Pregnant in France : First Steps, Declaration & What to Expect

Finding out you are pregnant is one thing. Finding out you are pregnant in France, in a system that is entirely different from anything you have experienced before, is something else entirely. The good news: the French system is genuinely excellent for pregnant women and once you know what to do and when, it is manageable. This post walks you through the very first steps — starting with the most important administrative task you need to do in your first trimester.

What Is the Déclaration de Grossesse?

Declaring your pregnancy in France is a formal administrative step that unlocks your coverage and benefits for the entire pregnancy. You declare to two services: the CAF (Caisse d’Allocations Familiales, the family benefits office) and the Assurance Maladie (France’s national health insurance system). Without this declaration, you will not receive the financial benefits and coverage you are entitled to.

 Declaring your pregnancy to these two services entitles you to:

•   100% coverage of all pregnancy-related medical expenses from the first day of the sixth month of pregnancy until twelve days after the birth
•   100% reimbursement of all required medical examinations
•   Coverage of hospitalisation costs for childbirth
•   7 childbirth preparation classes with a midwife (séances de préparation à la naissance)
•   Maternity leave (congé maternité) — 16 weeks for your first child
•   The prime de naissance — a one-time birth grant from the CAF
•   A personalised calendar of all your required prenatal appointments
•   A CAF priority pass for queues in public offices and on public transport

Important: You must declare your pregnancy before the end of the 14th week of gestation (end of the first trimester) to benefit from all your rights. Do not wait.

When to Declare Your Pregnancy

The declaration must be made before the end of the 14th week of pregnancy, that is, before the end of your first trimester. This happens at or after your first required prenatal examination (premier examen médical prénatal), which must also take place before the end of the third month. 

In practice, the declaration is usually made at your first prenatal appointment when your pregnancy is officially confirmed by a doctor, gynaecologist, or sage-femme (midwife). This is the same appointment where the Cerfa form is completed.

Who Declares the Pregnancy — You or Your Doctor?

This depends on how your healthcare provider works. There are two ways the declaration can be made:

Option 1: Your doctor or midwife declares online

Most doctors and midwives in France can now submit the declaration electronically, directly to your CPAM and CAF, with your agreement. If your provider does this, you do not need to complete or send any paperwork. The declaration is registered immediately and you do not need to do anything except make sure your Carte Vitale is up to date.

Tip: After the declaration is submitted, check your Ameli account to confirm it has been registered correctly.

Option 2: Paper declaration

If your provider does not offer the online option, they will give you the three-part Cerfa form 10112*06 (Premier examen médical prénatal — Déclaration de grossesse). Your doctor or midwife completes the medical sections and you complete your personal information. The form has three colour-coded sections and each goes to a different place:

•   First blue section — send to your CAF (Caisse d’Allocations Familiales)
•   Second blue section — send to the PMI (Protection Maternelle et Infantile) of your département
•   Pink section — send to your CPAM (Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie)

Send each section to the office closest to you. Keep a copy for your own records. If you lose the form, return to your healthcare provider for a duplicate.

Note: Despite the general move toward digital, some doctors and midwives still use the paper form. If yours does, this is completely normal. The process and benefits are identical either way.

What to Expect After the Declaration

Once your declaration has been received and processed, here is what comes next:

•   CAF will contact you to open an account if you do not already have one and will begin processing your eligibility for family benefits.
•   Assurance Maladie will send you your personalised pregnancy calendar, a document showing all required prenatal appointments, the dates your coverage changes, and your maternity leave start and end dates.
•   You will receive the “La Doudou Liste”, a practical checklist covering all administrative tasks, health information, and medical visits throughout your pregnancy and after the birth.
•   Your Ameli account will be updated with a Ma Maternité section where you can access all guides, your calendar, and monitor your coverage.

After my own declaration was sent in, I received my calendar from Ameli that gave me all the dates of every required appointment throughout my entire pregnancy, as well as the start and end dates of my maternity leave. Log into your Ameli account and look for the Ma Maternité section, it is a genuinely useful tool.

Carte Vitale: Update your Carte Vitale as soon as possible after your declaration. Terminals are available at most pharmacies, CPAM offices, and health facilities. An updated card ensures tiers payant (no upfront payment at appointments) applies correctly from the start. 

Declaring Your Sage-Femme Référente

Once your pregnancy is declared, you have the option, and it is a good one,  to designate a sage-femme référente (a named midwife who follows you throughout your pregnancy and postpartum period). This declaration must be made no later than the end of the 5th month of pregnancy.

To do this, complete and sign the relevant Cerfa form with your chosen sage-femme and send it to your Assurance Maladie. This accompaniment is covered at 100% under maternity insurance. This can be done alongside the déclaration de grossesse

If you are not yet sure who your sage-femme will be, you can also add their name later via your Mon Espace Santé profile online.

The Prime de Naissance

The prime de naissance is a one-time birth grant paid by the CAF at the beginning of your seventh month of pregnancy. To receive it, you must have declared your pregnancy to the CAF before the end of the 14th week of gestation. This is one of the most important reasons not to delay the declaration. 

The amount is means-tested and calculated based on your household income from your most recent tax return. CAF takes into account all income received in France and abroad, salaries, unemployment benefits, daily social security allowances, pensions, and income from assets.

Residency requirement: If you are a non-EU foreign national on a residence permit, you must provide proof of valid residency to be eligible for the prime de naissance and other CAF benefits. Make sure your titre de séjour is current before you file.

Eligibility for Expats and Immigrants

Navigating the French pregnancy system as an immigrant comes with an extra layer of administrative checks. Here is what you need to know:

•   If you are a European citizen, you must be able to provide proof of meeting the residency requirements.
•   If you are a non-European foreign national on a residence permit, you must provide proof of valid residency.
•   Your coverage through Assurance Maladie applies from the moment your pregnancy is declared, provided your social security affiliation is in order.

If you are not yet affiliated to the French social security system, getting that sorted is step zero,  before the pregnancy declaration. If you are affiliated through your employer, through PUMA (Protection Universelle Maladie), or through your spouse’s coverage, you are covered.

What Comes Next

The déclaration de grossesse is the first administrative step in what is a well-structured but document-heavy pregnancy journey in France. Once it is done, your focus shifts to attending your required prenatal appointments, understanding your coverage, and eventually preparing for maternity leave.

The rest of this series covers each stage in detail:

•   Your first trimester appointment: what to expect and what happens at the premier examen prénatal
•   The entretien prénatal précoce: the early prenatal interview that is unique to France
•   The 7 childbirth preparation classes
•   Congé maternité explained:  how maternity leave works in France