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Checklist · France · updated October 16, 2026

Health insurance that passes the French consulate (VLS-TS visitor): checklist

Insurance refusals are the most avoidable of all, because the fix is a single letter from your insurer.

The boxes are meant to be checked on paper.

A health insurance policy, not a travel or nomad policy: French law requires "health insurance covering the duration of the stay" (CESEDA, art. L426-20), and the consulate reads a 90-day travel certificate as not meeting it
Your full name as on your passport
France named explicitly, not just "worldwide" or "Schengen"
Dates covering the entire visa, starting on or before your entry date (not the application date)
Medical expenses and hospitalization with the ceiling stated; €30,000 is the short-stay Schengen minimum and does not apply to a long-stay visa, so show much more
Repatriation / medical evacuation included
No exclusion that guts the policy; pre-existing conditions declared and the wording in writing
Cancelable with refund if the visa is refused
Medicare, credit-card policies and employer plans that do not mention France do not pass

After three months in France

Visitors can apply to the public system (PUMa) at their CPAM after three months of stable residence; keep private cover until the attestation arrives. A yearly contribution for non-working residents is being introduced (law of December 30, 2025; implementing decree pending): check service-public.fr before you count on PUMa alone. When comparing policies, compare exclusions, not just premiums, and ask the insurer in writing whether it issues a visa letter naming France.

Free next steps

Check your income in euros · Moving as a couple · After you land: ANEF validation

Go further

The 32-page guide explains every line above with templates ($29, instant download). The written dossier review checks your actual file before your appointment ($199, on application, answer within 24 hours).

Sources, checked October 16, 2026: France-Visas (United States page and visa assistant), service-public.fr fiche F302, ANEF, Journal officiel (Assemblée nationale, written question no. 11730). Figures change at least yearly; re-check on the official source the week you file. Practical information, not legal advice.

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