CHAPTER 14 · ESSENTIALS
Health insurance,bank and phone.
Students from outside the EU register for French social security free of charge on the Assurance Maladie international students' website. It refunds a large share of medical costs; a mutuelle (top-up insurance) covers most of the rest. Open a French bank account in your first weeks to receive CAF aid and salary.
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Health insurance
- 01
Register online
Use the Assurance Maladie site for international students after enrolment. Upload your passport, visa, enrolment certificate and a French bank RIB.
- 02
Get your number and Carte Vitale
You receive a social security number and later the Carte Vitale card used at doctors and pharmacies.
- 03
Choose a doctor
Declare a médecin traitant (regular GP) to get the best reimbursement rate.
- 04
Consider a mutuelle
A top-up plan covers costs social security does not reimburse. Low-income students may qualify for free Complémentaire santé solidaire.
Bank account
- Traditional banks offer student packages; online banks are quicker to open.
- Bring passport, visa, enrolment certificate and proof of address.
- Your RIB (bank details) is needed for rent, CAF, salary and social security.
- Every resident has the legal right to a basic account if banks refuse (droit au compte).
Phone and internet
- Prepaid and no-contract mobile plans start around €10–20 a month.
- Home internet (box) costs about €20–35 a month if not included in rent.
IN DEPTH · TAP A TOPIC TO OPEN
How French healthcare works for you
- 01
Register
On the Assurance Maladie international students' site after enrolment; you get a provisional social security number, then a permanent one and your carte Vitale.
- 02
Choose a médecin traitant
Declare a regular GP; you get better reimbursement when you see your declared doctor first.
- 03
Pay and get refunded
You pay the doctor, then about 70% of the official rate is refunded; a mutuelle covers most of the rest.
- 04
Emergencies
Call 15 (medical emergency) or 112; hospital emergency rooms (urgences) treat everyone.
Opening a bank account
- Passport with your visa
- Proof of address in France (lease, CROUS certificate or host attestation)
- Student enrolment certificate
- French phone number
- Online banks are fast but sometimes need a French tax or address history; traditional banks offer student packages
- Every adult in France has the right to a basic account (droit au compte) through the Banque de France if refused
Mental health support
Moving countries is hard. Your university's health service (SSU) offers free consultations, and the national Santé Psy Étudiant scheme gives students free sessions with a psychologist on a doctor's referral. Talk to someone early — your international office can point you to the right service.
QUICK ANSWERS
Your questions, answered.
Registration to French social security is free for students. A mutuelle top-up is optional and usually costs extra.
It is optional but recommended: social security refunds about 70% of standard consultation costs, and a mutuelle covers most of the rest, plus hospital stays. Student mutuelles cost roughly €10–40 a month.
Your French health insurance card. Doctors scan it so refunds go to your bank account automatically. It arrives a few weeks after your permanent registration.
WHERE TO GO NEXT
Keep going: the pages that help next.
Each card says what you will find there. Looking for something else? See every page on the site.
FRANCE GUIDE
First weeks in France
The order to do things after arriving in France: visa validation, university enrolment, bank, phone, social security, CAF housing aid and transport.
FRANCE GUIDE
Safety, wellbeing & emergencies
15, 17, 18 and 112, the 3114 crisis line, free student counselling, the Embassy of India in Paris, housing scams and discrimination help in France.
FRANCE GUIDE
Part-time work & internships
International students in France can work 964 hours a year. Minimum wage, internship pay, alternance, common student jobs and employer rules.
FROM INDIA
Sending money abroad
Pay foreign university fees from India: LRS limit of USD 250,000, TCS from April 2026 (nil on loans, 2% above ₹10 lakh), Form A2, forex cards and TCS refunds.
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