Carte Vitale (French health insurance card)

The carte Vitale identifies you to the Assurance Maladie and carries the information needed to cover your care. When you show it, the doctor or pharmacist sends an electronic claim in place of the paper feuille de soins, and Service-Public says reimbursement typically arrives within a week. In some cases it also lets you use tiers payant, so you do not pay up front.

For a nurse, doctor or therapist moving to France it is a personal card, not a professional one. As a practitioner you will also meet the CPS card, the professional card linked to your RPPS number; the two are often confused.

You need a social security number and proof of identity. Service-Public says that people arriving in France can order the card once they have their definitive social security number, so the wait for that number is often the longest part. Adults order their own card; a child aged 12 to 15 can have one at a parent's request, and from 16 with a parent's consent.

1. Make sure you are registered with the Assurance Maladie through your local health insurance office (CPAM).
2. Open your ameli account, the Assurance Maladie online account.
3. Once your definitive number is assigned, order the card in your ameli account or the Compte ameli app, or by post. The app lets you send a selfie and a photo of your ID, which speeds up processing.
4. Wait about two weeks for an online order or about three weeks by post.
5. Meanwhile, download an attestation de droits (certificate of entitlement) from your ameli account. It proves your cover for everyday procedures.

• Cost. The card is free. Service-Public warns that anyone asking you for money is attempting a scam. Abusive replacement requests cost €5 for a physical card from the fourth replacement in a calendar year.
• Updates. The card has no expiry date but should be updated at least once a year and after changes such as a move, a birth or a new GP, at kiosks in Assurance Maladie offices and most pharmacies.
• App. The free carte Vitale app has been available nationwide since November 2025 and offers the same services as the physical card. Keep the physical card with you, as deployment is gradual.
• Loss or theft. Declare it on ameli or in the app and order a new card, which arrives within two to three weeks.

• Expecting the card on arrival. It cannot be ordered until your definitive number exists, so keep paper receipts and use the attestation de droits in the meantime.
• Paying an agency. Ordering is free through ameli; private sites that charge are not needed.
• Identity errors. Name, sex or birth details are corrected through an INSEE online service, so check the paper copy you receive with the card.
• Forgetting to update the card. After a move or a change of situation, tell your health insurer and update the card, or reimbursements can slow down. Keep your titre de séjour details current with the CPAM too.