How to Apply for French Sécurité Sociale as a Foreigner

What Documents You Will Need

The second page of the application form lists the specific documents required for your situation. The following is the general list as you may not need all of these and/or you may be asked for additional items depending on your case.

•   Completed application form Cerfa n° 15763*02 : available to download from ameli.fr or service-public.fr. Fill in your full name, address, date of arrival in France, marital status, and dependents.
•   Proof of identity: valid passport including your VLS-TS or titre de sejour. If you do not yet have a titre de séjour, include proof of visa validation.
•   Birth certificate: the long-form version showing your parents’ names. If not in French, you will need a certified translation from a traducteur assermente (sworn translator). I use Bilingual Minds for all my translation purposes. 
•   Proof of address in France: a utility bill (electricity, gas, internet) in your name, a quittance de loyer (rent receipt), a rental contract, or an attestation d’hebergement if someone is housing you (plus their ID and utility bill).
•   Proof of 3 months’ residence (if your situation requires it): at least 3 months of dated documents confirming your residence in France: utility bills, bank statements, or housing contracts.
•   Proof of activity depending on your status.

If employed: employment contract (CDD or CDI) and first pay-slips.

If self-employed: SIRET number or KBIS, declaration of activity with URSSAF, invoices or proof of income.

If a student: certificat de scolarité, valid student visa, student housing or CROUS documents.

If a spouse or dependent: marriage certificate, proof of spouse’s legal residence and activity, birth certificates for children if applicable.

If unemployed or not working: bank statements showing sufficient financial resources, and proof of private health insurance if you have it.

RIB (Relevé d’Identité Bancaire): your bank account details, so reimbursements can be paid directly to you once your account is active. 

How to Submit Your Application

Most foreigners apply through their local CPAM (Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie). You can submit your dossier by post or drop it off in person at your local office.

If mailing your application, always send it by LRAR (lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception), registered post with acknowledgment of receipt. This gives you a time-stamped proof that CPAM received your dossier, which matters if anything goes wrong later.

If you are in Paris, send your dossier to:

Assurance Maladie de Paris

75948 PARIS CEDEX 19

If you are outside Paris, use the CPAM office finder at ameli.fr to locate where to send your dossier. You can also find information about your local CPAM on service-public.fr.

If you have questions at any point, call 3646, free from French phone numbers. Some CPAM offices offer English-language assistance but it varies, so do not count on it.

What Happens Next and How Long It Takes

Once you have submitted your application, here is what to expect.

You will first receive a temporary social security number, which begins with an 8. In my case I did not receive an official document stating the number; instead I got a letter reminding me to declare a médecin traitant. Once you have your temporary number you can start making medical appointments and picking up prescriptions. Let your doctor or pharmacist know in advance that you are using a temporary number while your account is being opened.

Since you cannot request your carte vitale yet, you will need to ask for a feuille de soins at each appointment and submit these manually to your CPAM for reimbursement.

The full timeline from submission to permanent number is typically 4 to 6 months. Expect 2 to 3 months from submission to temporary number, then another 2 to 3 months for your permanent number to come through. 

What to Do While You Wait

There is not a lot you can do except stay organized and patient. If you reach the 3-month mark with no movement, call 3646. If you are not comfortable speaking French on the phone, ask a friend to make the call for you.

Go to medical appointments if you need to but be prepared to pay out of pocket. Always ask for a feuille de soins after each visit so you can submit it for retroactive reimbursement once your number is active. Save every receipt and keep copies of everything, physical and digital, before you send anything off.

As soon as you have your official number, request your attestation de droits from your Ameli account. This document proves you are covered while you wait for your Carte Vitale to arrive, and you will also need it to apply for a mutuelle.

Applying for Your Carte Vitale

Once you have your official social security number and have created your Ameli account, you can request your carte vitale online. Log into ameli.fr, go to Mes Demarches in the top menu, and click Commande de Carte Vitale. Have a passport-style photo ready in digital format, along with a copy of your ID. Submit the request and your card typically arrives within 2 to 4 weeks.

A note on your social security number: it is a 13-digit number followed by a 2-digit control key. The first digit is your gender (1 for male, 2 for female). The next two digits are your birth year. The following two are your birth month. The next five digits indicate your place of birth — if you were born abroad, the first two will be 99, followed by the three-digit INSEE country code. The final digits are your birth order number and control key.