Quick answers: healthcare in France
- How much does health insurance cost in France for expats?
- Indicative international health insurance for a 32-year-old living in France (inpatient and outpatient, mid-level plan, worldwide excluding the USA) typically costs £181 to £312 a month, with a median of £259 and the cheapest at £135, based on 14 plan quotes from the 14 insurers on our panel, taken in 2026-09. Your price depends on your age, medical history, plan and deductible, and is only confirmed by the insurer.
- How much does expat health insurance cost by age in France?
- Indicative median monthly premiums in France (inpatient and outpatient, mid-level plan, worldwide excluding the USA): age 25 US$237, age 35 US$312, age 45 US$417, age 55 US$656, age 65 US$1,043. Quotes taken 2026-09; the insurer confirms the final price. Shown in US$. Other HealthiNomad prices are in GBP.
- Do foreigners need health insurance in France?
- It depends on the visa. Short-stay Schengen visa visitors: Travel insurance with at least €30,000 of cover, including medical repatriation and emergency and hospital treatment, valid throughout the Schengen area for the whole stay. Long-stay visitors, including retirees and remote workers (France has no dedicated digital nomad visa): A health insurance certificate covering the whole stay is required, plus resources of at least €17,735.19 a year for a single person and a signed undertaking not to work in France in any capacity. Employees with a French work permit: Working in France gives immediate entitlement to PUMa state health cover once registration is approved. Non-working residents with a residence permit: PUMa is available after three months of stable, regular residence, and is kept if the person lives in France at least six months a year. Countries that require travel insurance to enter
- Can foreigners use public healthcare in France?
- Employees are enrolled as soon as they start work; people who live in France without working qualify after three months of stable residence. Insured patients pay small fixed charges, such as a €2 flat deduction per consultation, a €23 daily hospital charge and a €23 flat charge for an emergency visit not followed by admission. Patients with no French or EU cover pay 100% of the hospital tariff, and some public hospitals add a surcharge for uninsured foreign patients.
- Do hospitals in France ask foreigners to pay upfront?
- Patients usually pay the doctor at the end of a consultation and are then reimbursed by Assurance Maladie and their mutuelle. At AP-HP hospitals in Paris, uninsured foreign patients must pay 100% of costs and pay an advance based on a quote at least eight days before planned treatment; private hospitals such as the American Hospital of Paris give a financial estimate before admission.
- What is the emergency number in France?
- Call 112 for an ambulance in France.
What health insurance costs in France (indicative)
These are indicative prices, based on 14 plan quotes from the 14 international insurers on our panel, for one standard profile: a 32-year-old living in France, inpatient and outpatient cover, mid-level plan, worldwide excluding the USA. The typical monthly price is £181 to £312, with a median of £259 and the cheapest at £135. Your actual price depends on your age, medical history, the plan, your deductible and where you want cover, and is only confirmed by the insurer. Snapshot 2026-09-24. See the Health Insurance Cost Index.
Indicative prices: the 5 lowest of 14 plan quotes, monthly in GBP, cheapest mid-level plan in each insurer's range. Quotes taken 2026-09-24.
See the figures
| Age | Cheapest | Median | Higher end | Plans quoted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | US$109 | US$237 | US$284 | 15 |
| 35 | US$145 | US$312 | US$366 | 15 |
| 45 | US$186 | US$417 | US$441 | 15 |
| 55 | US$291 | US$656 | US$702 | 15 |
| 65 | US$458 | US$1,043 | US$1,224 | 14 |
Indicative. Single adult, inpatient and outpatient, cheapest mid-level plan per insurer, worldwide excluding the USA. Quotes taken 2026-09-29. The insurer confirms the final price. Shown in US$. Other HealthiNomad prices are in GBP.
How healthcare works for expats
France has universal public health cover (Protection universelle maladie, PUMa) for people who work or live there on a stable and regular basis. The state insurer (Assurance Maladie) reimburses a set share of an official tariff, for example 70% of a €30 GP consultation, and most residents add a top-up policy (mutuelle) for the rest. Hospitals are a mix of public hospitals and private clinics.
Public care and state schemes
Employees are enrolled as soon as they start work; people who live in France without working qualify after three months of stable residence. Insured patients pay small fixed charges, such as a €2 flat deduction per consultation, a €23 daily hospital charge and a €23 flat charge for an emergency visit not followed by admission. Patients with no French or EU cover pay 100% of the hospital tariff, and some public hospitals add a surcharge for uninsured foreign patients.
Private hospitals
Doctors in 'secteur 2' may charge above the official tariff, while public hospitals do not add fee overruns. Private and public hospitals charge for comfort extras such as a single room, typically from about €49 to €89 a night in public hospitals and €300 a night at the American Hospital of Paris maternity unit.
Paying up front
Patients usually pay the doctor at the end of a consultation and are then reimbursed by Assurance Maladie and their mutuelle. At AP-HP hospitals in Paris, uninsured foreign patients must pay 100% of costs and pay an advance based on a quote at least eight days before planned treatment; private hospitals such as the American Hospital of Paris give a financial estimate before admission.
Typical medical costs in France
Published prices, mostly from private hospitals. Pound figures are approximate conversions.
| Treatment | Price | About |
|---|---|---|
| GP consultation, sector 1 official tariff (Assurance Maladie)1 Metropolitan France, per consultation; 70% reimbursed for insured patients | €30 | £26 |
| Specialist consultation, sector 1 official tariff: gynaecologist (€35) to cardiologist (€52.50)1 Metropolitan France, per consultation; sector 2 doctors may charge more | €35 to €53 | £30 to £45 |
| Emergency department visit without admission, flat patient charge, AP-HP hospitals2 Paris, per visit, for insured patients | €23 | £20 |
| Daily inpatient rate, surgery, CHU de Toulouse3 Toulouse, per day; higher figure applies the 30% surcharge for uninsured foreign patients | €2,062 to €2,680 | £1,774 to £2,306 |
| Daily inpatient rate, obstetrics (maternity), CHU de Toulouse3 Toulouse, per day; higher figure applies the 30% surcharge for uninsured foreign patients | €1,692 to €2,200 | £1,456 to £1,893 |
| Maternity stay for uninsured patients, Centre Hospitalier des Quatre Villes5 Saint-Cloud (Paris region), per day in the maternity unit | €1,094 | £941 |
| Maternity room, American Hospital of Paris (junior suite €1,100, premium suite €1,500)4 Neuilly-sur-Seine (Paris), per night, accommodation only | €300 to €1,500 | £258 to £1,291 |
| Single room supplement, CHU de Toulouse (€49) and Centre Hospitalier des Quatre Villes maternity (€89)3,5 Toulouse and Saint-Cloud, per day | €49 to €89 | £42 to £77 |
| Daily hospital charge (forfait journalier), CHU de Toulouse3 Toulouse, per day, payable by insured patients | €23 | £20 |
| MRI for patients without French cover, RMX Radiologie (radiologist fee €150 to €180 plus €280 technical fee)6 Paris, per examination | €430 to €460 | £370 to £396 |
| CT scan for patients without French cover, RMX Radiologie (radiologist fee €80 to €150 plus €140 to €280 technical fee)6 Paris, per examination | €220 to €430 | £189 to £370 |
| Blood test check-up without prescription (basic €33, advanced €52, extended €89), Biogroup laboratories7 Nationwide, per panel, not reimbursed | €33 to €89 | £28 to £77 |
| Dentist consultation (€23) and scaling (€28.92), official tariffs8,9 Metropolitan France, per item; 60% reimbursed for insured patients | €23 to €29 | £20 to £25 |
Health insurance rules for foreigners
Short-stay Schengen visa visitors
Travel insurance with at least €30,000 of cover, including medical repatriation and emergency and hospital treatment, valid throughout the Schengen area for the whole stay.10
Long-stay visitors, including retirees and remote workers (France has no dedicated digital nomad visa)
A health insurance certificate covering the whole stay is required, plus resources of at least €17,735.19 a year for a single person and a signed undertaking not to work in France in any capacity.11
Employees with a French work permit
Working in France gives immediate entitlement to PUMa state health cover once registration is approved.12
Non-working residents with a residence permit
PUMa is available after three months of stable, regular residence, and is kept if the person lives in France at least six months a year.12
Non-working PUMa beneficiaries who pay no French social charges
The Social Security Financing Law for 2026 creates a new financial contribution for residents with no professional activity who are not liable for CSG, CRDS or health contributions under an international agreement; the amount awaits a decree.12
Students
Non-EU students register free of charge with French social security at etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr using their residence permit and proof of enrolment. EU/EEA/Swiss students with an EHIC valid for the academic year do not need to register.13
UK visitors with GHIC and EU visitors with EHIC
The card gives state healthcare on the same basis as French citizens, which is not always free; it is not a substitute for travel insurance and does not cover medical repatriation.14
Tips before you buy cover
- Insured patients are reimbursed on the official tariff, so check whether a doctor is in 'secteur 1' (official tariff) or 'secteur 2' (may charge more) before booking.
- In public hospitals, a single room is an optional extra charged per day, from €49 at CHU de Toulouse to €89 in the Quatre Villes maternity unit.
- Uninsured patients pay the full hospital daily rate, which at CHU de Toulouse runs from about €1,700 to over €2,000 a day before the 30% surcharge for uninsured foreign patients.
- AP-HP requires uninsured foreign patients to pay an advance, based on a quote, at least eight days before planned treatment.
- Blood test panels can be bought without a prescription at laboratory chains, but are not reimbursed by Assurance Maladie.
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Sources
- 1.Consultations en métropole : vos remboursements, Assurance Maladie (ameli.fr) (January 2026)
- 2.Combien ça coûte ?, AP-HP (Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Paris) (June 2026)
- 3.Guide des tarifs applicables au CHU de Toulouse, version avril 2026, CHU de Toulouse (April 2026)
- 4.Registration and cost estimate, American Hospital of Paris (accessed September 2026)
- 5.Suivi de grossesse et accouchement : combien ça coûte ?, Centre Hospitalier des Quatre Villes (July 2024)
- 6.Tarifs, RMX Radiologie, Paris (September 2025)
- 7.Bilans de santé homme : bilan sans ordonnance, Biogroup (July 2026)
- 8.Consultations et soins dentaires : vos remboursements, Assurance Maladie (ameli.fr) (October 2024)
- 9.Tarifs conventionnels des chirurgiens-dentistes, Assurance Maladie (ameli.fr) (February 2026)
- 10.Frequently asked questions, France-Visas (Ministry of the Interior and Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs) (accessed September 2026)
- 11.Temporary residence card 'visitor' of a foreigner in France, Service Public (French Government) (June 2026)
- 12.What is universal health protection (PUMa)?, Service Public (French Government) (accessed September 2026)
- 13.Vous êtes étudiant étranger et vous venez étudier en France, Assurance Maladie (ameli.fr) (January 2026)
- 14.France travel advice: health, FCDO (UK Government) (August 2026)
- 15.Euro foreign exchange reference rates: Pound sterling (GBP), European Central Bank (25 September 2026)
- 16.Conditions tarifaires : patient international, American Hospital of Paris (December 2024)
Costs and rules change. Always check with the hospital, the insurer or the relevant authority before relying on a figure.