

Such enrollment is possible, for instance, under a research stay agreement.

Enrollment in PUMA based on residence in France is subject to various conditions, including:

• residence in France for at least 3 months
• possession of a residence permit authorizing residence for more than 6 months in France

To benefit from PUMA, you must register with the Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie (CPAM) of your place of residence and send your request for entitlement by postal mail using the Cerfa S1106a or n°15763*01 form, accompanied by the required supporting documents.

Please note: you cannot register in advance. You must wait until you have resided in France for three months before applying for coverage. You will therefore need to take out private insurance for at least the first three months of your stay in France.

Contacts for your local CPAM :

• In Le Rhône (Lyon)
• In La Loire (Saint-Etienne)
• In L'Ain (Bourg-en-Bresse)

Some branches are open by appointment only. Please check beforehand.

The processing time for health insurance benefits can be several weeks. It is recommended to maintain valid health insurance coverage until your enrollment is confirmed.

Your spouse and adult children

Under certain specific conditions, your spouse and adult children may benefit from Universal Health Care System (PUMA).

Contacts for your local CPAM :

• In Le Rhône (Lyon)
• In La Loire (Saint-Etienne)
• In L'Ain (Bourg-en-Bresse)

Your minor children: right holders

Minor children (under the age of 18) benefit from your PUMA entitlements. You must request their registration.