People who are going to apply for a long-stay visitor visitor to France, they must have a good private health insurance policy for the entire duration of the stay.
This is one of most common reasons for rejection of long-stay visitor visas. So, you should avoid the regular travel insurances.
What should be covered by the policy?
The insurance policy must cover all the hospital and medical expenses including social assistance in France.
- The coverage should be a minimum of 30,000 EUR. Anything less will be rejected.
- It should cover all the expenses related to emergency care, hospitalization, ambulance transport, scans, surgery, out-patient treatment, medication, repatriation assistance, personal liability, death, etc.
- Regular travel insurance policies will be rejected.
Duration of the coverage?
Long-stay visas are normally issued for a duration ranging between 4 to 12 months. So, the insurance should cover this entire period.
- The coverage should start from the starting date of the visa.
- It should be a single policy for the entire duration of the stay. For example, If you are going to stay for a year but purchase a 2 x 180 days policy, it might be rejected in most cases.
- If possible, you can choose the monthly payments option instead of the yearly subscription. So, you will have the option to cancel the policy, when you get the French government social security coverage.
- You can apply for the social security number only after completing 90 days in France.
- However, the processing duration is usually 4-5 months but can be longer too. In some exceptional cases, it has taken a year for some people.
- If your insurance policy allows the conversion to a French mutuelle, it can be very helpful later.
Where to purchase the health insurance?
The following information has been sourced from actual travel experiences, expat groups, and other public sources.
Update from a reader:
Just FYI, HDFC Ergo and AXA do provide 12 months health travel insurance. I took HDFC for my parents and it was accepted and they received a multi-entry long stay visa for 11 months. They need to do OFII too. I spoke with the french embassy in Delhi and I was told 180×2 is generally not accepted and I should take AXA. However I noticed HDFC was in the accepted list of insurances on one of their webpages and went with HDFC Ergo since the cost gap is huge. But, in the case of AXA there is an option to cancel the insurance if the visa is denied, so that’s a positive.
HI,
Could you share the AXA website – i am referring to https://www.axa-schengen.com/en/online-quote#/
But even in this one i am not able to choose more than 180 days.
Thanks
K
Hello,
You can select 12 months or more in AXA website https://www.axaglobalhealthcare.com/en/international-health-insurance/get-a-quote/
Cheers,
Prasanth
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Hello
My mother came to France on a tourist visa and she is currently sick. I have an appointment scheduled with the doctor. Could you please explain how travel health insurance works at your clinic? I’d like to know what is covered, what documents we need to bring, and how payment or reimbursement is handled.
Hello,
Sorry to learn about your mother’s situation.
On her travel health insurance attestation/certificate, there will be assistance numbers to call in these type of circumstances. Please call them & start the procedure.
Only the insurance document can explain what’s covered & kit. Usually, treatment for pre-existing health conditions aren’t covered unless specifically insured for them.
Wish her a speedy recovery.
Hello,
I am looking to apply for Post study visa from India.
Which one would be the cheapest option offering private health insurance (not travel insurance) in India?
Hello,
Same options as the ones listed on this article, depending on your budget.
Cheers,
Prasanth
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Hello Prasanth,
Did you take the platinum or gold plan for HDFC Ergo?
regards,
Akshay
Hello Akshay,
Neither of them. If Im taking one, I will choose a competitive health insurance from an European company.
Cheers,
Prasanth
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Hi Prasanth,
How good is ACS as health insurance for visa purposes? Do they accept it for Long Stay Visitor Visa? I am applying for Long Stay Visitor Visa from India for my mother.
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Hello Madhu,
I have not personally used ACS. But it will be accepted for a visitor vis application.
Cheers,
Prasanth
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I am planning to travel back to France using a Visa de retour. As I already have a social security number in France, could you please advise how long the travel insurance should be taken for when applying for this type of visa through VFS Global?
Hello Shanthi,
You can download a latest attestation des droits from your Ameli account & submit it as proof of insurance.
Cheers,
Prasanth
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Hey Prasanth,
My wife is studying in France and I applied for VLS-TS tto join her and my application was refused. One of the reasons was not having inadequate or valid health insurance. I had taken a 250k USD Tata AIG Travel medical insurance which clearly didn’t make the cut.
Which local European providers would you recommend for this case?
Hello Rahul,
Even if you take a 1million USD policy, your dependent visa appliation will rarely get accepted. Health insurance is not the primary reason for the rejection.
Ideally you have to wait, until she graduates and finds a job. Then she can invite you as her dependent. More details on https://prasanthragupathy.com/2024/08/how-can-i-invite-family-members-to-france/
Cheers,
Prasanth
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