Guides for France

Practical guides checked against official sources. Filter by topic to find what you need next.

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InsuranceComplementary health insurance in France (mutuelle) and your employer's planWhy most people in France add a complementary health insurance (mutuelle) to public cover, what an employer's compulsory plan must include, when you can refuse it, how to choose individual cover, the 100% Santé offer and the free or low-cost Complémentaire santé solidaire.About 15 minutes to read; comparing individual offers can take an evening
InsuranceGetting your French social security number (numéro de sécurité sociale)What the French social security number (NIR) is, how people born abroad get one through the health insurance fund, which documents to prepare (including your birth certificate), why you first get a provisional number and how to move on to an ameli account and a carte Vitale.About an hour to prepare the form and copies; the definitive number can take several months
InsuranceHealth insurance in France – PUMa, carte Vitale and top-up coverHow public health cover (PUMa) works for newcomers, when you become entitled, how to register with the health insurance fund, get a social security number and a carte Vitale, what you pay for a doctor's visit in 2026, and why most people add complementary cover.An online form or a few documents; processing takes several weeks, and the definitive social security number for people born abroad can take several months
InsuranceHome insurance in France: what tenants must have and how it worksWhy tenants in France must insure their home before getting the keys, what a multi-risk home policy (assurance multirisque habitation) usually covers, how to compare offers, declare a claim such as water damage, and switch or cancel when you move.About 30 minutes to compare and take out a policy online; the certificate is usually issued immediately