Step 1 – Register on the website: etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr

1. Go to the etudiant-étrangers.ameli.fr website.
2. Enter the mandatory information:
   • Last name
   • First name(s)
   • Date of birth
   • Country of birth
   • Email address
   • Parent’s name
   • Address in France
   • Email and phone number
3. Upload the required supporting documents:
   • Passport/ID card
   • Student visa
   • Enrolment certificate for the current year
4. To finish your social security registration and obtain your definitive social security number, upload the following documents :
   • Proof of civil status in the original language with its translation if possible.
     • birth certificate
     • birth certificate with parental information
     • any other civil status document issued by a consulate
     • marriage certificate
   • Residence permit or document validating long-stay visa (VLS)
   • A Bank identity statement (in French: RIB Zone SEPA) or IBAN
   • Parental authorisation statement for children under 16 years of age
   • If necessary, additional documents according to the country of origin

Step 2 – Create your personal account

• Download your temporary Social Security registration certificate for immediate access to reimbursement of your health expenses by French health insurance.
• Upload any missing or incomplete documents to your personal account.
• Once you receive a message with a NIR number, you can download your final social security affiliation certificate.

Step 3 – Create your personal ameli account: 

• Create your personal ameli account by calling 3646 (French) or +33(0)974 753 646 (English). Your bank details (RIB), social security number and a code received by text message will be necessary to create your personal ameli account.
  

Step 4 – When you have your ameli account, you can:  

• Download your definitive social security entitlement certificate
• Request your “carte Vitale” (health insurance card) by providing your ID documents: recent passport photo and ID papers.
• Declare an attending doctor to the Maine-et-Loire CPAM by sending the form completed and signed by the doctor.

Q1 – Can I be reimbursed with a temporary social security number?

Your temporary social security number allows you to carry out the same formalities as if you had your final social security number.

The only difference is that, with the temporary number, you cannot obtain a carte Vitale or create an Ameli account.

Q2 – What is the primary care physician (“médecin traitant”) déclaration ?

Declaring a primary care physician or médecin traitant in French means choosing a general practitioner (GP) as the primary contact for your health care.

The choice of a general practitioner allows you to have better medical follow-up, be referred to a specialist and receive better coverage (70% instead of 30%).

This can be done at your first GP consultation, when you require medical treatment.

1. Download the form.
2. Ask your GP to complete this form during your appointment.
3. Send it to the CPAM of Maine et Loire:
   CPAM of Maine et Loire
   32 rue Louis Gain
   49937 Angers CEDEX 9

Q3 – How can I get an appointment with a specialist doctor?

You must first consult your GP, who will refer you to a specialist if needed. Once you have the referral, you can make an appointment with a specialist (dermatologist, rheumatologist, neurologist, cardiologist, specific examinations such as x-rays, blood test, etc.).

You can make appointments with the following specialists without going through your GP: a gynaecologist, an ophthalmologist, a psychiatrist or neuropsychiatrist, a stomatologist.

More information on ameli.fr

Q4 – Why take out private health insurance?

Public health insurance can reimburse up to 70% of your health costs.

However, for better coverage, it is strongly recommended that you take out private health insurance.

A private student insurance company or another provider can cover all or part of the health expenses not reimbursed by the CPAM.

Reimbursement rates vary according to the contract.

Please note that the French Assurance Maladie offers the Complémentaire santé solidaire for students, which is a help to pay for health expenses if you have limited resources. You can apply under certain conditions (details on ameli.fr).

Q5 – How can I be reimbursed with an EHIC card or without a “carte vitale”?

You have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

• Complete and sign the healthcare form provided by your physician.
• Attach the following documents:
  • A bank identity statement (RIB) to the form
  • A photocopy of your passport or ID
  • A photocopy of your EHIC card.
• Send the form and supporting documents to 
  CPAM de Maine et Loire,
  32 rue Louis Gain,
  49937 Angers CEDEX 9

You do not yet have a carte vitale

You have registered online at https://etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr/#/ but do not yet have a carte vitale.

• Complete and sign the healthcare form provided by your physician.
• Send the form to
  CPAM de Maine et Loire,
  32 rue Louis Gain,
  49937 Angers CEDEX 9

Q6 – What should I do with the French Health insurance when I leave France to go back home?

If you have obtained a carte vitale

Please send the following to the CPAM of Maine et Loire

• The “carte vitale”
• The form “Transfert de résidence hors de France”

If you do not have a definitive French social security number

You do not have to inform the health insurance. Your account will be automatically closed.